Biography
I am an applied economist studying the interaction between policy, agriculture, and the environment. My research focuses on how market-based and public agricultural policy in the United States and the Brazilian Amazon influence farmer behavior. I use this lens to study indirect policy effects on the environment, including deforestation, GHG emissions, and water quality. I approach these questions by combining econometric methods, big data, extensive field work, and collaboration with interdisciplinary partners in the US and Brazil.
Research Interests
- Agricultural economics
- Environmental economics
- Policy impacts
- Water quality
- Deforestation
Education
- Ph.D. Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2020
- Msc. Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2016
- BS Economics and Statistics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014
Additional Campus Affiliations
Gardner Agricultural Policy Fellow, Agricultural and Consumer Economics
Assistant Professor, Agricultural and Consumer Economics
Recent Publications
Hutchins, J., Skidmore, M., & Nolan, D. (2025). Vulnerability of US dairy farms to extreme heat. Food Policy, 131, Article 102821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102821
Skidmore, M. E., Barrozo, M., Rausch, L., & Gibbs, H. K. (2024). Cattle supply chain fidelity in the Brazilian Amazon: key considerations for deforestation monitoring. Environmental Research Letters, 19(11), Article 114012. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad7a0d
Skidmore, M. E., Sims, K. M., & Gibbs, H. K. (2023). Agricultural intensification and childhood cancer in Brazil. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(45), Article e2306003120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2306003120
Skidmore, M., Andarge, T., & Foltz, J. (2023). Effectiveness of local regulations on nonpoint source pollution: Evidence from Wisconsin dairy farms. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 105(5), 1333-1364. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12388
Skidmore, M. E. (2023). Outsourcing the dry season: Cattle ranchers' responses to weather shocks in the Brazilian Amazon. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 105(2), 409-433. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12333