Dr. Scott Brown

Scott Brown of Columbia, Missouri is an associate extension professor in the Division of Applied Social Sciences and interim director of the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center at the University of Missouri.

Scott was raised on a diversified farm in Holt County that was a row crop, hog, and cattle operation. He pursued his B.S. degree in Agricultural Business from Northwest Missouri State University while continuing to work on the family farm. He received his M.S. in 1991 and completed his Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Mizzou in 1993.

While pursuing his graduate degrees, Scott was employed by the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri, where he was first exposed to agricultural policy, specifically to work in dairy policy.

Over 30 years, he has worked extensively on agricultural policy for the U.S. Congress and the Missouri Legislature. He is asked to testify regularly before the U.S. Congress and the Missouri Legislature on agricultural policy issues. His economic analysis has supported federal dairy policy legislation since the 1990 farm bill. He recently provided economic analysis in the 2023 federal milk market order hearing. Over his career, Scott has received more than $5 million in grants supporting his agricultural policy research interests.

Scott received the 2016 C. Brice Ratchford Memorial Fellowship Award, for his commitment, dedication, and effectiveness in advancing the land-grant mission. In 2013, he was recognized by the Missouri Institute of Cooperatives for his exemplary service to Missouri cooperatives through expertise in policy analysis, research, education, and innovative dairy policy reform endeavors. In 2002, he received the USDA Group Honor Award for Excellence for developing a stochastic methodology that provided the U.S. Congress and other decision-makers with in-depth quantitative analysis of the behavior of proposed agricultural policies for a range of projected economic and market conditions and in 1991, was presented the Distinguished American Agricultural Economics Association Policy Contribution Award which recognizes the outstanding impact on agricultural and related policy, based on sound foundations in economic theory.

You can hear his livestock-focused market outlook weekly on Brownfield Ag News’ weekly livestock market update, and he writes monthly columns for the Missouri Ruralist and Hoard’s Dairymen.

Scott and his wife, Julie, have two children: Michael Brown, and wife Emily; and Mark Brown.