Elvin Albert Duerst, from McMinnville, Oregon, graduated from Oregon State College in 1937 with a degree in agricultural economics. He earned a master's degree in agricultural economics at the University of Illinois in 1939 and worked as a county agent for the Montana Extension Service from 1940 to 1945. Duerst's career as an international agricultural economist began with work for the United Nations after World War II. From 1948 until his retirement in 1966, Duerst worked for the Institute of Inter-American Affairs, the International Cooperation Administration, and the Agency for International Development on agricultural development in Central America. In 1967, Duerst joined the Stanford Research Institute as an economic consultant and advised Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, the Phillipines, and Bolivia on transportation and community planning.
