Advancing Economics, Transforming Lives

April 2009

Dr. Vera Bitsch Receives National Award

By Jennifer Allwardt

Faculty member Dr. Vera Bitsch’s exceptional talent and dedication has been acknowledged by the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) this past year for her work in human resource management in agriculture.  She was the recipient of the AAEA Distinguished Extension/Outreach Program Award:  Individual - less than 10-years experience.  Only three awards were granted by the AAEA in the category for extension work in 2008.

Bitsch has been involved in research and teaching in the Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics department, but invests most of her time with MSU’s Extension program.  Human resource management (HRM) has been the focal point of her research and extension work.  She first became interested in HRM while she was working on her dissertation.  She says, “I started noticing that there is another important element to business success, which financial data do not really capture.”  Managing employees is often a challenge for agricultural managers, which is why Dr. Bitsch’s work is so essential in the outreach program.  Quality HRM leads to an improved economic efficiency within each firm.  She connects with her target audience through workshops, presentations with the extension program, electronic newsletters, and a HRM website- http://www.msu.edu/user/bitsch. The primary audiences of the extension program are managers and producers of agricultural and horticultural firms. Bitsch’s interactive workshops aim at providing the means to manage the productivity of employees- from hiring to termination, and everything in-between.  Empowering employees to work at their greatest potential is a very important part of HRM.  Evaluations from these workshops show an increase in the knowledge and improved decision making of the participants.  The Personnel Management in Agriculture website is a great resource for human resource management.  It is well-maintained with up-to-date information for managers in agricultural professions.

[ Click here to access a narrated PowerPoint in which Dr. Bitsch introduces you to her site. ]

The AAEA mission is “To enhance the skills, knowledge and professional contributions of those economists who serve society in solving problems related to agriculture, food, resources and economic development.”  They are committed to dispersion of knowledge of economics of agriculture, rural communities, and natural resources.  Dr. Bitsch’s research and extension work likewise are also devoted to solving problems specifically in human resource management in agriculture.  Her work and research are often presented nationally and internationally, so it is not surprising that she has been selected for this AAEA award.