Careers in the US Department of Agriculture

CAREERS IN THE

US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Institute Research Number242 ISBN 1-58511-242-9

CAREERS IN THE

US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE You Can Become an Important Part of the USDA, a Vital Resource for Farmers and All Who Are Interested in Agriculture, Preservation of Wildlife, Nutrition, and Economic Growth IF YOU GET OUT A MAP OF THE UNITED STATES, TACK IT TO THE WALL, THEN STEP

back and throw a dart, that dart will stick in a place where the United States Department of Agriculture has jurisdiction, impact, or effect. You might think that the USDA is all about inspecting eggs and meat or building pens for livestock. But the USDA is even more than farming, something most Americans don’t know much about anymore as fewer and fewer people are in the business of food production. When you buy a loaf of bread at the grocery, a can of beans, or a box of pancake mix, take a look at the label on the can, the back of the box, or on the bread wrapper. Near the list of ingredients and nutritional information is the Food Pyramid, a diagram of how much you should be eating each day from the five basic food groups. The Pyramid is probably one of the most well-known initiatives of the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, and something we pretty much take for granted. Have you been to a national forest lately, to hike, camp, or picnic? The National Forest Service (NFS) has the task of caring for millions of federal acres, and is part of the USDA. The NFS is actively engaged in conserving the environment, even working to maintain roadless areas the way they are; roadless and without vehicle access, in order to protect the future of wildlife. They also make sure that the important wetlands are preserved and that wild animals get enough to eat. The USDA makes sure that people get enough to eat. They run the Food Stamp program and make sure mothers with young children can get 2

good nutrition for their kids. They also make sure that people eat safely, all the way from information about the Thanksgiving turkey to official product recalls of meat, if necessary. Sometimes beef gets tainted with bacteria that can prove fatal to the very young or those who are ill, and it’s the USDA’s job to warn consumers. Now get a globe of the world, spin it and point your finger at almost any spot – the USDA will very likely have some activity in that place. The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the USDA administers rural development programs all over the world, helping farmers in other countries to grow crops to feed their people and avoid famine. In 1998, the United States sent 3.5 million metric tons of food to people in 66 different countries. The FAS is heavily involved with foreign trade, including the issue of trade with Cuba with whom relations have been poor since 1960. Will farmers some day be able to sell their crops there? It could happen! Instead of thinking about location, think about your interests. Do you like computers? Are you looking for a summer job? Are you interested in the natural sciences? Maybe you already have some farming or agricultural work experience, and you’d like to stick with farming or ranching without becoming a farmer yourself. Are you interested in range management? Would you like to work with animals, but don’t want to become a veterinarian? Maybe you’re good at getting things done and you’d be a great program director or administrative assistant. If you need some classes in bookkeeping or you want to improve your business writing, then you can go to the USDA for business skills enhancement. The USDA runs what is virtually a small college with many on-line and correspondence courses. While not a degree-granting institution, they award certificates and they have the only program in America that teaches book indexing. Training for book-indexers is just one example of the range of USDA programs. In this report, we’ll look at some of the agencies, services, and programs within the Department of Agriculture, including many directed at students preparing for college or already in college. The agency sponsors many intern programs and programs for minority students, a sign of their commitment to their policies.

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YOU CAN GET STARTED NOW GO TO THE BLUE PAGES OF THE TELEPHONE DIRECTORY AND LOOK UNDER UNITED

States Government, then look for Agriculture, Department of. Maybe there’s a Service Center near you, or maybe you live close to a lab or a research station. It could be that the local USDA office is housed in that little building you go past all the time, but never notice, or you might already know someone who works there. You can call and introduce yourself and see if someone there has the time to talk to you. Your school guidance counselor might already have a program in place to connect students with people who will talk about their careers, or be able to arrange for field trips. People who work for government agencies often make themselves available for talks to student groups, student mentoring programs, or other outreach activities to inform the public of the services they provide. Your next stop can be the USDA Web site www.usda.gov. This is the umbrella site for the USDA with multiple links to the different departments, agencies, and other information. It is updated every day with current events, news, consumer warnings, presidential statements, and messages from the director of the USDA. Next, go to the USAJobs site at www.usajobs.opm.gov. This is the main place for information about government jobs. You have options to search by agency, location, and many other search parameters. For now, answer “yes” when it asks you if you are currently a government employee or have a veteran’s preference. While you aren’t eligible to bid on the listed jobs, you will get a better idea of the variety of employees. On any given day, this web site will post around 1,000 open USDA positions, all the way from temporary summer employment to upper management positions.

HISTORY OF THE USDA THE HISTORY OF THE USDA BEGINS WITH THE HISTORY OF THE IDEA OF AMERICAN

agriculture. In the 1770s, George Washington encouraged Congress to establish a National Board of Agriculture, which didn’t happen right away. It was many years before the federal government was actively involved in the advancement of agriculture in this country.

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First Crops Before Europeans arrived, indigenous peoples cultivated

many crops that were unknown in the Old World across the Atlantic, including the white or “Irish” potato, which originated in the Andes Mountains in South America. Other common crops included maize (corn), sweet potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins, maple sugar, and, of course, tobacco, the smoking of which caught on in England in a very big way. The first successful English Colony in America was at Jamestown in Virginia. Originally established to find gold, the search for the precious metal was quickly abandoned, as tobacco became a lucrative crop. At this time, in the early 1600s, the slavery of captured Africans gained a foothold in the colonies as slave labor became critical to tobacco production. These African people brought over sorghum, melons, okra, and peanuts. As for livestock, the Spanish introduced cattle in the Southwest, and sheep became important, especially in New England, in the very early 1800s.

