• Farm Service Administration: for information on loan programs and insurance
• Food and Consumer Service
• Food Safety and Inspection
• Rural development Issues
• Agriculture Dept. Publications
• The Economic Research Service: publishes monthly and outlook reports and other analytical pieces pertinent to the Agriculture Dept.
• For other sites that provide socioeconomic data including the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, White House Economic Statistics, the Government Accounting Office, a virtual sociology library and an extensive guide to economic resources on the Internet
• For USDA departmental policies and guidelines in general
• Cooperative State Research , Education and Extension Service
• USDA Graduate School
• USDA Forest Service
• National Agriculture Library
• National Agricultural Statistics Service
• Natural Resources Conservation Service
Specific departmental information on:
• Small Business
• Procurement
• Property
• Budget
• Health
• Environment
• Disasters
Secretary of Agriculture:
Dan Glickman
The Department of Agriculture is responsible for the development, administration and evaluation of agricultural and rural policies and programs, including income and price support programs, food assistance programs (which include food stamps and the national school lunch program), nutrition and food safety. Agencies within the department also manage loan programs and insurance for farmers and rural development initiatives involving utilities, housing and cooperative business arrangements.
The Department of Agriculture provides economic, statistical information and analysis for public and private sector decisions on agriculture, international trade, food, natural resources and rural America. USDA economists and statisticians report on supply and demand for hundreds of farm products. They gather and report information on current supplies and yield prospects to help growers decide what crops to plant and harvest, which livestock to raise and how much of each to produce.
How to get more information: 14th St. and Independence Ave. S.W. Washington, D.C. 20250
(202)-720-2791 http://www.usda.gov
Rural Information Center Hotline: 800-633-7701
Last updated Feb. 7