My disciplinary expertise is in applied microeconomics and agricultural production economics. I organize my scholarship into three areas: disciplinary research, which advances the science of applied economics; engaged research, which emphasizes reciprocal involvement with community members and external partners; and interdisciplinary research, which entails collaboration with academic colleagues in other disciplines. Recent disciplinary and interdisciplinary articles are listed below, while examples of engaged research projects are featured on my outreach and extension page.
Recent Publications (*Denotes student co-author)
Agricultural Water Management
"Exploring the Potential for Innovative Water Management Strategies to Support Irrigated Farmland Transitions: Three Case Studies in Colorado." 2025. Western Economics Forum, 23(1):3-17. (Open Access) (R.R. Ford*, D.F. Mooney, R.L. Hill, M. Wilson, M. Sullins, P. Cabot, A. Seidl) (Open Access)
"Agricultural Producer Decision Making Around Water Conservation in the Upper Colorado River Basin." 2024. Choices, 39(3):1-8. (D.F. Mooney, K.H. Hansen) (Open Access)
"Comparative Profitability of Irrigated Cropping Activities for Temporary Water Transfers under Risk Aversion." 2023. Journal of Agricultural & Resource Economics 48(1): 202–218. (D.F. Mooney, T. Kelley*) (Open Access)
"More Risk, More Money: When are Payments for Water Savings from Limited Irrigation Profitable for Farmers?" 2022. Water Resources and Economics 40: 100212. (D.F. Mooney, D. Hoag, Z. Rasul*, S. Gao*) (Open Access)
Cropping Systems
"Estimating the ex ante adoption determinants of novel cropping systems with nonpecuniary benefits." 2023. Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, (D.F. Mooney, B.L. Barham) (Open Access)
"Externalities in Wild Pig Damages on U.S. Crop and Livestock Farms: The Role of Landowner Actions and Landscape Heterogeneity." PLoS ONE 20(4): e0320316. (S. McKee, N. DeLay, D.F. Mooney, S. Shwiff) (Open Access)
"Hemp Farming and Credit Access in the United States: Developing a Conceptual Framework for Future Research." Forthcoming. Journal of Agribusiness, in press. (B.P. Mallika Appuhamilage, D. Mooney, T. Mark)
"Producers Marketing a Novel Crop: A Field-Level View of Hemp Market Channels." 2023. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 38: e32. (R. Hill, B. Jablonski, L. Van*, M. Wang*, P. Appuhamilage, M. LeRoux, T. Mark, D.F. Mooney, D. Thilmany) (Open Access)
"Making Headway on the Hemp Industry in Colorado: The CHAMP Initiative." 2020. Western Economics Forum 18(2): 86–94. (R. Hill, D.F. Mooney, D. Thilmany) (Open access)
Livestock Value Chains
"Climate and Consolidation in the U.S. Beef Cow Sector." 2024. Journal of Agricultural & Resource Economics, 50(1):97-118. (N. Delay, D.F. Mooney, J. Ritten) (Open Access)
"The Economic Fundamentals of Virtual Fencing Compared to Traditional Fencing." 2024. Rangelands, 47(1):92-101. (D. Hoag, R. Reuter, D. Mooney, J. Vitale, N. DeLay, P. Evangelista, A. Vorster) (Online Access)
"Beef Cattle Producer Perspectives on Virtual Fencing." 2024. Rangeland Ecology and Management, 96:143-151. (D. Hoag, A. Vorster, K. Ehlert, P. Evangelista, L. Edwards-Callaway, D. Mooney, J. Virene*) (Open Access)
"Type and Frequency of Wild Pig-Domestic Livestock Contacts and Operator Concern for Disease Spread." 2023. Q Open, 3:21 (S. McKee, D.F. Mooney, R. Williams) (Open Access)
"Willingness to Rent Land for Rotational Grazing: The Importance of Survey Response Behavior." 2018. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 51(1): 1–22. (D.F. Mooney, C. Bolison, B. Barham) (Open access)