Rate My Professor Christopher Boyer

Christopher Boyer serves as Professor and Head of the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a role he began on June 1, 2024, following his tenure as assistant department head since 2023. He joined the department in 2012 as an Assistant Professor, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2017, and to full Professor in 2022. Boyer holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University (2011), an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University (2008), and a B.S. in Agribusiness from Texas A&M University (2006). His research program centers on farm business management, emphasizing profitability, risk management, and economic sustainability for crop and livestock producers. Key areas include optimal calving seasons, heifer development and selection, reproductive and grazing management, nutrient application, irrigation investments, planting decisions for cotton, corn, soybeans, and hay, as well as cover crops, no-till systems, and precision agriculture technologies.

Boyer has published 112 refereed journal articles and 26 University of Tennessee Extension reports, with his work cited over 2,000 times on Google Scholar. Notable publications include "Profitability of variable rate nitrogen application in wheat production" (Precision Agriculture, 2011), "Stochastic corn yield response functions to nitrogen for corn after corn, corn after cotton, and corn after soybeans" (Agronomy Journal, 2013), "Investment Analysis of Cover Crop and No-Tillage Systems on Tennessee Cotton" (Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, 2018), "Switchgrass yield response functions and profit-maximizing nitrogen rates on four landscapes in Tennessee" (BioEnergy Research, 2012), and "Tillage and cover crop impacts on economics of cotton production in Tennessee" (Agronomy Journal, 2017). As principal investigator or co-principal investigator, he has secured over $1.5 million in grants from sources including USDA-NRCS ($229,000 for cotton cover crops, 2017-2021), USDA-NIFA ($300,000 for agribusiness education, 2020-2024), and USDA-AFRI ($497,537 for prevented planting cover factors, 2021-2024). His accolades encompass the Southern Agricultural Economics Association Emerging Scholar Award (2017) and Distinguished Professional Contribution Award, University of Tennessee AgResearch T.J. Whatley Distinguished Young Scientist Award (2018), University of Tennessee Chancellor’s Honor Award for Multidisciplinary Research (2018), Herbert College of Agriculture Glynn and Lynda Newton Entrepreneurial Development Award (2018), and Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Outstanding Early Career Alumni Award (2023). Boyer currently edits the Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, previously served as Southern Agricultural Economics Association director (2019-2021), participated in the LEAD21 leadership program (2024 cohort), and co-directs the Farm Credit Scholars program. His research appears in outlets such as BEEF, Farm Progress, and Progressive Farmer, influencing practical decision-making among producers nationwide.