People

From the 1600s through the late 1700s, Farmers from England settled in New England. They also settled in Virginia and in the Mid-Atlantic states such as Delaware and Rhode Island. People came from Germany, Holland, Sweden, and also from other parts of the British Empire including the Scotch-Irish, Scottish families who had been living in Ireland for a few generations. French people in Canada moved down to Louisiana, and the Spanish continued to settle in the American Southwest and in California. In 1790, the United States Census recorded that 90% of the population in America, about 3.5 million people, were farmers. This is the highest percentage of farmers in relationship to the rest of the laboring population in the history of the country.

Changes By about 1805, cotton replaced tobacco as the chief cash crop, requiring even greater use of slave labor in the South. Up until the end of the Civil War, most wheat was grown in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. In the 1870s, wheat production spread west to Illinois and Wisconsin and widespread cattle ranching began moving west to the Great Plains by the 1880s. Most activities that required government oversight were left up to the individual states. New York, for example, set up the first State Board of Agriculture in 1819, but by the 1820s, there was a clear need for the Federal government to get involved. Boom and Bust One reason for the federal government to step in was

the continuing cycle of prosperity and depression, sometimes caused by weather conditions such as drought, but more often caused by economic instability. Wars generally led to economic expansion, and the post-war 5

draw-downs lead to economic depression. Different parts of the country competed with each other. The south was almost completely an Agrarian society, frequently at odds with the rest of the country over such issues as tariffs (a fee levied on imported goods) or taxes, and ultimately, the greatest North-South dispute, over slavery.

The Population Shifts

If you make a graph of the farm population in this country from 1790 to the present day, you can see the steady decline in the percentage of people working on farms. From the all-time high of 90% in 1790, the number dropped to 58% in 1860, 38% in 1900, 12% in 1950, and is currently around 1%.

Productivity Even though the farm population dropped, productivity

increased. Americans have the cheapest and most abundant supply of food of anyone in the world. During the 60 years from 1920 to 1980, corn increased phenomenally, from 21 to 91 bushels an acre. This happened because of increased irrigation, advanced technology in developing new strains of crops that fight disease, mechanization, and better fertilizers.

Regulations and Safety

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many reforms were enacted in response to the public outcry about food safety. The Jungle, a novel published in 1906, exposed the abuses of the meat packing industry in scene after scene of horrifying filth and danger to both the American consumer and the workers in the factory. Laws were enacted to provide for meat inspection, and the Pure Food and Drug act of 1906 ensured that food would be safe for Americans to eat.

A New Deal

The Great Depression of 1929 made things worse for farmers who’d already been suffering economic hardships since the early 20s. Farm prices and income dropped as the American economy collapsed during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The terrible effects of the Dust Bowl, a time of drought and soil erosion caused by weather and poor land management caused over two million people to leave their homes and farms on the Great Plains. Under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, many new programs came into being to employ displaced farmers and laborers. The Agricultural Adjustment Act subsidized farmers for reducing crop production and to provide loans for farmers facing bankruptcy.

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The Last Fifty Years

Advances in science and technology have changed production ratios and crop yields. The Federal government has expanded its oversight and policy-making to affect virtually every aspect of American agriculture, often in an effort to control an industry that varies widely due to factors beyond immediate human control, such as weather, pests, and disease. However, farmers still suffer from periodic hard times and markets still fluctuate.

WHERE YOU WILL WORK YOUR WORK ENVIRONMENT CAN VARY AS MUCH AS THE TASKS OF THE USDA ITSELF.

Many people who are employed by this agency work in office buildings, especially in the greater Washington, DC area. Since the USDA has close ties with agricultural schools, you could work in a research lab on the grounds of an agricultural college or university. If you work for the Forest Service, you could be in a visitor’s center in the middle of a forest.

Food inspectors often work at markets and farms, or at food production and processing plants. Plant Protection Officers work at airports that have international travel, and some employees of the Foreign Agricultural Service work overseas. From the name, the United States Department of Agriculture, it sounds like this federal agency is all about farms, farms, and more farms. Wide open spaces and fields of corn, pigs and cows. Maybe you think of farmers standing out in the field worrying about their crops or the rain. If you’re not a farmer, then why think about the USDA at all? And if you’re not an agriculture student, then why even think about working for this agency? When it was founded in the 1860s, President Abraham Lincoln called it the “people’s department,” and, at the time, more than half of the population was employed in farming. But can we still think of the USDA as the people’s department? While the USDA is certainly one of the main Federal agencies to deal with if you’re a farmer or plan on being one, it’s a very large agency with a very broad mission, one that touches the lives of all Americans and of many people overseas. The USDA is about making sure that Americans are eating healthily, safely, and affordably, and that government supports American agriculture with farm, forest, and range-friendly policies.

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THE STRUCTURE OF THE USDA THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HAS MANY BRANCHES AND

divisions, but basically there are seven main mission categories: Farm & Foreign Agriculture Food Safety Natural Resources and Environment Food, Nutrition & Consumer Services Marketing & Regulatory Programs Rural Development Research, Education, & Economics

Within these categories are 19 different Services, each with its own authorities, duties, and programs, and while each employs a lot of people, not all services need all types of employees.

Farm & Foreign Agriculture The Farm Service Agency helps farmers produce and distribute food, including loan programs and marketing programs. The FSA uses management personnel, experts in economics, and people who understand produce and markets. The Foreign Agriculture Service builds overseas markets for American agricultural products, and they also use many management and marketing specialists. The FAS helps other nations develop sustainable agriculture programs. The Risk Management Agency helps to insure farmers against loss due to bad weather, disease, or other farm-related problems. They employ insurance experts and other management-related professionals.

