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Agriculture Offering More Jobs
Agriculture is offering more jobs and more opportunities, according to one top official.

United States Department of Agriculture deputy secretary Kathleen Merrigan says there is a revitalized interest in agriculture across the nation, especially in the Midwest and Illinois.

Merrigan spoke at the annual Family Farmed Expo at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she says children from kindergarten to 12th grade are looking toward agriculture as a career.

The USDA employs roughly 114,000 people, doing everything from conservation to rural development to food nutrition. Merrigan says about 50 percent of that workforce will be eligible for retirement before the end of President Obama's first term in office. As a result, she is on a tour of colleges across the nation to get college students involved in agriculture.

With the average age for American farmers and ranchers at 57, Merrigan is also encouraging the next generation of farmers to get involved now.

Anyone looking for a job with the USDA or any federal government agency can go online to www.usajobs.gov.

(Illinois Radio Network)
04 12 10 by Newsroom
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