By Scout Nelson
North Dakota State University assistant professor Thomas Krumel received a $273,000 award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture New Investigator program to study economic changes in the meatpacking industry.
The research project will examine how consolidation in meat processing and federal investment programs affect rural communities, including areas across North Dakota. The study focuses on whether federal funding programs designed to increase meat processing capacity are improving jobs, business growth, and local economic conditions.
“Receiving the award is important for me because it validates the research program I have been building over the past several years,” Krumel said. “The NIFA funding allows me to expand it into a larger, more comprehensive evaluation of federal policy.”
The research will examine two USDA programs supporting meat processing expansion. These include the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program and the Local Meat Capacity Grant Program. Both programs aim to strengthen competition in the meatpacking sector and support independently owned processing businesses.
Heidi Grunwald said the project provides important information about whether federal investments are improving economic outcomes in rural communities. Researchers will study employment growth, processing expansion, and the long-term effects of government support programs.
Krumel joined NDSU in 2021 after working as a research agricultural economist with the USDA Economic Research Service. His work focuses on labor markets, industrial organization, and rural economic development connected to agriculture industries.
The project also supports NDSU’s role as an EPSCoR institution by helping expand research opportunities and partnerships in states that historically receive less federal research funding. NDSU doctoral student Andy Meyer is also involved in the project and recently co-authored a research paper with Krumel about subsidies and market competition.
Researchers expect many findings from the project to become available during the next year as the study continues to examine how federal investment programs influence rural economies and agricultural industries.
This research is funded by NIFA Award 1034279.
Photo Credit: north-dakota-state-university
Categories: North Dakota, Business, Education