Greetings! Serving as president of the Food Distribution Research Society is an honor, and I welcome our long-time members, new members, and visitors to our website. The Society’s overall goal is to facilitate the development of leading-edge information and education about food distribution through applied research by serving as a forum for exchanging ideas and information and acting as a clearing house for food distribution research and education. We strive to help with food industry education and training, as well as the implementation of new ideas and concepts. We aim to provide professional development, advancement, and recognition in food distribution. Importantly, we are fully committed to creating, supporting, and maintaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where all members enjoy a sense of belonging and are provided opportunities to participate. I and the rest of the leadership embrace these goals and serve to advance them.

The 2023 FDRS Annual Conference was held jointly with the National Agricultural Marketing Summit from November 12–14 in Washington, D.C. Our past president, Dr. Margarita Velandia (University of Tennessee), Vice President for Logistics and Outreach, Dr. Rod Holcomb (Oklahoma State University), and Secretary-Treasurer, Dr. Kim Morgan (University of Florida), did an outstanding job making it happen, serving as the board’s liaison, and ensuring everything was in place during the conference and beyond. Our Vice President for Research, Dr. Maria Bampasidou (Louisiana State University), organized an excellent agenda of research sessions that included two organized symposiums, one on the work of regional food business centers and another on the current outlook for hemp in the United States. Our Vice President for Student Programs, Dr. Ariana Torres (Purdue University), put together an exciting Student Food Marketing Challenge in a hybrid format that allowed students to play the role of consultants and compete to give a presentation outlining their strategic recommendations in response to a marketing and food distribution challenge. First place went to the University of Connecticut (Advisor: Dr. Cristina Connolly); second place to Colorado State University (Advisor: Dr. Dawn Thilmany); and third place to Iowa State University (Advisor: Dr. Amani Elobeid). Our Vice President for Education, Dr. Andrew Muhammad (University of Tennessee), identified three outstanding students researching timely issues in food distribution and marketing. The Richardson-Applebaum award for best Ph.D. dissertation went to Dr. Sachintha Mendis (Colorado State University); best M.S. thesis to Mr. Zhengliang Yang (University of Idaho); and best undergraduate research paper to Ms. Josie Nasekos (Clemson University). Of course, you would not have heard of these events if it weren’t for the fantastic work of our VP of Communications, Dr. Shuoli Zhao (University of Kentucky). Our Vice President for Richardson-Applebaum Funds, Dr. Kim Morgan, continues to oversee our Richardson-Applebaum Scholarship Award investment fund, without which we couldn’t recognize outstanding students during our conference. And our Vice President for Industry Relations, Mr. Gary Matteson (Farm Credit Council), continues to help us strengthen our interlinkages with industry and provide invaluable advice so we can stay true to our industry-informed roots. Congratulations to all award winners, and a big thank you to all reviewers and judges who contributed their time and effort to help advance the Society’s goals.

The Society also publishes the Journal of Food Distribution Research (JFDR). The JFDR is an open-access, refereed research journal focusing on applied, problem-oriented issues of importance facing the U.S. agribusiness economic sector. If you work on these topics, we encourage you to submit your articles to our journal. Articles in the JFDR are indexed or cataloged in Ag Econ Search, Google Scholar, RePEc, Econ Papers, SCOPUS, IDEAS, and CAB International. In addition, our team of Editors, Dr. Ben Campbell (University of Georgia), Dr. Richard Volpe (California Polytechnic State University), and Dr. Carlos Trejo-Pech (University of Tennessee), select the recipient(s) of the Research and Communication Excellence Award from authors whose articles are published in our journal between annual conferences. Last year, the award went to Rudsari et al. (July 2023) for their work to understand the drivers of long-term stability in food supply chains.

Please save the date and join us at this year's annual conference from Oct 20-22 in Puerto Rico! This year, I’m excited to welcome our President-Elect and recipient of the 2023 Frank Panyko Distinguished Service Award, Dr. Greg Fonsah (University of Georgia), to the Conference Committee. Information for our Puerto Rico Conference, including conference registration, hotel reservations, and the call for presentations is posted on the 2024 Puerto Rico Conference tab, along with the rest of the conference details. Team registration for the 2024 Student Food Marketing Challenge is also available here. In the meantime, if you are considering joining the Society or have recently joined, check out our website. If our goals resonate with you and you are a member who would like to serve on the board, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Nominating Committee, Drs. Margarita Velandia (University of Tennessee), Kellie Raper (Oklahoma State University), and Jonathan Baros (North Carolina State University). Our recent Directors, Dr. Arbindra Rimal (Missouri State University), Dr. Linlin Fan (Pennsylvania State University), and Dr. Ban Banerjee (Kentucky State University), have contributed immensely to the board, and a director position is a great way to get involved before transitioning to a Vice President role.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope you will join us!