Food Distribution Research Society
Conference Report · October 2026

The 67th Annual Conference,
Hershey, Pennsylvania

Resilience, Risk, and Reinvention in Food Distribution Systems

Dates  October 4–6, 2026
Venue  Hershey Lodge, Hershey, PA
Program  Final program (PDF)

Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, judged, moderated and advised. This page collects the program highlights, the 2026 award recipients, the Student Food Marketing Challenge results and the Board changes announced at the Business Meeting.

I      The Program

Keynote
Russell Redding, Secretary of Agriculture, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, spoke on the challenges and opportunities facing Pennsylvania agriculture and the role of land-grant universities. Dr. Cindy Nickerson, Deputy Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, presented the market outlook for commodities, inputs and retail food prices and an update on USDA data modernization. Cameron Castillo, Associate Economist, American Farm Bureau Federation, joined the session remotely.
Symposia
I. Data-Driven Decision Making and Regulatory Adaptation in Specialty Crop Food Systems
II. Training Minds in Fast-Changing Times
Research sessions
Three rounds of concurrent sessions of research reports, research updates and teaching case studies, and the Richardson-Applebaum Award Winners Research Session on Monday afternoon.
Student Challenge
The Student Food Marketing Challenge returned fully in person. Seven teams from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, California State University Fresno, SUNY Cobleskill, Texas A&M University, the University of Connecticut and Zamorano University (Honduras) competed in the first round on Sunday and the final on Monday.
Meetings
Board of Directors meeting on Sunday; Breakfast and Business Meeting of the membership on Tuesday, October 6.

II

2026 Award Recipients

Scholarship awards were presented at the Richardson-Applebaum Awards Luncheon on Monday, October 5; the research, service and leadership awards at the Award Ceremony and Banquet that evening.

Award Recipient Institution
FDRS Scholarship Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research Jimmy Hughes Clemson University
Richardson-Applebaum Scholarship Award, M.S. Thesis Andrés Bejarano Loor University of Florida
Richardson-Applebaum Scholarship Award, M.S. Thesis — Honorable Mention Macie McCollum Texas A&M University
Richardson-Applebaum Scholarship Award, Ph.D. Dissertation Dr. Mackenzie Gill Colorado State University
Richardson-Applebaum Scholarship Award, Ph.D. Dissertation — Honorable Mention Dr. Success Okafor North Carolina A&T State University
Presidential Award for Excellence in Research and Communication Josie Nasekos, Alba J. Collart, Elizabeth Canales and Anastasia Thayer Clemson University; Mississippi State University
Frank Panyko Distinguished Service Award Dr. Ramu Govindasamy Rutgers University
Patrick J. Byrne Emerging Leadership Award Dr. Hannah Shear Oklahoma State University

The Presidential Award recognizes “Got Traceability? A Geographical-Price-Informed Choice Experiment Assessing Consumer Preferences for Blockchain-Verified Traceability in Cow’s Milk.” The Society also recognized Dr. Samuel Zapata, Texas A&M University, at the close of his year as President.

III

Student Food Marketing Challenge

Seven teams from six institutions competed in person over two days. Congratulations to the three winning teams, and thank you to every team and advisor who took part.

First place
University of Connecticut
Advisor: Cristina Connolly · Team: Laura Coderre, Kelly Dunne, Isabella Lawless, Nora Lombardo, Anna Woelk
Second place
Texas A&M University
Advisor: Senarath Dharmasena · Team: David Kendrick, Surcy Peoples, Presley Schell, Nataly Taylor
Third place
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Advisor: Lucy McGowan · Team: Chloe Gist, Addy Heermance, Ava Montes, Allison Ong

IV

Board Transitions

Taking office
Maria Bampasidou President · Texas A&M University
Elizabeth Canales President-Elect · Mississippi State University
Ryan Loy Treasurer · University of Arkansas
Lixia H. Lambert VP Communications · Oklahoma State University
With thanks for their service
Greg Fonsah Past President
Kim Morgan Treasurer
Shuoli Zhao VP Communications
Courtney Long Director

Announced at the Business Meeting on Tuesday, October 6. The full 2026–2027 Board is on the Leadership page. Nominations for VP Logistics, VP Membership, VP Student Programs, VP Education, Director and the Editorial team (terms starting 2027) may be sent to the President.

Acknowledgements

The Society thanks its 2026 conference sponsors, Southern Extension Risk Management Education and the Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center, Oklahoma State University; the keynote speakers; the Hershey Lodge; and the Board members, session moderators, judges and faculty advisors who gave their time.

Next year

FDRS 2027
Nashville, Tennessee

The 68th Annual Conference. Dates, venue and the call for proposals will be announced here and through the FDRS listserv.