SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — When one is called upon to blow the candles out for a birthday going back 150 years for a well-respected organization, amid tough economic times, what would they wish for most?

For USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, his wish list includes careful spending cuts as Congress shapes a new farm bill, passage of his boss’ jobs bill and better news than a probable end to a $5.7 billion tax credit for those who blend ethanol with gasoline.

Vilsack celebrated his agency’s sesquicentennial at press conferences last week in Springfield, including at a boulevard extension that feeds another interstate, with noticeable retail growth that followed. Some 500 construction workers were needed to complete the project.

“Infrastructure is a job creator and also an opportunity creator,” the secretary said. “As a result of the extension, you now have chances for commercial enterprises to build and expand. Those are jobs, both permanent and construction jobs.”

Vilsack said infrastructure upgrades are a plus for agriculture, helping products make it to processors and markets with dependable roads, rails and airports. “The ability to improve that infrastructure allows us to get our product to market more quickly, which means we’ll be more competitive in the global market,” he said.

At an earlier anniversary stop at the Old State Capitol building, Vilsack touched upon the news that an ethanol blending tax credit likely will expire at the end of the year, the product of a federal jobs-creation bill in 2004.

But he noted biofuel from farm products will continue to play a key role in meeting the nation’s energy needs and independence.

“The most important thing to remember is we continue to have the Renewable Fuels Standard, which mandates a certain percentage blend each year of our fuels being biofuels,” he said.

The USDA secretary’s visit came a day after layoff notices were sent to 21 employees within the Illinois Department of Agriculture, part of statewide layoffs to meet budget cuts.

“The (Illinois) Department of Agriculture has taken more than its fair share of cuts,” said Illinois Farm Bureau spokesman Kevin Semlow.

On a national level, Vilsack empathized. “We’re faced with the same situation and circumstance at the federal level,” he said, adding the USDA’s budget was cut by about 10 percent last year alone.

Some $23 billion-$30 billion in additional cuts to ag programs are expected as part of the 2012 farm bill, which Congress is working to complete sometime next year.

Vilsack was in Illinois also to restate his strong support for President Obama’s $447 billion jobs bill, which hasn’t won much backing so far in Congress. The bill’s now been split up into pieces.