James MacDonald

James MacDonald is a Research Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Maryland's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He previously served as Chief of the Structure, Technology, and Productivity Branch at USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS), where he led research on farm structure, productivity, and agricultural innovation. His work integrates administrative and survey data to analyze competitive dynamics, structural changes, and policy impacts in food and agricultural systems.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Economics, State University of New York at Buffalo
  • B.S., Siena College

Dr. MacDonald's research emphasizes the industrial organization of food systems, focusing on competition, pricing, and structural shifts in agriculture. Notable areas include livestock production consolidation, meatpacking industry concentration, and USDA procurement auctions. He has pioneered the use of granular federal datasets to assess farm-level practices and policy effects.

His recent work highlights trends in agricultural consolidation, seed intellectual property implications, and relational contracting dynamics. Collaborations with ERS teams have produced influential reports on family farm diversity, dairy industry challenges, and crop marketing strategies.

Labs/Teams: Formerly led ERS research teams analyzing farm structure and productivity, co-managing USDA's Agricultural Resource Management Survey.