No Ag Degree Needed For A Great Ag Career

No Ag Degree Needed For A Great Ag Career

Susan Allen
Susan Allen
Welcome to today's Tree Fruit Report, I'm Susan Allen. I am always hearing that the millennial's and generations under them aren't interested in pursuing ag careers, yet when I visit associations, commissions and head out into the orchards and vineyards I find just the opposite, dynamic young people passionate about grapes and tree fruit. One common thread, you don't need an ag degree for a great job in this industry. Tim Kovis the new Communications Manager for the Washington State Tree Fruit Association is an example, he graduated from Eastern Washington 12 years ago and told me his interesting path back to his ag roots.

Kovis: "I grew up on a small family farm north of Pasco where we grew primarily row crops, alfalfa sugar beets and we had a small cherry orchard also so I am not foreign to the tree fruit industry, but most recently I was managing Dan Newhouses' campaign in 2014 for the House. I spent most of my ten years out of college working in politics in Central Washington; I worked for Congressman Hastings in a number of capacities both in Central Washington, and I spent three years in Washington DC working on the Natural Resources Committee. I have also worked for Dino Rossi and other political folks in the state

I asked him if he found any similarities between politics and working in the Tree Fruit Industry representing growers and packers.

Kovis: "There are some similarities but it is different, and that is one reason I took this opportunity, to have a new challenge in my career and do something a little different there are probably a few aspects of being out of it that I will miss.

Like this wild presidential campaign? I can see how Tim's background will be a great benefit to the Washington State Tree Fruit Association.

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