Contributors
Our contributors dedicate time to the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center because they are passionate about rural and farm well-being and interested in economic modeling and objective policy analysis.
RaFF is closely aligned with our sister organization, the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri (FAPRI-MU) and many RaFF contributors are located at the University of Missouri. To ensure soundness of our state estimates, we partner with ag finance experts at land grant institutions outside Missouri.
We also seek collaboration from farm and rural finance experts and deploy a coordinated multistate effort to collect localized perspectives.
The RaFF Team
Joohun Han
Senior Applied Research Economist
Joohun Han is a Senior Applied Research Economist with the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) at the University of Missouri. His research focuses on policy evaluation, technology adoption, and rural development.
Before joining RaFF in June 2026, Joohun was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas, where he conducted research on the adoption of sustainable farming practices.
Joohun earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University. He also holds an M.S. in Applied Economics from Korea University and a B.S. in Economics from Dankook University, both in Republic of Korea.
Haeun Jo
Postdoctoral Fellow
Haeun is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF). She joined RaFF in August 2025, with a PhD from Iowa State University.
Her research field lies at the intersection of agricultural economics and industrial organization. Her work focuses on farm management, conservation practices and food demand using industrial organization methods.
Kyra Palange
Senior Research Associate
Kyra Palange is a part-time Senior Research Associate with the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF), where she conducts research in agricultural economics, leads data visualization efforts on State Farm Income Outlooks, and partners with collaborating institutions.
Prior to joining RaFF in 2023, Kyra spent several years in the Farm Credit system, where she conducted a variety of analytical work on topics including portfolio risk, credit concentration, and market research. She also brings considerable experience in data visualization as a business intelligence developer.
Kyra holds a B.S. in Economics and an M.S. in Applied Economics and Statistics, both from Clemson University. Her master’s research focused on the socioeconomic impact of broadband in rural Appalachia. Her research interests include farm finance, farm policy analysis, and the relationship between agriculture and rural community and economic development.
Alejandro Plastina
Director & Frank G. Miller Professor of Agricultural Economics
Dr. Plastina is the director of the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) at the University of Missouri. Plastina joined the Division of Applied Social Sciences (DASS) faculty as an associate professor within the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) at the University of Missouri.
Plastina was an extension economist in the Department of Economics at Iowa State University for a decade. He is a senior fellow at the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, and a Gamma Sigma Delta (the Honor Society of Agriculture) faculty member. His specialization is on agricultural production and technology, emphasizing farm business and financial management.
He was voted as chair-elect of the Agricultural and Finance Management (AFM) Section of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association for 2024-25.
Before joining Iowa State University, Plastina was a senior economist at the International Cotton Advisory Committee in Washington, D.C. He completed his graduate education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with an M.S. in Statistics (2005) and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics (2007).
“Dr. Plastina will strengthen DASS in the area of agricultural finance and will provide leadership to one of the important centers in the division,” said Harvey James, DASS division director.
“I am excited about Dr. Plastina’s arrival as he will lead and grow RaFF into a nationally recognized center in the area of agricultural finance and will provide Congress with a new focus on the regional effects of agricultural policy,” said CAFNR Vice Chancellor and Dean Christopher Daubert.
Tayatorn Pongspikul
Postdoctoral Fellow
Tayatorn is a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) at the University of Missouri. Her work focuses primarily on agricultural policies and farm programs pertaining to crop production.
Tayatorn joined the RaFF team in January 2025. Previously, she was an instructor at the University of Missouri’s Division of Applied Social Sciences, where she taught the Environmental Economics and Policy course.
She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in economics, both from the University of Missouri. In 2024, she earned a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri, where her research focused on water resources and technology adoption.
Mary Ann Rotert
Director of Program Operations
Mary Ann is the Director of Program Operations at the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF), where she supports the daily work and ongoing projects of the team.
Mary Ann has two decades of experience at Mizzou, and has worked in student recruitment, enrollment management, and marketing and communications.
She holds a BS in Agricultural Economics and an MS in Personal Financial Planning, both from the University of Missouri.
Oranuch Wongpiyabovorn
Senior Research Associate
Oranuch is a Senior Research Associate with the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) at the University of Missouri. Her main research areas are related to farm management and conservation practices.
Prior to joining the RaFF team in January 2025, Oranuch was a postdoctoral research associate in the Ness School of Management and Economics at South Dakota State University, where she conducted research on the adoption of conservation practices in crop and livestock production.
Before working at South Dakota State University, she was a postdoctoral research associate in the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University.
She earned a Ph.D. In Economics from Iowa State University in 2023. In addition, she holds a B. Econ and M.A. in Economics from Thammasat University in Thailand.
Azaz Zaman
Postdoctoral Fellow
Azaz joined the team in January 2026 and he holds a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from Auburn University and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University.
Azaz’s research focuses on agricultural finance, particularly farm income dynamics, government support programs, agricultural innovation, and the factors that drive farm income resilience.
In addition to research, Azaz has more than seven years of teaching experience and a rich professional background that spans non-profit leadership, corporate training, and cross-sector capacity building.
Acknowledgements
RaFF would like to acknowledge the integral modeling work completed by Dr. John Kruse, Managing Partner of World Agricultural Economic and Environmental Services, LLC (WAEES).
We are supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Chief Economist. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in RaFF materials and publications are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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