David Buland, Economist (ACES)

Contact Information

Cell: 817-295-9245
Email: David.Buland@usda.gov

Background

• Oldest son on a Minnesota Hog Farm
• Programmer, Harvard/Ford Foundation/India Water Resources Team, 1976-1978 
• Ag. Coop Advisor, U.S. Peace Corps, Malaysia Dept. of Ag., 1978-1982 
• Economist, SCS West Virginia Planning Staff, 1985-1990 
• State Economist, NRCS South Dakota Ecological Sciences Staff, 1990-1995 
• Economist, NRCS Natural Resources Inventory and Analysis Institute, Temple, TX, 1995 – 2004
• Economist, NRCS Central National Technology Support Center, Fort Worth, TX, 2004 to August 3, 2019
• Economist, ACES, NRCS Central National Technology Support Center, Fort Worth, TX, January 2020 to January 2023
• Economist ACES, NRCS Texas Watershed Planning Staff, January 2022 to current
• Economist, ACES, NRCS Ecological Sciences Division, NHQ, January 2023 to current

Education 

• Hayfield High School, Hayfield, MN, 1974 
• BA in Economics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 1978 
• MA in Theology, Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, IA, 1986 
• MA in Economics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 1992

Interests

• Technical Support for NRCS economists
• Natural resources and agricultural economics, including:
  • Cost And Return Estimation
  • Watershed benefit/cost analysis
  • IMPLAN input/output estimation
  • Farm management Tools
• Database management and analysis using NRI, NASS, Ag. Census, Census, CTIC and price indexes  
• Member of:
  • American Agricultural Economics Association
  • American Economics Association    
  • Association of Christian Economists    
  • Association of Retired Conservation Service Employees
  • Soil and Water Conservation Society
  • National Watershed Coalition
  • USDA Economist Group
    Selected as the USDA Economist of the Year for 2000 by the USDA Economist Group    
• Direct response to field requests for economic, natural resource, scientific, and technical information and assistance
• Involved in developing Farm Bill Program Rules and Benefit/Costs Analysis for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program, Conservation Security Program, Technical Service Providers, Wetlands Reserve Program, and Small, Limited Resource, and Minority Farmers.
• Website and database development
• Grandfather to five