Dr. Emmit Rawls
Professor
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
The University of Tennessee
317A Morgan Hall
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-4518
Phone:(865) 974-7271
Fax: (865) 974-4829
elrawls@utk.edu
Professional Interest
- Developing and disseminating market information and applications which will help livestock producers and marketing agencies make informed production and marketing decisions.
Education
- Ph.D. Agricultural Economics, Virginia Tech, 1969
- M.S. Agricultural Economics, Virginia Tech, 1966
- B.S. Animal Science, Virginia Tech, 1964
Teaching
Educational Priorities
- Livestock Outlook
- Production/Marketing Alternatives
- Beef Cattle Alliances
- Futures Markets/Price Risk Management
- Tennessee Beef Cattle Improvement Initiative - Coordinator
- Tennessee Beef Evaluation - Coordinator
Other Information
Dr. Rawls a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, devotes his Extension program towards assisting livestock producers to make informed decisions regarding production and marketing alternatives. He makes this information available through county/area meetings, articles in trade magazines and newspapers such as the Tennessee Cattle Business and Tennessee Farm Bureau News, and though work with individuals and groups seeking to improve their marketing methods. His coordination of the Tennessee Beef Evaluation assists beef producers in finding out exactly what type of cattle and beef they are producing, through having the cattle custom fed with the Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity and harvested to gather carcass data at Tyson Fresh Meats in Denison, Iowa.
He has also directed his efforts towards assisting beef producers in adding value to their cattle through preconditioning programs in which cattle are source and age verified and marketed in uniform truckload lots for higher prices. He helped develop the very first video sales of beef cattle in the state of Tennessee and is a strong advocate of this marketing method for truckloads of feeder cattle. Dr. Rawls is a devoted believer in price risk management for livestock and feed and has obtained grant funding to support educational programs in this area. His weekly comments on the cattle market and the Market Highlights are widely used across the state and region.
His hobbies include working with his horses, assisting his wife in maintaining their home and yard, church work and activities with their seven grandchildren which are all nearby. On occasion he also enjoys writing poetry, especially for friends and coworkers who are retiring.
