In North Dakota, 7 percent of all children live in areas of concentrated poverty, which is up from 5 percent in 2000.

Crop prices are down from the highs of 2007 and 2008 but are still strong when viewed in a longer historical perspective.

In 2011, 63 percent of the people in North Dakota ages 16 to 24 had jobs.

Mueller has more than six years of experience at the State Seed Department as a seed analyst.