Food Safety Food Safety Inspection Service ensures the purity of meat, poultry, and egg products, and the reduction of food born illness. They employ people skilled in the sciences, food technology, and administrators.

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Natural Resources and Environment The Forest Service works to preserve and manage natural areas such as forests and grasslands. They employ computer specialists, scientists, and experts in wildlife and plant biology. They are also responsible for archeological sites on public lands. Natural Resources Conservation Service creates and sponsors programs in areas such as backyard habitats and Wetlands preservation. In addition to the usual requirements for administrative and computer personnel, the NRCS uses foresters, soil conservationists, and animal sciences personnel.

Food, Nutrition & Consumer Services The Food and Nutrition Services works to make sure that everyone in America is properly fed. FNS feeds children and needy families, and is responsible for programs that provide proper nutrition to people at risk. The Food Stamps Program is probably the best-known FNS initiative. FNS employs administrators and nutrition experts. Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion The CNPP is the agency that tells Americans what to eat and how much. They employ nutritionists and home economists.

Marketing & Regulatory Programs The Agricultural Marketing Service oversees the quality and distribution of such commodities as fruits and vegetables, poultry, cotton, dairy, and tobacco. They also perform laboratory analysis and scientific research. The AMS employs specialists in the specific commodities, plus chemists, biologists, and animal scientists. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services’ mission is to “Protect American Agriculture,” which they do by tracking diseases and pests, watching international borders, and guaranteeing the humane treatment of animals. They employ a wide variety of technical, administrative, and scientific personnel. Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration makes sure that competition is unimpeded in the marketing of grains, 9

livestock, poultry, and meats. The GIPSA employs mostly marketing and management experts.

Rural Development The Rural Business Cooperative Service helps farmers to establish and maintain cooperative farming techniques for business and distribution. They employ specialists in agribusiness and industry. The Office of Community Development helps rural communities and designated community Empowerment Zones to improve the quality of life (including utility and sewer needs) and business opportunities for all residents. OCD offices employ managers and office technicians. The Rural Housing Service operates programs to help people in rural communities build, buy, and maintain their homes, provide housing for farm laborers, and maintain community buildings. The RUS uses loan specialists and other administrators. The Rural Utilities Service agency helps rural communities create and maintain water, electric, and telecommunications services. They usually employ engineers to plan the necessary work for utility installation.

Research, Education, & Economics Agricultural Research Service employs many scientists and technicians, plus it always has openings for research fellowships for doctoral and post-doctoral candidates. Their laboratory facilities are used to conduct research on food questions, such as determining the best nutritional options, and ensuring safe food. Cooperative State Services has programs on everything from catfish farming to childcare and has many employees in the science and technology fields. The Economic Research Service conducts economic analysis on agriculture, food, and rural life. The information is then used in shaping public policy and other decision-making functions. Computer and economics technicians, analysts, and experts make up the main employee category.

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CAREER GROUPINGS IN THE USDA THE USDA HAS MANY FUNCTIONS AND IT’S HELPFUL TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE

categories of the types of employees they use. Not every office within the USDA needs every position, of course. The National Forest Services employs archaeologists, for example, but they are the only branch of the USDA to do so.

Management Careers in the management category are administrative in nature. Most of these jobs are performed in offices. The office might be in the middle of Washington, DC, or it could be in a rural area on a gravel road. Whatever the location, administrative work is a vital part of any agency. If you’re good at working with people and you like organizing events, you might want to consider this career field. Sometimes these people are under appreciated, but they have great responsibility for the day-to-day operation of many an office, laboratory, or field site. Accounting/Auditing Accountants and auditors are responsible for money and where it goes, and accounting people often approve funds for purchases. The federal government is responsible for its expenditures, just like a private business. Accountants oversee the financial effectiveness of an office by helping employees in field offices work within the budget allotted to them, or by performing this function in their own office. Auditing functions double-check on the way money is spent, and analyze current accounting systems to make sure they are working or being used correctly. Budget Budget technicians and analysts do some of the same things that accountants do, such as analyzing data and working with current or future limits of money to fund salaries and programs. They use databases to prepare reports, sometimes under short deadlines and are responsible for accurate information. Contracting/Procurement Contract Specialists and Purchasing Agents obtain the supplies and services needed to perform the work of the agency. Services could include mowing the grass at a recreation area in a National Forest, or could include the construction of a new laboratory in the field. Contracting personnel send out requests for quotations or bids, then evaluate the 11

different costs and make awards based on the selection criteria. They also have to interpret and apply regulations that are in place to ensure fairness and lowest cost to the government. Criminal Justice The USDA has its own canine patrol force, used at customs in airports to make sure people aren’t bringing back food, plants, or animals that need to be quarantined first, or simply aren’t allowed into the country. Since the National Forest Service covers large areas of wilderness, some rangers have to be prepared to act as law enforcement officers, if need be. The Office of the Inspector General investigates cases of fraud and abuse, and their Special Agents carry firearms, make arrests, and perform investigations. Equal Opportunity Many federal agencies have Equal Opportunity Offices to ensure fair workplace practices. Not only does the EEO office serve as a place for employee complaints, but also it runs programs aimed at encouraging diversity and fair treatment of all employees. Employees in these offices range from office directors to support staff. Management/Program Analysts Management and Program Analysts are responsible for many of the ways in which an office is run. They look at policies and procedures, sometimes examining office functions and recommending changes. They decide what kind of data need to be collected on government functions, and contribute significantly to all-around efficiency. Personnel Management The Personnel Office (usually called Human Resources) is the first stop for new and potential employees. Personnel specialists work with managers to write job descriptions and to then make sure the most qualified people are hired for job openings. They specialize in recruitment and training requirements, and have to know all the regulations pertaining to hiring new people. Public Affairs The Office of Public Affairs is the first place to get information about an agency. Public Affairs employees write news releases for the media, field questions from the media and the public, and coordinate programs with other agencies.

