United States Department of Agriculture
| United States Department of Agriculture | |
|---|---|
| USDA | |
| |
| Department of Agriculture logo | |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | May 15, 1862 |
| Agency executive | Thomas J. Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture |
| Website | |
| usda.gov | |
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a cabinet-level department of the Federal government of the United States charged with 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, ensure food safety, protect natural resources, foster rural communities, and increase food abundance and security in the United States and abroad.[1] The head of the department is the Secretary of Agriculture, who is appointed by the President of the United States and is a member of the Cabinet.
The department has approximately 107,000 full-time, part-time, and temporary federal and non-federal employees.[2] Its employees are distributed across over 30 agencies and offices.[3]
History
On May 15, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln established the independent Department of Agriculture to be headed by a commissioner without Cabinet status[4], calling 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 the 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[5]
References
- ↑ "Mission Statement - USDA". U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=MISSION_STATEMENT. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ↑ "USDA News Employee Publication". U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=agnews_pubs.xml. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ↑ "USDA Agencies and Offices". U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=AGENCIES_OFFICES_C. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ↑ "An Act to Establish a Department of Agriculture". U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://www.nal.usda.gov/act-establish-department-agriculture. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ↑ United States Government Manual - February 1940. United States Office of Government Reports. February 1940. pp. 158. http://books.google.com/books?id=2l7CHAAACAAJ.
