United States Department of Agriculture

Agency name	United States Department of Agriculture|logo = USDA_logo.svg
Logo width	140 px
Logo caption	Logo of the USDA
Picture	Jamie L. Whitten Building.jpg
Picture width	140px
Picture caption	Jamie L. Whitten Building in Washington D.C.
Seal	US-DeptOfAgriculture-Seal2.svg
Seal width	140 px
Seal caption	Seal of the Department of Agriculture
Formed	May 15, 1862(Cabinet status February 15, 1889)
Preceding1	Agricultural Division
Jurisdiction	Federal government of the United States
Headquarters	1301 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.
Latns	N
Coordinates	38°53′12″N77°01′47″N
Longew	W
Region code	US
Employees	105,778 (June 2007)
Budget	US$109.3 billion (2009)US$129.3 billion (est. 2010)US$132.3 billion (est. 2011)
Chief1 name	Thomas J. Vilsack
Chief1 position	Secretary of Agriculture
Chief2 name	Kathleen Merrigan
Chief2 position	Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
Child1 agency
Website	usda.gov

The United States Department of Agriculture (informally the Agriculture Department or USDA) is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food. It aims to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers, promote agricultural trade and production, work to assure food safety, protect natural resources, foster rural communities and end hunger in the United States and abroad.

The head of the department is the Secretary of Agriculture, who is a member of the Cabinet. The current Secretary is Tom Vilsack.

History

Origins

Early in its history, the economy of the United States was largely agrarian. Officials in the federal government had long sought new and improved varieties of seeds, plants and animals for importation to the United States. In 1836 Henry Leavitt Ellsworth, a Yale-educated attorney interested in improving agriculture, became Commissioner of Patents, a position within the Department of State. He soon began collecting and distributing new varieties of seeds and plants through members of the Congress and agricultural societies. In 1839, Congress established the Agricultural Division within the Patent Office and allotted $1,000 for "the collection of agricultural statistics and other agricultural purposes."

Ellsworth's interest in aiding agriculture was evident in his annual reports that called for a public depository to preserve and distribute the various new seeds and plants, a clerk to collect agricultural statistics, the preparation of statewide reports about crops in different regions, and the application of chemistry to agriculture. Ellsworth's agricultural focus earned him the sobriquet of "The Father of the Department of Agriculture."

In 1849, the Patent Office was transferred to the newly created Department of the Interior. In the ensuing years, agitation for a separate bureau of agriculture within the department or a separate department devoted to agriculture kept recurring. The USDA was created by Abraham Lincoln in order to help out the United States economy.

Formation and subsequent history

On May 15, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln established the independent Department of Agriculture to be headed by a Commissioner without Cabinet status. Lincoln called it the "people's department." In the 1880s, varied advocacy groups were lobbying for Cabinet representation. Business interests sought a Department of Commerce and Industry, and farmers tried to raise the Department of Agriculture to Cabinet rank. In 1887, the House of Representatives and Senate passed bills giving Cabinet status to the Department of Agriculture and Labor, but the bill was killed in conference committee after farm interests objected to the addition of labor. Finally, on February 9, 1889, President Grover Cleveland signed a bill into law elevating the Department of Agriculture to Cabinet level

In 1887, the Hatch Act provided for the federal funding of agricultural experiment stations in each state. The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 then funded cooperative extension services in each state to teach agriculture, home economics and related subjects to the public. With these and similar provisions, the USDA reached out to every county of every state.

During the Great Depression, farming remained a common way of life for millions of Americans. The Department of Agriculture was crucial to providing concerned persons with the assistance that they needed to make it through this difficult period, helping to ensure that food continued to be produced and distributed to those who needed it, assisting with loans for small landowners, and contributing to the education of the rural youth.

Allegations have been made that throughout the agency's history it discriminated against African-American farmers, denying them loans and access to other programs well into the 1990s. The effect of this discrimination was the near total elimination of African-American farmers in the United States. In 1999, the USDA settled a class action lawsuit (Pigford v. Glickman) alleging discrimination against African-American farmers.