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Computer Sciences Specialists in computers do everything from design office Web pages to designing computer systems and writing software programs. With virtually every person in the USDA using a computer and needing sophisticated technology, and needing it to work correctly, computer-savvy people do everything from replacing hard drives to stopping viruses and serving as consultants. Computer specialists go out into the field to help field offices deal with computer glitches or to help decide what kind of equipment they need to do their jobs.

Agribusiness and Industry Farms are businesses and they need the best information about financial matters, markets, insurance, loans, and updates on the best farming methods. Agricultural Commodities Graders Graders select samples from a particular product line, like apples, eggs, frozen peaches, or beef, and, according to approved sample plans, evaluate and examine the items to make sure they meet set standards. Crop Insurance Administrators/ Underwriters They work for the Risk Management Agency of the USDA. They work with other insurance companies and with farmers and businesses to manage loss and to create adequate insurance programs. Economists Economists understand economic theory, methods of research, and statistics; information that is then applied to the real-world situation of markets for agricultural products. They also keep track of prices and trends, and perform research into areas such as price fixing, serving as expert witnesses in investigations if need be. Marketing Agricultural Marketing Specialists know the markets for farm products inside and out. They are also responsible for applying regulations, such as the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act and other legislation that prohibits unfair trade practices. They conduct audits of businesses and provide assistance and guidance to individuals and companies in the agriculture trade. 13

Food Program Manager The USDA has many programs, including Child Nutrition and Commodities Distribution, which need to be managed to make sure they are feeding everyone who needs to be fed, either through the direct distribution of food or through a voucher-like method. State and local agencies also run these types of programs (like food pantries), and USDA Food Program managers coordinate needs with these other entities. International Trade Economists They provide farmers and exporters with information about how to sell their products to other countries, like creating an export plan, identifying markets, and determining if they are even ready to export. Loan Management/ Finance These specialists often work in one of the Rural Development agencies to help farmers and other eligible participants obtain workable loan solutions for buildings, equipment and other farm-related improvements.

Science and Technology Agronomy Agronomists are scientists specifically trained in the interaction of plants, animals, and soils. Scientists or technicians, they perform research and prepare reports of their findings. Animal Scientists Some animal scientists are specialists in a particular kind of animal, like ruminants, which are animals that chew their cud. They are experts on the likes and dislikes of the animal, on their diseases, pests, and threats to their health. Archaeologists They work for the National Forest Service. They determine areas where historic or prehistoric remains need excavation or identification. Many federally owned lands are rich sources of artifacts and need to be catalogued, maintained, and preserved as necessary.

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Biological Scientists Jobs in the biological sciences range all the way from lab technicians up to department and agency heads. There are many openings for technicians, all of which require some specialized education, usually including a degree in the biological sciences. People in this field perform lab tests and have an important effect on the future of a wildlife area or species. Chemists Chemists in the USDA analyze the chemical properties of food for a number of reasons; perhaps to determine the specific nutritional make up or to check for pesticides. Engineers The expertise of different engineering specialts is needed in the USDA, including electrical engineers and civil engineers, and environmental engineers who work with drinking water, sewers, and environmental clean-ups as necessary. Food Inspectors They make sure that slaughtered animal products are fit for human consumption, inspecting animals prior to slaughter and also doing inspections of carcasses. They also check on packaged products, such as canned goods and frozen food. Foresters Foresters and forestry technicians work for the Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Foresters manage and administer plans for maintaining and improving forests, including insect and disease control. Hydrologists Hydrologists deal with important issues such as water rights and water availability, applying Federal policy and standards to water usage questions and situations. These are vital issues, considering how dependent all agriculture is on irrigation of crops and water for animals. Landscape Architects They manage landscapes and design environments, incorporating natural growth and features into plans. Land is used for many purposes; recreation as well as agriculture, and somehow all the competing interests have to work together for environmental benefit. 15

Mathematicians Data is the cornerstone of decision making. Accurate measurements and information are a requirement in performing further research for increased development and analysis. Mathematicians design databases and help other professionals find meaningful results in numbers. Nutritionists They specialize in knowing what’s best to eat and why. They know about the chemical make-up of food and the nutrients required to be healthy. They stay on top of the latest scientific developments and consumer research, sometimes assessing the current state of American diets and making recommendations. Plant Pathologists After harvest, there are many diseases that can affect crops, as well as diseases they might encounter while growing. A plant pathologist knows about the way these diseases spread and can work to stop them. They conduct experiments and investigations to learn new information about plants and their problems. Soil Scientists Soil scientists and conservationists have the scientific background that enables them to determine the best use of soils, based on their characteristics. They work with other federal agencies and individuals to rehabilitate overused soils and to make sure that land usage doesn’t deplete soils that are threatened. Veterinary Doctors Veterinarians know how to keep animals healthy, how to treat their diseases, and how they should be treated. They need a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree and often specialize in a certain type of animal. Their focus with the USDA is animals that can be marketed as food or have other agricultural uses, such as the wool from sheep. Wildlife Biologists They might work to restore wildlife in a natural area. They gather relevant data about wildlife populations and then work with other agencies and individuals to conserve the animal habitat. These experts must know everything about the life cycle of certain animals to make preservation and protection work.

