MOSCOW, Idaho — Farmers need to think outside the box and look for additional opportunities for their crops, says a University of Idaho graduate who now works for the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

Lee Schatz, an agricultural economist with FAS, spoke on the UI campus as part of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences’ Ag Days program to recruit high school students into agricultural careers.

Schatz spoke on several subjects during a press conference Sept. 24 on the organic farm site.

• On the biggest need he sees in agriculture: “Understanding a change in the markets.” Idaho was only two to three crops when Schatz was a student at UI, but he pointed to increased bean production. Schatz cited the Pacific Northwest Farmers Cooperative’s work as a chickpea supplier for Sabra’s hummus production, finding a use for undersized chickpeas.

Hummus has increased in popularity, giving Idaho area farmers an opportunity for another cash crop, Schatz said.

“When push comes to shove, we’re exporting no more wheat, corn or barley than we were a generation ago,” he said. “If a farmer can take part of his fields that are good for some of these specialty crops, maybe he’s got a few acres that will do better than these traditional crops around here.”

Schatz recommended farmers be tuned in to demand and find new venues they have yet to try.

“There’s more than just the elevator to sell at now,” he said.

• Idaho’s sustained a consistent presence in international markets, compared to other states, Schatz said.

“Their products are known out there – they’ve got a good name, good reputation,” he said. “It’s going to be harder and harder with commodities over time, because we are not the least-cost producer.”

Many countries are buying product just to feed their populations, and not worrying about the quality of the crop coming in, he said.

“We have to keep dissecting those markets as they come along,” he said.

• On gradual acceptance of genetically modified wheat: Schatz has been waiting for a trait that would provide nutrition benefits or drought tolerance, emphasizing the benefits to customers over the benefits to farmers. “Then we’re going to start seeing the debate shift,” he said.

• Advice to students: They have a world of opportunity awaiting them, Schatz said.

“To understand the international component is to better understand the complexity of even our own market,” he said.

Food options differ even in communities throughout the United States.

“International isn’t necessarily foreign any more,” he said. “You can’t just think what we’re exposed to here is all there really is, even in this country.”

Schatz also spoke as part of a panel about Idaho and international agriculture and attended a screening of “Argo.” Schatz is depicted in the Academy Award-winning film, which tells the story of six U.S. citizens escaping from Iran in 1979 when revolutionaries overtook the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.