Today, many of the programs concerned with the distribution of food and nutrition to people of America and providing nourishment as well as nutrition education to those in need are run and operated under the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. The USDA also concerns itself with assisting farmers and food producers with the sale of crops and food on both a domestic and on the world market. It plays a role in overseas aid programs by providing surplus foods to developing countries. This aid can go through USAID, foreign governments, international bodies such as World Food Program, or approved non profit organizations. The Agricultural Act of 1949, section 416 (b) and Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, also known as Public Law 480 or Food for Peace, provides the legal basis of such actions.

Operating units

Inactive

Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) (renamed Farm Service Agency)

Animal Damage Control (renamed Wildlife Services)

Soil Conservation Service (SCS) renamed Natural Resources Conservation Service

Section of Vegetable Pathology, Division of Botany (1887-90)

renamed Division of Vegetable Pathology (1890-95)

== Related legislation == 's office is located in the Jamie L. Whitten Building.]] Building.|thumb|right|300px]] Important legislation setting policy of the USDA includes the:

1890, 1891, 1897, 1906 Meat Inspection Act

1906: Pure Food and Drug Act

1914: Cotton Futures Act

1916: Federal Farm Loan Act

1917: Food Control and Production Acts

1921: Packers and Stockyards Act

1922: Grain Futures Act

1922: National Agricultural Conference

1923: Agricultural Credits Act

1930: Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act

1930: Foreign Agricultural Service Act

1933: Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

1933: Farm Credit Act

1935: Resettlement Administration

1936: Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act

1937: Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act

1941: National Victory Garden Program

1941: Steagall Amendment

1946: Farmers Home Administration

1946: National School Lunch Act PL 79-396

1946: Research and Marketing Act

1948: Hope-Aiken Agriculture Act PL 80-897

1956: Soil Bank Program authorized

1957: Poultry Inspection Act

1947: Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act PL 80-104

1949: Agricultural Act PL 81-439 (Section 416 (b))

1954: Food for Peace Act PL 83-480

1954: Agricultural Act PL 83-690

1956: Mutual Security Act PL 84-726

1957: Poultry Products Inspection Act PL 85-172

1958: Food Additives Amendment PL 85-929

1958: Humane Slaughter Act

1958: Agricultural Act PL 85-835

1961: Agricultural Act PL 87-128

1964: Agricultural Act PL 88-297

1964: Food Stamp Act PL 88-525

1964: Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Extension PL 88-305

1965: Appalachian Regional Development Act

1965: Food and Agriculture Act PL 89-321

1966: Child Nutrition Act PL 89-642

1967: Wholesome Meat Act PL 90-201

1968: Wholesome Poultry Products Act PL 90-492

1970: Agricultural Act PL 91-524

1972: Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act PL 92-516

1970: Environmental Quality Improvement Act

1970: Food Stamp Act PL 91-671

1972: Rural Development Act

1972: Rural Development Act Reform 3.31

1972: National School Lunch Act Amendments (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) PL 92-433

1973: Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act PL 93-86

1974: Safe Drinking Water Act PL 93-523

1977: Food and Agriculture Act PL 95-113

1985: Food Security Act PL 99-198

1996: Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act PL 104-127

1996: Food Quality Protection Act PL 104-170

2000: Agriculture Risk Protection Act PL 106-224

2002: Farm Security and Rural Investment Act PL 107-171

2008: Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 PL 110-246

See also

100,000,000 Guinea Pigs: Dangers in Everyday Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics (book)

Agricultural Resource Management Survey

Agriculture in the United States

Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion

Farm Bill

Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation

Farm Credit Administration

Germplasm Resources Information Network

Graduate School, USDA

MyPyramid

U.S. Department of Agriculture Administration Building

U.S. Department of Agriculture South Building

References

External links

United States Department of Agriculture and public domain policy.

USDA National Nutrient Database

National Archives document of the USDA's origins

Report: USDA Regulatory Policy Has Been 'Hijacked' by Agribusiness Industry - July 23, 2004.

USDA releases 180-Day Report on Avian Influenza efforts and supplemental spending H5N1 efforts.

USDA Economic Research Service State Fact Sheets

USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Search By Food

USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Nutrient Lists Search By Nutrient

USDA Awards $97 M for Renewable Energy Projects

USDA Bets the Farm on Animal ID Program

USDA Nutrition Information

Proposed and finalized federal regulations from the United States Department of Agriculture

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Category:Agriculture ministries Category:Ministries established in 1889