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USDA PROFESSIONALS TELL ABOUT THEIR WORK I Am a Research Animal Scientist “I study

ruminants – cattle and sheep. My main interest is in secondary chemistry, the compounds in plants that cause animals to eat them, or not to eat them. I’m very interested in the biochemical basis of animal choices. Most of the information in this field has not been thoroughly documented. I’ve been doing this for about eight years, and we continue to find key information as we go along with our research. We don’t find out anything too earth-shattering, but rather gain subtle changes in our knowledge. There are a lot of small steps in the process. The research has lots of applications. When we find out what the specific chemical is that causes an animal to eat something we can take that information and use it to modify an animal’s behavior. For example, one of the things we’re working on is shrub control using animals. Out on the range, over the years, there has been a lot of shrub invasion, really nasty shrubs that animals generally will not eat. If we can isolate a chemical that an animal finds appealing, then we can use that to change the animal’s aversion to eating some of these shrubs, and then the shrub growth would be curbed. Of course, if the shrub is toxic, then there’s a good reason for the animals to avoid it. Diet training, exposing an animal to tastes it’s unfamiliar with, is a little like learning to drink coffee – you don’t like it the first time you try it, but it grows on you. In the feedlot industry, they generally add a low percentage of molasses to the animal fodder, something to enhance the flavor. When I was in high school, my interests in general were in animal agriculture. I thought I was going to vet school, but when I took classes in nutrition and chemistry, I realized I’d rather do that than physiology and surgery. If you’re interested in working with animals, you might not think past veterinary medicine, but there are really lots of ways to go, professionally. I know I never imagined I’d be working for the USDA. I assumed they were just 17

the extension agents or meat graders. I didn’t even realize my kind of research existed as part of the USDA. My doctorate is in ruminant nutrition, and all my academic work has been in Animal Science, including my bachelor’s, my master’s, and my PhD. My advice to anyone interested in this field would be, learn to write and take speech classes and improve your oral communication skills. Most kids who know what they want to do will probably be taking the math and science classes already, but it’s good to get a background in speaking. It’ll make things a lot easier when you’re giving talks at professional meetings. It’s better to get comfortable with speaking when you’re young. I don’t have one favorite part of my job, because I like all of it. I’m very lucky to have a job where I look forward to getting up in the morning. It’s not the same thing every day, either. Some days I’m out in the field, or I go to the lab. There are a lot of different aspects to it and you just don’t get bored.”

I Am a Public Affairs Specialist “I graduated from

college last year where I majored in journalism. I knew I wanted to work in the public affairs or journalism field, so I feel that the classes I took prepared me pretty well for this job. I didn’t take the sort of classes that would teach me specific things about the USDA. My work is all over the board. It’s different every day and I like it. I take media inquiries, write press releases, and arrange for interviews. I design outreach materials, like brochures, so there’s a lot of writing in this job. I deal with all different kinds of people, from medical people to entomologists, biologists and other scientists. I work with trade specialists, higher-level government officials, and the general public. I deal with the public constantly, like taking calls from people with questions. If someone has questions that are highly technical, then I try to get them to the right specialist. We have to be generalists and know a lot of different information, or where to go to get the information. So far, this is pretty good. I do want to stay in the public affairs field.” 18

I Am a Regional Canine Manager for Plant Protection and Quarantine, Part of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service “I’m responsible for

maintaining and managing canine inspectors and ensuring their performance, plus I arrange for training of new canine officers. I collect monthly reports and daily statistics, I’m responsible for retiring dogs and replacement dogs, I make yearly site visits and do what I call validation reports to make sure the dogs are performing correctly. I also do feasibility studies at airports where they might want a canine inspector team but don’t have one yet. We use them at international borders, like Canada and Mexico, and also at airports where there’s international traffic. We also use them at post offices to sniff packages. We use beagles because they are small. Lots of people are afraid of dogs, or some cultures think of dogs as dirty. Canine officers go through two sets of training schools. The first one is in Frederick, Maryland, and it is general Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Officer’s training. The course is 10 weeks long. You learn how to identify pests and how to use the different manuals which show you how to deal with other problems. We’re also certified to apply pesticides. If a plant comes in, then we get an actual fumigator to apply the pesticide, but we need to be able to certify their work. The next training is in Orlando, Florida, and that’s the canine training. It’s also 10 weeks. The dogs are already trained to identify five scents before you get there – apple, citrus, pear, pork and beef. As they work, they learn to identify more. My dog now knows about 50. You’re matched up with your dog within about the first week. The trainers know what to look for. The best teams are where the officer and the dog have opposite personalities. I’m introverted and my dog is outgoing. The dogs really test you at first. Sometimes they don’t want to work. They’ll act like they are air-scenting something when they’re not. If they want to play, you just have to put them in like a ‘time-out’ for five minutes. They have to learn that playtime comes

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at certain times, but if they don’t work, they have to stand still. New dogs are like that, especially. I had a dog that loved gum. She chewed any she could find. One time she found some stuck on a luggage cart and she got a hold of it. When I looked down, there was this long string of gum around the passenger’s luggage. I was pretty irritated, but the passenger thought it was funny. Sometimes it’s better that our dogs aren’t totally obedient. They need to think for themselves. We teach them basic obedience, like sitting and staying, but we don’t need them to perform as if they were in an obedience-trial. When you’re training as a canine officer, you need to keep an open mind and listen to the experienced trainers. Some people come into this from showing dogs, but it’s not the same thing. You need at least 24 college hours in biology, like animal, plant pathology, or entomology, so a degree in biology, agriculture, or animal science will have the required number of courses. Some people have different backgrounds and go back to school to get the hours so they can qualify.”

