Purdue Associate professor of Ag Economics Corinne Alexander was found dead in her home early this week. No cause of death has been officially reported. Friends and co-workers became concerned when Alexander failed to show up for work on Monday. Purdue Ag Economist Dr. Chris Hurt said her loss was a loss for the entire department. Dr. Alexander received her Ph.D. in agricultural economics from University of California, Davis with fields in agricultural economics and resource economics. Her research generally focused on interactions between members of the supply chain, with a particular interest in contractual relationships. Her current research interests examined how farmers’ production decisions interact with their marketing decisions. Dr. Hurt told HAT she worked with smaller Indiana producers as well as small farmers in Africa to help them with storage and marketing decisions.
Dr. Alexander had two Extension programs. The first program focused on price risk management and provided information about new marketing tools such as new generation grain marketing contracts. The second program focused on marketing value-added products, with a focus on food-grade grains and organic products. Alexander also worked with organic farmers helping them to make the transition from traditional farming methods to organic production. An investigation is continuing, while Purdue officials have not made any comment on her death. Hurt says her death came as a shock and has impacted the entire ag economics department.