Crop Insurance Administration Series, 1161

Individual Occupational Requirements

Education

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- agricultural economics, agronomy, agricultural management, soil science, or other directly related fields.

or

Experience

General Experience (for GS-5 positions):

Experience that provided:

• General knowledge of crops, farming practices, agricultural market trends, and natural crop hazards;
• Ability to communicate persuasively; and
• Ability to plan and organize work.

The above knowledge and abilities may have been gained in work such as:

• Operating or managing a farm or processing plant.
• Performing farm work.
• Selling farm equipment and supplies or commercial insurance to farmers, or other sales or marketing work that provided the required knowledge and abilities.
• Agricultural or other related promotional work of Federal or State agricultural agencies, farm management services, or national farm organizations.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5):

Crop Insurance Field Representative positions -- experience that demonstrated (1) a detailed knowledge of crops, farming practices, agricultural market trends, and crop hazards within a specific area, and (2) a knowledge of basic crop insurance procedures and practices.

Crop Insurance Specialist positions -- experience that demonstrated (1) a broad knowledge of crops, farming practices, and crop hazards, (2) a knowledge of crop insurance policies, procedures, and operations, and (3) the ability to plan, direct, or coordinate a crop insurance program in an assigned area.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

• Organizing and coordinating the work of groups of employees or sales agents engaged in the sales and servicing of crop insurance contracts.
• Participating in planning and directing a crop insurance program in an assigned area.
• Managing a commercial insurance office, including recruitment, training, and direction of insurance salespersons.
• Planning and directing a governmental or private program dealing with economic concerns and activities of an agricultural community.
• Managing agricultural processing or warehouse facilities that deal directly with farmers.
• Managing agricultural promotional or advisory work as an employee of a Federal or State agricultural agency, farm management service, or national farm organization.