I Am a County Executive Director “I administer

Federal farm programs, like conservation, cost-sharing, grain programs to help local farmers maintain grain for their animals, disaster programs, tobacco programs, and wool programs for sheep producers. When prices drop, we help the farmers by subsidizing their income until the prices go up and they can get back on their feet again. I also do some ‘job shadowing,’ where a student can come in and spend the day seeing what I do. We deal with foods and fibers, that’s one way to look at it. We don’t have programs for horses, unless of course it’s a workhorse and is used on the farm. We have a few in my county, not many, and the people that own them usually own cattle or sheep also. Our farmers grow tobacco, especially around here, grains like corn for livestock feed, and we have soybean producers. We have quite a few people raising cattle, too.

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We are initiating a new program to help farmers substitute other crops for tobacco, since there will be less demand for tobacco with the reduction in cigarette smoking. Mostly I’m here in the office and people can come in for information. I might go out to a farm and spot check to make sure the farmer is staying in compliance, or sometimes just to visit. I got my degree in college in agriculture, plus a certificate to teach. At first I worked for the state agriculture department, and then I went on to manage a farm market. I also taught agriculture at the high school level. When I went to this job, I was in a training program that took six months. This program now requires a year. I worked in four different counties in the state. They move you around so you can get familiar with the different crops and the needs of the farmers. I like dealing with the people. My work is at the grass roots level, rather than in an office in Washington. I am in rural America. I can also see the effect of the USDA’s programs, how we’re affecting the people who need us. I write newsletter articles and letters in my job, so I wish I’d paid more attention in my English classes in school. I also do some public speaking and give TV interviews. Anyone who wants to go into this field should take English classes and get to know computers. We just got personal computers about a year ago. So I’m just learning about using spreadsheets for data. The USDA computer people in Kansas City write most of our programs for us. We deal with the Internet, too. For someone who’s looking at a career with the USDA, I would say that a business degree makes you eligible, also an accounting degree. We deal with money a lot. I would definitely recommend ‘the three Rs,’ plus general biology and other sciences. Before I came here, I thought it was all cows and plows, but it isn’t.”

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I Am a Nutritionist “I have a fun job – I work in marketing and promote nutrition information like the Food Guide Pyramid and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. That one comes out every five years. A panel of experts looks at it and decides what needs updating. This year, we went from seven to ten guidelines, adding some about activity and safety. In this office, we have researchers and scientists as well. They look at data and crunch numbers. Working with people is fun. I really like that about this job. I promote healthy nutrition. I get the information out to the media and to information multipliers, like educators, physicians, and extension services. I do that by writing press kits and press releases and arranging for media events. We had one here in Washington recently where we got kids from a local school, members of the media, and the Secretary of Agriculture all together to promote the new Dietary Guidelines. I got my bachelor’s degree in psychology and marketing, and then went back to get my master’s in nutrition. I followed the path to become a registered dietician. You need your MA and a year-long internship, maybe in a hospital, then you take a standard test. After you become a registered dietician, you need to stay abreast of the latest developments, so you further your education by attending seminars and getting Continuing Education Units. You also really need science classes, like chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology, a whole host of your basic sciences. You learn about the molecules and how they come together to make food, how digestion works. It’s not just cooking! We also take technical documents and rewrite them so that they’re easier for the general public to understand. In general, we work at trying to figure out a way to communicate nutritional information to the public. We don’t have a big budget, so we rely on our expertise and contacts with schools and other organizations. For example, we’d like to be able to fund focus groups so we can find out what people think about eating and nutrition, what they know and don’t know. We all know that obesity is on the rise in this country and we stress all the time that 22

people need to watch their weight and exercise, but how do we change behaviors? We also think portion sizes are too big in restaurants. It used to be when you ordered a soda you got an 8-ounce glass. Now you’ve got 12 ounces, 16, even 32 – it just gets bigger all the time. So people don’t understand how much food they’ve really eaten. Look at a fast-food place – you can get two cheeseburgers or whatever for a dollar, but it’s more than one portion. We really need to do portion education.“

USDA agents replant forests detroyed by fire.

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ADVANTAGES OF A USDA CAREER THERE ARE MANY ADVANTAGES TO WORKING FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT,

including good earnings with reliable periodic increases, and excellent health, vacation and pension benefits. Every Federal agency is committed to working with employees with disabilities, either incurred during the course of their career or those who might have disabilities before they come to work. Vision, auditory, or motor impairments are not a bar to employment, and accommodations are easily made, such as the purchase of special equipment, for employees to perform their jobs. Once you’ve worked for a three year career-conditional period with the Federal government, you become a permanent employee. As a permanent employee you have many rights, including reinstatement rights. If the agency you work for is downsized or eliminated, you have priority for other job openings. You are not guaranteed a job, but you’re not in danger of losing all of your income. It might be necessary to relocate or to bid on jobs that are different from what you were doing. Whatever the reason for laying off employees, each agency engaged in the process is responsible for creating a Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) to help people stay employed. Opportunities for advancement are everywhere in the USDA. If you look at jobs listed in the Web site, you’ll notice that many of them start at one GS grade, GS-5, for example, and then, as experience and responsibilities increase, the same job has the potential to go to a GS-11. Using today’s salary range, that’s a beginning rate of $23,000 up to $43,000 depending on your education and experience. The Merit Systems Protection Board, an independent Federal agency that is part of the executive branch, covers government employees, guaranteeing them certain legal rights in the case of management abuse. The US Office of Special Counsel performs similar functions, serving as a clearinghouse for taking “whistle blower” complaints in confidentiality, and then investigating if need be. Many USDA positions will involve you actively, even hands-on with agriculture – working with plants and animals in a rural setting. Even if you work in an office or lab, you will have the reward of knowing that your efforts will contribute in a meaningful way to the further enhancement of our American agricultural productivity, the envy of the world.

