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Hutchins: USDA aggressively hiring in KC
USDA’s Deputy Under Secretary for Research says they are aggressively hiring for positions with ERS and NIFA in Kansas City, Missouri.
Dr. Scott Hutchins says they’ve held two job fairs and the response has been very positive, “We’ve received so many applications, so many areas of interest. Folks that will come to this part of the country that would not be able to afford or would not be interested in coming here. So, it’s working out better than, I think, even the Secretary had imagined.”
Hutchins says while headquarters of both ERS and NIFA will remain in D.C., moving many of those jobs to the Kansas City area brings them closer to ag stakeholders, “In terms of scale, in terms of numbers of stakeholders, things such as the Animal Health corridor and things such as that, we think that we have many, many more opportunities to link and partner and understand in that regard and it’s certainly proven to be true.”
Hutchins says the $300-Million-dollars in savings will bolster those agencies, “Over the course of the lease we WILL have significant savings. And the good news on that is the Secretary is planning and willing to put those savings back into these agencies.”
Hutchins says they are actively recruiting and onboarding new employees, seeking out the best people for those jobs, doing better than some expected in the midst of the pandemic where, in his words, “everything has changed.”
Hutchins was the guest speaker on the AgriBusiness Council of Kansas City’s most recent online forum.
