Market News Reporter (GS-1147)

Market News Reporters collect, analyze and communicate information on available supplies, movement, demand, prices, marketing trends, and other facts relating to the marketing of agricultural products. They capture data for hundreds of products including data on organic products, retail store pricing, and locally and regionally marketed products. This work requires:

  • Knowledge of the methods, practices and characteristic of markets in the assigned commodity area.
  • The ability to establish and maintain sound working relationships with the industry, and the knowledge of the physical characteristics, production factors, and quality grading or inspection criteria of the assigned group of commodities.
  • Knowledge of the physical characteristics, production factors, and quality grading or inspection criteria of the assigned group of commodities.

This Position is Represented in the Following AMS Programs:

View of a yellow feeder cattle evaluation card in someone's hands  2 men in blue shirts talking in a field  USDA employee talking to a man behind the counter in a fruit market

Work Environment

Market News Reporters work in a variety of settings and working conditions depending on the product they are reporting on. They often work away from an office and from a supervisor.  For example, Reporters may attend livestock auctions to record sales prices, classify animals, and talk to buyers and sellers to gather information about daily market activities. They may need to talk to various farmers about their products, and then move somewhere to discuss with a buyer and address things such as ethnic trades.  

Minimum Applicant Requirements

For GS-05 Level

For GS-07 Level and Above

Applicants must have:

Experience: Three years of experience showing progressive responsibility, one year of which was equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to the GS-4 level as listed in the job announcement.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social).

Applicants must have:

Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level that equips the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

Common Career Paths