Take an interdisciplinary approach to agriculture, learn to communicate economics to an audience of non-economists, and follow your passion — these were just a few of the tips four leading Washington economists and agriculture policy mavens offered attendees of NextUp, the Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics’ (C-FARE) summer early career development program.

More than 300 registered for the video conference July 22. Dr. Gal Hochman, C-FARE Board Chair and a resource economist at Rutgers University, moderated a panel discussion along with communications director Bobby Ampezzan that included representatives of a large government agency, a nonprofit farming federation, a private government and regulatory affairs firm, and the nation’s largest newsroom covering agriculture policy in the nation’s capital:

• Dr. Cynthia Nickerson is Deputy Chief Economist in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Chief Economist.

• Dr. John Newton is the Chief Economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation.

• Barbara Patterson is Director of Government Affairs for Michael Torrey Associates, a Washington-based food and agricultural lobbying firm.

• Philip Brasher is Executive Editor of Agri-Pulse.

Nickerson said the Office of the Chief Economist is a hub of research and analysis for the entire USDA, and her duty is to bring good economics to bear on a range of topics. The Farm Bill provides much of the legal framework for agricultural and food policy, and her office works closely with other agencies on its implementation, as well as on the design of various initiatives, such as the recent $19 billion Covid-19 food assistance program. The office also houses the World Agricultural Outlook Board that coordinates the department’s short-term and long-term commodity supply, demand and price projections. 

Nickerson offered these three broad pieces of advice to young career economists or aspiring policy advisers:

• Invest in getting to know your audience and the questions they need answers to.

• Learn to communicate economic thinking in ways non-economists can understand.

• Get involved with groups outside of your own to broaden your perspective.

Newton explained that the Farm Bureau is the largest general farm organization in the nation. It advocates on behalf of roughly 6 million farmers and ranchers on the issues that affect them. As chief economist, he meets with roughly 5,000 members who visit the national office each year and briefs them before they pay their members of Congress a visit.

He called it “one of the top three or four jobs in the country working on ag economics issues.”

Follow your passion, he told attendees, is “really what got me here.” He echoed Nickerson by encouraging everyone to be a better communicator than graduate schools and universities broadly expect.

“I’ve spent the last decade working at being a good communicator, trying to take complicated subjects and explain them … almost at a bullet-point level. A colleague told me, ‘Explain what you’re doing like you’re explaining it to a fifth grader or a family member, and if you can explain a complicated subject like farm policy or crop insurance to [them], then you’re being a good communicator.’”

Patterson, who before directing government affairs for Michael Torrey Associates held the same role for the National Farmers Union, said her professional work offers guidance and strategic planning, tactics and execution. Her clients have included universities, trade associations, food companies, farm organizations and more. 

She called graduate school at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University the “turning point in my career,” and it, as well as numerous programs such as this one, expanded her skill set, network, and understanding of the breadth of work agriculture policy professionals and agricultural economists do.

“Learning things quickly, understanding where to find the resources, and really that interdisciplinary approach I gained in grad school was critical to making successful arguments with policy makers, making relationships,” she said. “So while it’s not an economist-centric environment, I would encourage young and upcoming professionals to attend farm organization meetings.”

Brasher leads the largest news service covering federal agriculture policy and news out of the nation’s capital — “a fabulous job if you like to ask questions,” he said.

He took attendees through the news site, Agri-Pulse.com, and discussed the nature of news gathering in Washington.

“One thing I tell my family that I should’ve done is study economics” he said, but even so, there’s no “more important industry in the world” than the production, transportation and commerce of food.

“I grew up out in west Texas with ag in my blood … and I’m absolutely convinced of [its importance], and all of America learned that back in March when we had the shutdown and all of a sudden grocery store shelves were empty and packing plants shut down,” he said.

After the panel, Hochman and the council entreated the audience to join a round of virtual Capitol Hill visits planned for later this summer to the offices of U.S. representatives and senators. The council will work closely with volunteers to schedule the visits and prepare topics. Interested professionals can email information@cfare.org, or BoardChair@cfare.org.

This program was supported in part by the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service and National Agricultural Statistics Service.