Randy Fortenbery

Randy Fortenbery is the Director of the IMPACT Center and holds the Thomas B. Mick Endowed Chair at Washington State University's School of Economic Sciences, within the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. He specializes in agricultural price dynamics, futures market analysis, and risk management strategies. His research focuses on how new information impacts market prices, volatility spillovers, and hedging mechanisms in commodity markets.

Fortenbery earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois (1988), and his M.S. and B.S. in Applied and Natural Resource Economics from Montana State University (1984 and 1982, respectively). He has held distinguished roles, including the Renk Chair in Agribusiness at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has received awards for teaching and research.

His recent work explores topics such as biodiesel refinery location decisions, volatility in dairy and soybean markets, and the effects of climate phenomena like El Niño on commodity prices. He has contributed to policy discussions on crop insurance, ethanol production impacts, and international trade dynamics in grain markets.

• Awards: Small Grains Endowed Chair (2011–present), Renk Chair in Agribusiness (2002), John S. Donald Teaching Award (1996).
• Labs/Teams: Leads the IMPACT Center, focusing on applied economic research and policy analysis.
• Grants: Extensive funding for studies on biofuel economics, climate impacts, and commodity market dynamics (details in full description).