Dr. Tara Wade is an Agricultural Resource Economist in the Food and Resource Economics Department and the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) at the University of Florida. She specializes in determining the economic factors that affect choices to adopt environmentally benign agricultural practices. Her research interests are costs of ecosystem services, conservation policy design, and climate change adaptation. Dr. Wade’s extension and research programs focus on helping farmers to reach their economic and conservation goals in efficient ways.
Prior to working at SWFREC. Dr. Wade was a Postdoctoral Research Associate with North Carolina A&T State University and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service. There she specialized in the economic factors that affect farmers’ choices to adopt conservation practices. Dr. Wade received a master’s in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Energy and Environmental Systems and Economics from North Carolina A&T State University. Her graduate work dealt with estimating the cost of conservation tillage adoption by corn and soybean farmers.
Research / Extension
Farm Economics
- Federal & State Policies
Natural Resources & Environment
- Water Quality & Quantity
- Conservation Practice Adoption
- Conservation Program Design
- Precision Agriculture & Integrated Pest Management
Research Publications
Extension Publications
- Tara Wade - UF/IFAS Publications
- A Review of Strawberry Production and Price Trends from 2010 to 2022
- Florida’s Agricultural Carbon Economy as Climate Action: The Potential Role of Farmers and Ranchers
- A Review of Watermelon Production and Price Trends from 2010 to 2021
- Capitalizing on Carbon
- How Ecosystem Services are Measured and Why it Matters for Florida
- Florida's Water Resources
- View All Tara Wade's UF/IFAS Publications
Dr. Tara Wade
Assistant Professor
Agricultural Natural Resources Economics
Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC)
2685 SR 29 North Immokalee, FL 34142
(239) 658 - 3444
tara.wade@ufl.edu
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Education
- Ph.D. Energy and Environmental Systems and Economics, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC, 2011
- M.S. Applied Mathematics, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC, 2005
- B.S. Mathematics, Livingstone College, Salisbury, NC, 2003
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Professional Experience
- April 2017 - Present
Assistant Professor, Agricultural Resource Economics, University of Florida - February 2013 - April 2017
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Conservation and Environment Branch, Resource and Rural Economics Division, Economic Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC - January 2012 - February 2013
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Economics, College of Business and Economics, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC - August 2007 - December 2011
Research Assistant, Department of Economics, College of Business and Economics, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC - August 2006 - July 2007
Mathematics Instructor, Bennett College for Women, Greensboro, NC - August 2005 - May 2006
Adjunct Mathematics Instructor, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC
- April 2017 - Present
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Awards and Honors
- NCA&TSU College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year (2012)
- AAEA Travel Grant (2012,2013)
- Best Seminar Presentation (2008)
- Excellence in Academic Performance (2008-2010)
- Valedictorian (2003)
- Publications
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Other Professional Activities
- Agricultural and Applied Economics Association
- American Economic Association
- USDA Economists Group
- Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association
- Canadian Agricultural Economic Society
- Southern Agricultural Economics Association
- Florida Climate Institute
- University of Florida Water Institute