The Office of the Chief Economist, Though Small, "Reaches Out" In Big Ways

USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) advises the Secretary of Agriculture on the economic implications of policies and programs affecting the U.S. food supply and America’s rural communities and is the focal point for economic intelligence and the outlook for U.S. and world agriculture. The World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB), which is part of OCE, provides analytical support on economic issues affecting agriculture to OCE, coordinates the approval of the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, assesses global impacts of weather on crops and livestock, and plans and coordinates USDA’s annual Agricultural Outlook Forum. OCE is a small organization, employing only about 60 people, half of which are in WAOB.

In 1996, OCE/WAOB entered into a partnership with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), an 1890 Institution. Since then, every year, without exception, OCE/WAOB has hired one to four UMES students annually, primarily as summer students, under the Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP). Most have returned more than once to OCE/WAOB during their undergraduate program. To date, 21 students have gained job experience with WAOB. All have been minorities and more than half have been women. Most have gone on to graduate school, and subsequently found a permanent position in USDA, or been hired by the private sector into professional positions. In addition to OCE/WAOB, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and USDA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) presently employ graduates of the OCE/WAOB program.

Participants in the OCE/WAOB are selected on the basis of their academic achievements and recommendations provided by the UMES Dean of Agriculture and head of the School of Agriculture and Natural Sciences. Because OCE/WAOB employs both economists and meteorologists, students have the opportunity to gain experience in a wide range of disciplines. Students are assigned challenging tasks consistent with their academic major. Some students work with commodity analysts while others work with meteorologists. Others may help maintain the OCE Web site, work with Geographic Information Systems, or participate in the planning and staging of USDA's annual Agricultural Outlook Forum.

In addition to employing UMES students during the summer, winter, and spring breaks, OCE/WAOB welcomed the opportunity to sponsor a student through his Master’s Degree program in agricultural economics at UMES. Based on OCE/WAOB’s written recommendation, he was accepted into USDA’s Student Career Experience Program (SCEP). SCEP participants are considered full-time employees and are eligible for leave and health benefits. OCE/WAOB paid for the student’s tuition, books, and transportation to and from the UMES campus in Princess Anne, MD. The student was awarded a Master’s Degree in December 2005 and, as a SCEP graduate, was eligible to be employed by any Federal agency on a non-competitive basis. OCE/WAOB benefited from this program when he chose to stay with USDA. In 2005, he was hired by OCE/WAOB as an assistant specialty crops analyst, a permanent, full-time position.

This summer, WAOB hired a female minority student from UMES. The young woman, who first served as a summer intern, is now a full-time, permanent employee. Currently, she is expanding her responsibilities through WAOB’s educational opportunities, including training in government accounting, and will continue to play a key role in our annual Outlook Forum.