Margaret Jodlowski

About me

I am an agricultural economist who focuses on agricultural labor and risk management. I am an Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics and Policy at the Ohio State University.

My research primarily investigates how broad trends in the off-farm economy impact farm-level production and financial decisions. My job market paper explores the role of off-farm income in a farm's risk management strategy, while estimating how this off-farm income is used differently when it is earned by the primary operator, who in the majority of cases is a man, versus when it is earned by the primary operator's spouse, who is a woman. I find that male-earned income is used to service farm debt, while the spouse's income is used for household debt; in addition, I document how farm households accept a financial penalty in order for the primary operator to remain male.

I also have ongoing projects that explore the impact of programs and policies, especially those related to immigration and the Federal Crop Insurance program, on farms' operational decisions.