Cory Walters

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Cory Walters

Associate Professor Agricultural Economics University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Contact

Address
FYH 304B
Lincoln, NE 68583-0922
Phone
402-472-0366 On-campus 2-0366
Email
cwalters7@unl.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Cory Walters’ applied research program investigates producer decision-making under risk and uncertainty, with a particular emphasis on how agricultural producers use risk management tools to navigate incomplete or imperfect information. His work evaluates both publicly provided instruments, such as federally subsidized crop insurance, and privately provided strategies, including pre-harvest hedging and other market-based mechanisms.

Dr. Walters’ work bridges academic research, industry application, and policy design, engaging with both public institutions and private partners. He grew up on a grain farm in Montana, where his family produced both winter and spring wheat, canola and lentils—an experience that continues to inform the practical relevance of his research in agricultural risk management and farm decision-making.

Photo of a combine and harvest machinery in a wheat field.
Walters family farm wheat harvest 2025, Montana.

Education

Cory received his Ph.D. in economics and masters in Agricultural Economics from Washington State University in 2008 and 2004, respectively.  He received a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business from Montana State University in 2002. 

In the News

Top Producer Podcast - (YouTube | Apple Podcasts) - Discussing how farmers might be able to utilize a micro captive insurance company that they own and operate and how that might help their farm operation. Farm Journal, Feb. 24, 2026

More Nebraska cropland can be covered by federal farm aid programs as U.S. market faces uncertainty - Nebraska Public Media, Jan. 28, 2026

China meets initial soybean purchase goal, but Trump's shifting trade policy could disrupt deal - AP/ABC News, Jan. 20, 2026

Dr. Walters was interviewed by ABC News for a Sept. 28, 2025, story on the impact of U.S. trade developments on Nebraska soybean farmers. Read it here.

Dr. Walters returned to the U.S. Farm Report's College Road show on Nebraska's East Campus in September 2025. Watch his appearance here.

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

  • Kotsakou, T.*, C. Walters, S. Banerjee and K. Schoengold. 2025. “Safety-First? A Context-rich Experimental Study of the Role of Safety-First Risk Preferences in a Post-Harvest Grain Marketing Setting.” Agricultural Finance Review. doi.org/10.1108/AFR-11-2024-0187
  • Mavroutsikos, C., K. Giannakas and C. Walters. 2025. “Producer Attitudes, Risk Decisions and Economic Impacts of Crop Insurance.” Journal of Policy Modeling. doi.org/10.1016/j.jpolmod.2025.10.001
  • DeLay, N. and C. Walters. 2024. “Mapping Agents: A Spatial Economic Analysis of Agent Location in the Federal Crop Insurance Program.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics. doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12503
  • O’Donnell, E.*, L. Nogueira, C. Walters, W. Peterson and S. Irmak. 2023. “The Economics of Deficit Irrigation.” Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, pp. 1–19. doi.org/10.1017/age.2023.16
  • Roberts, S.*, K. Brooks, L. Nogueira and C. Walters. 2022. “The Role of Quality Characteristics in Pricing Hard Red Winter Wheat.” Food Policy, 108, 102246. doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2022.102246
  • High Impact Award, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Ag Research Division.
  • Hunt, E., C. Walters, T. Klemm, I. Eronmwon* and J. Cohen. 2022. “Using Seasonal Climate Analogs to Improve Grain Marketing Decisions.” Choices, Quarter 1. choicesmagazine.org/choices-magazine/submitted-articles/using-analog-based-seasonal-weather-forecasts-to-improve-grain-marketing-decisions
  • Azzam, A., C. Walters and T. Kaus*. 2021. “Does Subsidized Crop Insurance Affect Farm Industry Structure? Lessons from the U.S.” Journal of Policy Modeling, 43(6): 1167–1180. doi.org/10.1016/j.jpolmod.2021.06.003
  • Mavroutsikos, C.*, K. Giannakas and C. Walters. 2021. “The Role of Premium Subsidies in Crop Insurance.” PLoS ONE, 16(4): e0250129. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250129
  • DeLay, N. D., H. H. Chouinard, C. 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. doi.org/10.1111/agec.12576
  • Sharma, S.*, and C. Walters. 2020. “Influence of Farm Size and Insured Type on Crop Insurance Returns.” Agribusiness: An International Journal, 36(3): 440–452. doi.org/10.1002/agr.21636