Food prices have been shaped by an unusual convergence of pressures — the Iran conflict and Strait of Hormuz disruption, tariffs, drought across major growing regions, diesel at record highs, and persistent post-pandemic inflation.
Each shock moves through the food system differently, and explaining the cumulative effect to a general audience without losing nuance is one of the defining communication challenges in agricultural economics right now.
In this Meet the Expert session, Dr. David Ortega — the 2025 Borlaug CAST Communication Award recipient — will walk through the forces reshaping the food system and discuss how he thinks about translating that complexity for public audiences: what to say, what to leave out, and how to keep it accurate without losing people.
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