Wichita is among the 136 applicants officially vying to be the new home of major research offices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that could bring with as many as 700 high-paying new jobs.
The USDA this week announced the locations and applicants it received after putting out the call in August that it was looking for a new home for its Washington D.C.-based Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
“The interest from across the country has been overwhelming as localities, universities, private entities, and elected officials realize the potential for their communities in becoming the new home for these two agencies,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a press release.
The USDA is working with Ernst & Young to narrow the field and select the winning location or locations for the research offices by January 2019.
(Read more: Wichita Business Journal)