Dr. Kenneth "Bill" William Easter

Dr. Kenneth William “Bill” Easter, a distinguished agricultural economist, international development expert, and longtime professor at the University of Minnesota, passed away March 2nd at age 88 after a lifetime devoted to advancing agricultural policy, water resource management, and rural development around the world.

Bill was preceded in death by his wife and life partner of nearly 60 years, Carolyn Raynor Easter. Together they were well known for their adventurous spirits, sense of civic duty, and both frugality and profound generosity. Their shared love of exploration took them across the globe, instilling in their children and grandchildren the values of curiosity, discovery, and service.

Bill is survived by his 3 children, 5 grandchildren and both his brother and sister.

A fifth generation Californian, Bill was born September 22, 1937 as the first of three children to Kenneth Hall Easter and Rhoda Ellen Easter who were stalwarts of California’s Central Valley Ag community who instilled in him a powerful work ethic and deep appreciation for community. He also inherited a sharp sense of humor from his father.

Bill Easter attended Dos Palos High School, where he developed an early commitment to agriculture and leadership through the Future Farmers of America. During these years, he served as California FFA State Sentinel and Regional President, experiences that helped shape his lifelong dedication to agriculture, service, and leadership.

Dr. Easter continued his education at University of California, Davis, where he met Carolyn and also earned a Bachelor of Science in Soil Science and later a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics. He went on to receive his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University.

His professional career began in Washington, D.C., where he served with the Bureau of the Budget during the Johnson administration contributing to federal policy analysis during a transformative period in U.S. economic and agricultural development. As political landscapes shifted, he sought new opportunities abroad.

In 1970, Bill moved his young family to New Delhi India where he worked as part of a joint program between the Ford Foundation and the University of Minnesota, focusing on agricultural development and irrigation policy. The experience shaped the direction of his academic career and inspired decades of research on water resource management, irrigation systems, and rural development in Asia and other parts of the world.

Upon returning to the United States, Dr. Easter joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota, where he served for more than four decades as first an Associate Professor of Applied Economics and then, from 1975, as a Full Professor. His research focused on environmental and resource economics, with particular emphasis on water resources, irrigation management, watershed development, and sustainable agricultural policy. He later led the Center for International Food and Agricultural Policy (CIFAP) as Director, helping strengthen the university’s global engagement on food security and development policy.

Dr. Easter’s international work extended beyond academia. In the 1980’s he served as a visiting scholar at the East‑West Center in Honolulu, contributing to research and dialogue on development issues in the Asia-Pacific region. In later years, Bill worked extensively with the World Bank in Washington DC, where among various policy research projects on irrigation management, water pricing, and institutional reforms in developing countries, he was also the senior author of the policy currently applied by the bank to water resource management projects.

Throughout his career, Dr. Easter mentored generations of graduate students, collaborated with researchers worldwide, and helped define the disciplines of water economics, environmental economics, agricultural policy, and international development. His teaching, research, and public service reflected a deep commitment to improving agricultural systems and natural resource management for communities around the globe.

Dr. Easter will be remembered by colleagues, students, friends, and family for his intellectual leadership, dedication to public service, and passion for improving the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities worldwide.

In his remembrance we are asking friends, family and colleagues to donate to the scholarship fund he and Carolyn established several years ago to support in-need 3rd and 4th year students in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Applied Economics.

To make a donation to the Easter Family Scholarship, please use this link: https://makingagift.umn.edu/give/fund.html?id=22779

Or you can mail checks directly here: Fund #22779 Easter Family Scholarship, University of Minnesota Foundation, P.O. Box 860266, Minneapolis, MN 55486-0266