My applied research program investigates producer decision-making under risk uncertainty by evaluating to role of risk management tools such as publicly provided crop insurance and privately provided tools such as pre-harvest hedging under limited information, highlighting the role of theory and computer decision models to generate a better decision environment. My work on producer decision making focuses on the producer, crop, and practice (irrigated or rainfed) as risk exposure changes drastically within this context. At the market level, I have investigated the unintended consequences of crop insurance policy. Additionally, I am interested in the creation and use of decision tools, impacts of hidden information in pricing, economics of integrated pest management, economics of soil health and resilient farms. My work has spanned across departments and private industry.
I received his Ph.D. in economics and masters in Agricultural Economics from Washington State University in 2008 and 2004, respectively. I received a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business from Montana State University in 2002. I grew up on a grain farm in Montana producing wheat, canola, barley, and peas.
The Montana Farm
In the News
Watch Dr. Walters on U.S. Farm Report's College Road Show episode, filmed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in September 2023.
Watch Dr. Walters on U.S. Farm Report's College Road Show episode, filmed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in September 2022.
Dr. Walters on The Grain I.Q. Podcast, by the Rural Radio Network, discussing crop insurance in March 2024.
Recent Publications
• Roberts, S.*, L. Nogueira, K. Brooks and C. G. Walters. 2022. “The Role of Quality Characteristics in Pricing Hard Red Winter Wheat” Food Policy, 108, 102246 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2022.102246
• Hunt, E., C. G. Walters, T. Klemm, I. Eronmwon* and J. Cohen. 2022. “Using Seasonal Climate Analogs to Improve Grain Marketing Decisions” Choices. Quarter 1. Available online: https://www.choicesmagazine.org/choices-magazine/submitted-articles/using-analog-based[1]seasonal-weather-forecasts-to-improve-grain-marketing-decisions
• Azzam, A., Walters, C. and T. Kaus*. 2021.” Does subsidized crop insurance affect farm industry structure? Lessons from the US.” Journal of Policy Modeling
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpolmod.2021.06.003
• Mavroutsikos, C. *, Giannakas, K. and C. Walters, 2021. “The role of premium subsidies in crop insurance.” Plos one, 16(4), p.e0250129. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250129
• Delay N. D., H. H. Chouinard, C. G. Walters and P. R. Wandschneider. 2020. “The Influence of Crop Insurance Agents on Coverage Choices: The Role of Agent Competition” Agricultural Economics. 51(4): 623-638 https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.12576