John Bovay

John Bovay is an Associate Professor and Kohl Junior Faculty Fellow in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech. He leads the department's Extension program and focuses on food and agricultural policy, particularly environmental and health impacts. His roles include membership in the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council's Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (2024–2026) and Chair of the AAEA Specialty Crop Economics Section (2024–2025).

• Education: Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from UC Davis (2014), B.A. in Mathematics and Politics from Washington and Lee University (2007).

His research integrates economic analysis of public policies, including food safety inspections, climate-smart agriculture, SNAP participation, and food waste. Notable projects include a USDA-NIFA grant (2022–25) on vegetable on-farm loss and a study on GMO labeling laws. Teaching includes a Ph.D. course on empirical market and policy analysis with Anubhab Gupta.

• Selected Awards: Southern Agricultural Economics Association Emerging Scholar (2021), Distinguished Young Alumnus (2017).

Outreach efforts emphasize Extension programs like the 'Virginia Sustainable Farms and Agribusiness Education Initiative' and leadership in Virginia Cooperative Extension's Agribusiness Management & Economics team. Grants include the USDA's Climate-Smart Agriculture Alliance and I2GROW initiatives.