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DISADVANTAGES LARGE ORGANIZATIONS TEND TOWARDS INFLEXIBILITY. IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE’S A

change on the horizon in technology, the agency you work for can’t adopt it immediately. If it requires the expenditure of funds, then an approval process begins. Since funds come from taxes (public money), it’s wise that equipment and supplies can’t be purchased too quickly. But if you need something urgently for your job, the wait can be frustrating or time consuming and it can feel like it’s costing you efficiency, which it very well may be. Spending money to get the tools you need is not the only bump in the road. Some people believe that most government agencies are inefficient and do more harm than good with regulations, paperwork, etc. There is also an image of Federal employees as lazy and/or inefficient. Anyone who works for any Federal agency has to prepare to take some kidding, even hostility. People have a complicated emotional response to the government, wanting it to fix problems without spending the money necessary to do so. No one likes to see waste and inefficiency, though in reality, private companies are just as prone to the same difficulties as public ones. You might not be able to get the job you want in the place you want. While there are many opportunities to move around the country, if you find yourself in a place you’d like to stay but without advancement opportunities, you’re out of luck unless your office changes dramatically. And Federal offices rarely change dramatically. Sometimes salaries for upper-level administrative personnel are not as high as those for similar positions in the private sector. If you’re working in a major metropolitan area, you might find others performing your same functions and working for business firms that earn more than you do, or jobs that have more potential. If and when that happens, you will need to decide if staying with the USDA is for you.

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INTERNSHIPS AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THE USDA HAS SEVERAL PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING FOR

high school and college students, paid and unpaid.

Volunteering is excellent. It solves the “no-experience” problem when you’re looking for your first job, because even though you weren’t paid, you were dependable and performed tasks as directed. It will also give you an opportunity to see if this career field is the right one for you, plus you’ll get to know people who will be glad to be a reference for job applications and/or for college applications. If there’s a USDA office close to you, ask them about available opportunities. If you’re having trouble finding the right office, you can call or write to Washington, DC, and they’ll help you. Summer employment is another option if you are a college student, or a high school senior accepted into a college program in the fall. These are very competitive programs, as you can imagine, so you need to start as early as possible if you’re still in high school this year, or maybe try for next summer if it’s too late. The same thing goes if you’re in college – if you missed this year, try again for next year. You might also be able to work for the USDA in a co-op arrangement, where you work part time while attending school. Many government agencies have programs like this, and the USDA is no exception. You might be able to get a temporary job (not to exceed one year), or get career-related employment under the Career Experience Component program. Sometimes jobs with this program turn into permanent, full-time work depending on your interests, success in the program, and educational goals. There are also many scholarship programs in the USDA, which, as an agency, has been concerned about providing educational opportunities to those who have often been underrepresented or historically unable to participate in higher education. To this end, as you look at the various programs, you’ll see special efforts directed to Native American, African-American, and Hispanic students. The USDA/1890 National Scholars Program is an especially important initiative for the agency. The individuals who receive the 34+ awards study at one of seventeen 1890 Historically Black Land-Grant Institutions. The Presidential management Interns (PMI) program is for students doing post-graduate work, that is, for those who have completed a four-year degree program and are in graduate or law school, and who want to work for Federal agencies such as the USDA. The address for the 26

PMI program is not the same as the other student programs. If your college or university doesn’t have any information, you can write to: Office of Personnel Management

PMI Program Office Philadelphia Service Center 600 Arch Street, Room 3400 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Addresses for other student programs:

USDA, Office of Human Resources Management Attn: Departmental Student Programs Manager 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20250-9600

SALARY AND BENEFITS USDA EMPLOYEES ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF WORKING FOR THE FEDERAL

Government.

You can find the complete current salary schedules for US Government employees at this Web site http://www.opm.gov/oca/01tables/GSannual/index.htm. Jobs that require one year of general experience or two years of education beyond high school pay at the GS-4 level, ranging from about $20,000 to about $25,000. Jobs requiring three years of general experience or at least one year of professional experience or a bachelor’s degree pay at the GS-5 through GS-7 levels, ranging from about $22,000 through $35,000. Jobs requiring one or more years of responsible and independent experience related to the job or a master’s or higher degree pay at the GS-9 through 12 level, ranging from about $34,000 through $63,000. Jobs requiring one or more years of highly responsible and independent experience directly related to the job to be filled pay at the GS-13 higher levels, ranging from about $55,000 to $100,000. You can look up a specific job opening at this job site http://www.usajobs.opm.gov. See what the GS level is and then check the corresponding salary range. Click on Current Job Openings, Agency, US Department of Agriculture. On a single recent day, there were over 1460 openings!

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Vacation, Sick Leave, and Holidays During your first three years of employment, you earn 13 days of paid vacation. From four to 14 years, this number increases to 20 days, and after 15 years, the maximum vacation is 26 days, which is about five weeks. There are 10 Federal holidays in a year, for which you also get a paid day off, and all employees, regardless of their time in service, earn 13 days of sick leave per year.

Flexible Work Schedules Depending on the needs of the particular agency, office, lab, range management station, or field site, flexible hours can often be worked. This might mean working four 10-hour days or starting early or arriving later. This kind of flexibility is very handy for childcare arrangements and for generally coordinating your work schedule with the rest of your activities.

Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) While you have to pay for some of it, federal employees have the option of choosing one of several health insurance policies, the availability and variety depending on your location in the country. Every year, an “open season” provides a window to change plans if need be, depending on changes in your family status (marriage, children, etc).

Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Reasonable and complete life insurance is available to Federal employees. You can add extra insurance, plus there’s guidance available to make sure you buy enough and not too much.

Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) All employees are automatically enrolled in FERS when they start work with the government. This provides for Social Security, a retirement check based on your “high-3” years of salary, and the Thrift Savings Plan.

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Other Benefits While pay scales are standardized, there are locality pay adjustments for the area of the country where you work. Federal employees receive Merit Increases if work is of an acceptable level, and all employees get a yearly Cost of Living increase in wages/salary. There are many other benefits that are office- or agency-specific. Some agencies have childcare facilities on-site, or partnering agreements with existing day care centers in the community. Sometimes there are fitness programs (reduced membership rates at a local gym or a weight room in the building), and employee wellness is encouraged through special programs and initiatives.

WG and GS As you look at jobs in the Government Web site, you’ll see some categorized as WG and some as GS. There are other categories of employment also, but these two are most prevalent. GS, or General Schedule, employees are paid a salary; a yearly amount, and tend to be professional, clerical, and technical jobs, or “white collar.” WG, or Wage Grade, jobs are laboring, trade, mechanical, and other “blue collar” professions. Some of these jobs have titles like Maintenance Worker, Mechanic, Engineering Equipment Operator, or Animal Caretaker. Their pay is estimated at an hourly rate. Both GS and WG employees have the same benefits. Salaries are also adjusted for locality pay. It’s quite possible that someone who lives in a large city will earn more money than someone who lives in a rural area, even if they are both performing the same functions and have the same job descriptions. Locality pay takes into account the different cost-of-living standards, as these vary widely across the country. WG employees’ hourly rate is based on the standard rate for the area in which they are working. The US Department of Labor maintains a database of most jobs, careers, and professions around the country, and therefore also sets a standard of what employees are owed for their labor.

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GETTING STARTED WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN, A GREAT POLITICIAN OF THE LATE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH

century, said: “Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic; but destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country.” When so many of us no longer live on farms, or have even visited a farm, it’s more important than ever to recall the critical place of agriculture in American society and for the whole world. Everyone in the world needs to eat. A good diet is the basis for good health, productivity, and human survival. Hunger and starvation plague far too many people and if these ills could be eliminated, many of the worlds’ problems would go away. In this country, we are lucky to have an agency like the USDA, a resource for farmers and all who are interested in agriculture, preservation of wildlife, nutrition, and economic growth. If you are interested in pursuing agriculture as a career, you need to work with your school counselor to prepare for college. Fortunately, there are many fine agricultural schools in colleges and universities all over the country. Many larger schools, such as Michigan State University, were founded originally as agricultural colleges, and have good programs of research with the best facilities in the country. Talk to some farmers in your area and ask them about how the USDA affects their lives. Tell your parents, teachers, and school counselors about your interests. Maybe they can help you to find people to talk to. Think about joining organizations like the Future Farmers of America or 4-H, or at least attend some meetings so you can see what people your age interested in farming or other aspects of agriculture are doing. In the summer, go to some county fairs and take a close look at the exhibits. What makes a winning ear of corn a winner? What makes good hay, and how does the encroachment of certain shrubs threaten rangeland that ranchers need to graze cattle? Even if you’re not specifically interested in agriculture, there may be an opportunity for you in the United States Department of Agriculture. Don’t limit yourself by assuming that if you didn’t grow up on a farm, collect eggs from chickens, or belong to 4-H that you can’t work for the USDA. Instead of trying to think of ways that you might fit the USDA, take a look at what’s already there and see how the USDA fits you.

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WEB SITES AND CONTACTS n

FirstGov, A first click to the US Government www.firstgov.gov

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Access America, an E-zine guide to government services www.accessamerica.gov

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USAJobs, Office of Personnel Management www.usajobs.opm.gov

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General Schedule (GS) Locality Pay Tables www.opm.gov/oca/01tables/Gsannual/index.htm

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Office of Personal Management Student Information Page www.usajobs.opm.gov/a13.htm#types

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US Department of Agriculture www.usda.gov

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Graduate School, USDA, the Government’s Trainer grad.usda.gov

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USDA Careers: Making a World of Difference www.usda.gov/da/employ/careers.html

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The Beagle Brigade. Click on USDA’s Detector Dogs: Protecting American Agriculture for pictures of the dogs at work www.aphis.usda.gov/travel/beagle.html

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National Agricultural Library’s (NAL) Web Gateway to AGRICOLA (AGRICultural OnLine Access) www.nal.usda.gov/ag98/

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Dietary Guidelines for Americans www.usda.gov/cnpps/Pubs/DG2000/Index.htm

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Interactive Healthy Eating Index http://63.73.158.75

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Food Safety and Inspection Service Consumer Publications www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/alphapubs.htm

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General Agricultural Interest: The Impact of the Potato www.history-magazine.com/potato.html

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The Costs and Benefits of Industrial Agriculture, a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists www.ucsusa.org/agriculture/ind.ag.costs.html

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The National Arboretum www.arts.grin.gov/ars/Beltsville/na/

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Liberty Hyde Bailey, Agricultural Pioneer www.plantbio.cornell.edu/Hortorium/L_H_Baily.php

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Agricultural Colleges www.aces.uiuc.edu/AgColleges.html

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Agricultural education in an urban setting: US Agricultural High Schools www.ag.iastate.edu/center/assist/agedurban.html

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Iowa State University’s links of interest www.ag.iastate.edu/orthersites.index.html

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The National 4-H Council www.fourcouncil.edu

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National Future Farmers of America Center ffa.agriculture.com/index.html

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Iowa State University College of Agriculture links to organizations www.ag.iastate.edu/othersites/organizations.html COPYRIGHT 2005 Institute For Career Research CHICAGO

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