Todd A. Lone
Assistant Professor- Ag Business

Office: Plumas 229 Campus Zip: 310 Phone: (530) 898-6879 FAX: (530) 898-5845 E-mail Address tlone@csuchico.edu

Personal Information:

I grew up in South Dakota and spent a good portion of my summer vacations traveling with my father while he sold agricultural equipment. During those travels I visited many of the small agricultural communities that dot the maps of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. It is at this time that I developed an interest in the agricultural sector and I decided to study agricultural economics in college. After receiving my B.S. in agricultural economics and an M.S in economics from South Dakota State University, I worked for a year as a research associate at the university. The following summer I borrowed my mother’s car and proceeded to add 12,000 miles to the odometer as I traveled around the U.S. sightseeing and interviewing universities about their doctoral programs in agriculture. I finally settled in Pullman, Washington for the next few years, where I met my spouse and earned a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Washington State University. Before coming to CSU, Chico I worked in the private sector as the senior economist for a data collection and analysis firm.

Courses Taught:

• Introduction To Agricultural Business and Economics (ABUS 101)
• Agricultural Production Economics and Quantitative Analysis (ABUS 301)
• Agricultural Markets and Pricing (ABUS 311)
• Agribusiness Management (ABUS 321)
• Agricultural Management Information Systems (ABUS 331)
• Agricultural Finance (ABUS 465)

Research and Professional Interests:

Past research focused on mathematical modeling of producer decision making. One study used linear programming to model producer irrigation decisions with respect to changing electrical rate structures. A second project attempted to determine optimal timing of wheat storage release decisions by constructing a stochastic dynamic programming model. My current research interests revolve around the study of consumer behavior. I am investigating: (1) the specific factors that account for food choice differences between genders; and (2) the retailing attributes that contribute to customer loyalty. 

Service to the College, University, and Community:

Currently, I am a co-advisor for the Society of Agricultural Managers (SAM) and a member of several college and university committees. I also coach youth girls’ basketball within the Chico Area Recreation and Park District sports program.