I am an agricultural economist with a primary focus on agribusiness and food markets. My objective is to conduct timely, problem-driven research that features a combination of microeconomic tools and computational science. My guiding philosophy is to apply state-of-the-art quantitative methods to analyses of relevant, timely, and important researchable problems and produce results that are important both for private and public decision-makers.
Yeh, D. A., Dai, B., Gómez, M. I., & Walton, V. M. (2023). Does Monitoring Pests Pay Off? A Bioeconomic Assessment of Drosophila suzukii Controls. Pest Management Science, ps.7801.
This study uses a novel bioeconomic simulation framework to show that incorporating fruit sampling can be a promising tool to reduce pesticide reliance while controlling D. suzukii infestation. These findings provide clearer information on the economic viability of using monitoring-based pest control strategies in organic berry production, and the assessment framework sheds light on the economics of pest management.
Dai, B., Gómez, M. I., Atallah, S. S., & Björkman, T. (2023). Changes in the supply chain outcomes of food regionalization, 2007–2017: Broccoli in the eastern United States. PLOS ONE, 18(6), e0287691
This study employs a spatial-temporal model of production and transportation to evaluate the supply chain outcomes of a decade-long process of food regionalization for fresh broccoli in the eastern United States. Our results indicate that eastern broccoli supply chains displaced products sourced from the western US and met over 15% of the annual demand in eastern markets in 2017. We find that total broccoli supply chain costs and food miles increased in the period 2007–2017. Our results provide valuable information for policymakers and the fresh produce industry interested in promoting regional food supply chains.
Bingyan Dai, Miguel I. Gómez, Xiaoli Fan, Gregory M. Loeb, Binita Shrestha, and Stephen P. Hesler. “Cost-effectiveness and Risk Assessment of Integrated Pest Management: The Case of Spotted Wing Drosophila”.
This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness, and risks associated with the status quo strategy (i.e., calendar-based spraying) compared to five monitoring-based integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for controlling Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), a devastating invasive pest affecting the soft-fruit industry in the U.S. We employ a Bayesian bioeconomic framework that accounts for biological and economic uncertainties in SWD control, focusing on conventional blueberry production in New York state. Our results indicate that the IPM strategy with the most accurate monitoring technique is only more profitable than the status quo strategy when the insecticide efficacy is high--at least 84%. Under all other scenarios, the status quo strategy proves optimal, offering the lowest expected costs and the least variability in yield and total costs. We also demonstrate that all SWD control strategies become more costly with reduced insecticide efficacy. Our findings show the importance of preserving insecticide efficacy and delaying resistance to avoid additional economic losses and ensure the economic viability of IPM strategies.
Bingyan Dai, Miguel I. Gómez and Harry M. Kaiser. “Impacts and Implications of Transformative Adaptations in Food Systems in Response to Severe Droughts”.
This research provides new empirical insights to assess the impact of transformative adaptation on fresh vegetable systems in response to increased drought risks. Specifically, we utilize a production-transportation optimization model to examine the U.S. fresh broccoli supply chain, a highly centralized supply system vulnerable to drought-induced disruptions in its dominant production state, California.
D. Adeline Yeh, Bingyan Dai and Miguel I. Gómez. “A Game Theory Analysis of Postharvest Pest Control for Blueberry Production in North Carolina”.
Allan F. Pinto, Miguel I. Gómez, Bingyan Dai, Ella Kwon and David E. Lane. “Economic Analysis of Using Exclusion Netting for Spotted Wing Drosophila Management in Organic Blueberry Production Systems“.
"Pesticide Resistance and Market Responses: The U.S. Berry Industry" with Frank G. Zalom, and Joanna C. Chiu.
“Forecasting during Changing Price Patterns from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza” with Matthew J. MacLachlan and Jada Thompson.
“Sustainable Pest Management for Blackberry Production in North Carolina“ with Miguel I. Gómez, Hannah Levenson, Hannah Burrack, and Daniel Tregeagle.
“Economic Analysis of Spatial Control Strategy for Wild Blueberries in Maine” with Miguel I. Gómez, Philip Fanning, and Ben Johnson.