image: Andrew Muhammad, professor of agricultural and resource economics and Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Policy, received the R.J. Hildreth Public Policy Award from the Farm Foundation. Photo by H. Harbin, courtesy UTIA.
Credit: Photo by H. Harbin, courtesy UTIA.
Andrew Muhammad, professor and Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Policy at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, is the 2026 recipient of the R.J. Hildreth Public Policy Award from the Farm Foundation.
The R.J. Hildreth Award for Career Achievement in Public Policy honors career achievement in the field of public policy, through government service, as educators, or those researching agricultural policy. Farm Foundation is a 90-year-old independent organization that brings together farmers, industry leaders, policymakers, academics and other professionals to explore and solve issues shaping food and agriculture. The award was presented at the foundation’s round table meeting on June 16 in St. Louis.
Muhammad is a sought-after voice nationally and internationally for his research, outreach and teaching in trade analysis, global food demand, competitiveness of U.S. and Tennessee exports and policies related to agricultural commodities. He has served as a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics since 2018. Prior to that, he served in the U.S. Department of Agriculture in various capacities, including as associate director of the market and trade economic division and chief of the international demand and trade branch at the Economic Research Service.
“Receiving this award is a tremendous honor, and I am deeply grateful for this recognition,” Muhammad said. “I sincerely thank my department head, Dr. Chris Boyer, for the nomination and for his continued support and confidence in my work.”
While at UTIA, he has won several awards, including the UT Chancellor’s Award for National and State Leadership in 2026 and the 2024 Faculty Global Excellence Award presented by UTIA and the UT Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.