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Business Beat: Liberal arts degrees turning into ag jobs

This week: KBIA spoke with a director of the center of Agro Forestry at the University of Missouri on why the state isn't using biomass as a renewable energy source. Plus, one company is hiring people with degrees you wouldn't expect.

Biomass has been a buzzword in Missouri for the last couple of years.  The idea of using biomass as a renewable energy source is exciting to many... and politicians and private sector leaders alike have pegged it as an industry poised for growth in Missouri.  Regardless, the industry still hasn't taken off in Missouri quite yet.  Just a few weeks ago, a group of researchers and private sector leaders met here in Columbia to talk about biomass.  They call it the Inaugural Meeting of the Mississippi/Missouri River Advanced Biomass/Biofuel Consortium.  Dr. Shibu Jose planned it.  He's the director of the center for agro forestry at the University of Missouri.  Jose talked with KBIA's Ryan Famuliner at a meeting about the fact both the supply of biomass and the infrastructure to get that biomass where it needs to be aren't ready for the next step.

Technology and hands-on computer skills are important assets for most job seekers in today’s economy. While most companies look for computer literary, some are starting to look a bit broader. Harvest Public Media’s Clay Masters reports how Ag conglomerate ConAgra is opening the door to college graduates with some unlikely degrees.