The Flinchbaugh Agricultural Policy Chair
The Flinchbaugh Agricultural Policy Chair honors the legacy of Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh through providing the Chair-holder with a platform to create and sustain knowledge and human capital to inform solutions to current and future agricultural policy challenges. This work is rooted in the land grant mission through (1) high-quality, problem-focused, and timely applied research (2) educational programs that meet needs of the Kansas and US agricultural sector, and (3) stakeholder engagement and involvement in education, research, and outreach.
The current Flinchbaugh Chair is Dr. Jennifer Ifft, who also serves as an associate professor and agricultural policy extension specialist in the Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics. Her applied research program focuses on how different policies and regulations influence the financial well-being, risk environment, and resilience of Kansas and U.S. agriculture. Current projects include analysis of the forage safety net, the risks associated with expanding farm debt, crop insurance and water management institutions, and advancing understanding of the relationship between conservation practices and the profitability of Kansas farms. Ifft teaches undergraduate agricultural policy (AGEC 411) and her extension program is currently focused on Farm Bill education, livestock and forage insurance options, and high coverage crop insurance policies.
The Flinchbaugh Agricultural Policy Chair faculty position was funded by Dr. Flinchbaugh’s family, students, colleagues and industry supporters to carry forward his legacy in ag policy education.