Agricultural Market Reporter; Specialty Crops Market Reporter

This position is located in the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Specialty Crops Program (SCP), Specialty Crops Market News Division field office. The assigned office is responsible for collecting, analyzing, preparing, and releasing market news data for fresh fruits, vegetables, and specialty crops. In this position, the selectee will serve as a Market Reporter responsible for covering a large portion of assigned markets with increasing responsibility at each grade level.

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level) that demonstrates:

• Assisting in reporting agricultural commodity markets by unit of sale, size, variety, and grade.
• Using information technology to compile and track data pertaining to agricultural commodity market reporting and analysis.
• Collecting and preparing market quotations for publication, radio, or news services; or marketing or commercial production.

OR one (1) full year of graduate level education in Agriculture, Agricultural Business, Agricultural Economics, Agronomy, Animal Science, Communications, Dairy, Horticulture, Marketing, or related field of study.

OR Superior Academic Achievement:
To qualify based on superior academic achievement, you must have completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution AND
1) have a class standing in the upper third of the graduating class,
2) membership in a national scholastic honor society (excluding Freshman honor societies), or
3) must meet certain GPA requirements. GPA requirements: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on official transcripts or as computed based on 4 years of education, or courses completed during the final 2 year of the curriculum; OR 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required course completed in the major field or courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum (GPA will be rounded to one decimal place, e.g., 2.95 rounds to 3.0 and 2.94 rounds to 2.9).

Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Utilizing database systems to enter, analyze, and generate reports on agricultural commodity market data.
• Reporting agricultural commodity markets by identifying and documenting products based on unit of sale, size, variety, and grade.
• Recommending new or revised policies, methods, and techniques to improve the collection and dissemination of market information.

OR master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in Agriculture, Agricultural Business, Agricultural Economics, Agronomy, Animal Science, Communications, Dairy, Horticulture, Marketing, or related field of study.

Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-09 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Conducting analysis or research on production and market conditions to report markets and advise on issues.
• Developing new policies, methods, and techniques in the collection and dissemination of market information.
• Analyzing, evaluating, and reconciling data to accurately identify market developments and shifts in marketing patterns.

OR Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree

OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading…