WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – As one of five Farm Foundation 2025 Agricultural Scholars, Joshua Strine will receive training in such areas as ag policy and finance. The second-year doctoral student at Purdue University said he’s looking forward to building his network, and engaging with industry leaders, researchers and future colleagues during the program’s meetings and conferences.

“I am excited about all the opportunities that the Ag Scholar program will provide, but I am most looking forward to the networking aspect,” he said. “Agriculture and academia rely strongly on connections, and the Ag Scholars program will give me the chance to interact with agricultural producers, researchers, and fellow Agricultural Scholars. These connections may provide future research ideas, opportunities, or collaborators.”

Farm Foundation, based in Oak Brook, Ill., is a self-described accelerator of practical solutions for agriculture. This will be the 6th cohort for the Agricultural Scholars program since it began in 2020. The program is sponsored in partnership with the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).

During the year, the Ag Scholars will participate in various events and projects, such as a mentorship with an ERS senior analyst, a research project, and ag-focused forums and meetings, including the USDA’s annual Ag Outlook Forum, according to Farm Foundation. They will also attend the foundation’s Round Table meetings.

The five Ag Scholars were announced in late December.

Strine is working toward his doctorate in agricultural economics. His research has focused on agricultural finance and farm management.

He said he heard about the program from a former Purdue doctoral student and Ag Scholar in fall 2023. The timing wasn’t right then to apply for 2024, but when Strine heard applications were open for the 2025 cohort, he applied.

“In addition to the meetings, the USDA ERS mentorship aspect will allow me to grow as a researcher who conducts work that is meaningful to agricultural producers and policymakers, which will benefit me as I pursue a research-based career in agricultural economics,” he explained.

Strine grew up on his family’s farm in Marion, Ohio. His dad and uncle manage the farm, and his grandfather was involved until he retired recently. The family grows corn, soybeans and wheat, and manages a contracted hog barn. Strine said he enjoys helping on the farm when he’s home on a break and intends to have a role on the farm in the future.

He listed a couple reasons for his interest in agricultural economics.

“It was a mix of my background in agriculture, having grown up on a family farm, and my enjoyment of and relative strength in math. Raising livestock on the family farm led me to first major in animal sciences at Ohio State. During my junior year, I realized I had time to pick up more classes and added a second major in agribusiness and applied economics. Through my two years in the program and discussions with my advisers at Ohio State, I decided a graduate degree in agricultural economics was the correct next step for my career.”

Strine has a master’s in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University. The primary topic of his dissertation at Purdue is consolidation in the ag lending landscape.

“The research is still in the early stages, but we hope to learn how local consolidation affects lending agencies’ ability to provide agricultural loans or agricultural producers’ ability to fund their operations.”

While at Purdue, he has researched the ag job market, ag lending and crop prices. He has maintained the Crop Basis Tool and the Ag Jobs Dashboard for the university’s Center for Commercial Agriculture.

He plans to graduate in the summer of 2026 or 2027. After graduation, he said he will “pursue a research-based career that enables me to conduct meaningful research and contribute to education that benefits current and future generations of agricultural producers. I am remaining flexible in my career path, but I will consider roles in academia or a government agency, such as the USDA Economic Research Service, based on my career objectives.”

The four additional Ag Scholars are Isaac Albores, Virginia Tech; Ivy Mackereth, West Virginia University; Caroline Roeder Helle, Montana State University; and Kelsey Vourazeris, Arizona State University.