Department of Agriculture
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Fourteenth Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250
Phone, 202-720-2791
SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE Dan Glickman
Deputy Secretary Richard Rominger
Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Dallas Smith, Agricultural Services Acting
Deputy Under Secretaries Dallas Smith
James Schroeder
Administrator, Farm Service Agency Randy Weber, Acting
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Gus Schumacher
Service
Administrator, Risk Management Ken Ackerman
Agency
Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Mary Ann Keeffe, Consumer Services Acting
Deputy Under Secretary Mary Ann Keeffe
Administrator, Food and Consumer Bill Ludwig
Service
Under Secretary for Food Safety Thomas Billy, Acting
Administrator, Food Safety and Thomas Billy
Inspection Service
Under Secretary for Natural Resources and James Lyons
Environment
Deputy Under Secretary for Forestry Brian E. Burke
Deputy Under Secretary for Tom Hebert
Conservation
Chief, Forest Service Mike Dombeck
Chief, Natural Resources Paul W. Johnson
Conservation Service
Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Catherine Woteki, Economics Acting
Deputy Under Secretary Floyd Horn
Administrator, Agricultural Research Edward B. Service Knipling, Acting
Administrator, Cooperative State Bobby H. Robinson
Research, Education, and Extension Service
Administrator, Economic Research Susan E. Offutt
Service
Administrator, National Agricultural Donald Bay
Statistics Service
Under Secretary for Rural Development Jill Long-Thompson
Deputy Under Secretaries Arthur C. Campbell
Inga Smulkstys
Administrator, Rural Business- Dayton Watkins
Cooperative Service
Administrator, Rural Housing Service Jan Shadburn, Acting
Administrator, Rural Utilities Wally Beyer
Service
Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations Dave Carlin
Assistant Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Michael Dunn
Programs
Deputy Assistant Secretary Shirley Watkins
Administrator, Agricultural Lon Hatamiya
Marketing Service
Administrator, Animal and Plant Terry Medley
Health Inspection Service
Administrator, Grain Inspection, James R. Baker
Packers, and Stockyards Administration
Assistant Secretary for Administration Pearlie S. Reed, Acting
Deputy Assistant Secretary Christine Pytel, Acting
Chairman, Board of Contract Appeals Edward Houry
Judicial Officer William G. Jenson
Chief Judge, Administrative Law Victor Palmer
Judges
Director, Office of Operations Priscilla Carey, Acting
Director, Civil Rights Lloyd E. Wright, Acting
Director, Human Resources Management Roger L. Bensey
Director, Procurement and Property W.R. Ashworth
Management
Chief Information Officer Anne F. Thomson Reed
Deputy Chief Information Officer Ira L. Hobbs
Chief Financial Officer Irwin T. David, Acting
Deputy Chief Financial Officer Irwin T. David
General Counsel James Gilliland
Deputy General Counsel Bonnie Luken
Inspector General Roger C. Viadero
Deputy Inspector General Joyce N. Fleischman
Director, Office of Communications Thomas S. Amontree
Chief Economist Keith Collins
Director, Office of Risk Assessment Alwynelle S. Ahl
and Cost-Benefit Analysis
Chairman, World Agricultural Outlook Gerald Bauge
Board
Director, Office of Budget and Program Analysis Stephen B. Dewhurst
Director, National Appeals Division Norman Cooper
Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Sharron Harris
Business Utilization
Director, Office of the Executive Secretariat Lynne Finnerty
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The Department of Agriculture works to improve and maintain farm income and to develop and expand markets abroad for agricultural products. The Department helps to curb and to cure poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. It works to enhance the environment and to maintain production capacity by helping landowners protect the soil, water, forests, and other natural resources. Rural development, credit, and conservation programs are key resources for carrying out national growth policies. Department research findings directly or indirectly benefit all Americans. The Department, through inspection and grading services, safeguards and ensures standards of quality in the daily food supply.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) was created by act of May 15, 1862
(7 U.S.C. 2201), and was administered by a Commissioner of Agriculture until 1889
(5 U.S.C. 511, 514, 516). By act of February 9, 1889 (7 U.S.C. 2202,
2208, 2212), the powers and duties of the Department were enlarged. The Department was made the eighth executive department in the Federal Government, and the Commissioner became the Secretary of Agriculture. The Department was reorganized under the Federal Crop Insurance Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6901 note).
In carrying out its work in the program mission areas, USDA relies on the support of departmental administration staff, as well as the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Communications, Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations, Office of the Inspector General, and the Office of the General Counsel.
Rural Development
The rural development mission of USDA is to assist rural Americans in using their abilities to improve their quality of life. To accomplish this, USDA works to foster new cooperative relationships among Government, industry, and communities. The mission is carried out by the Rural Housing Service, which includes rural housing and rural community facility loan and grant programs; the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, which includes business and cooperative development programs; and the Rural Utilities Service, which includes telephone, electric, water, and sewer programs. Approximately 1,580 rural development field offices provide frontline delivery of all rural development loan and grant programs at the local level.
The Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community Initiative Office provides technical assistance, training, monitoring, and support to USDA field staff and communities participating in the initiative. Focusing on communities of greatest need, with severe problems of long-term endemic poverty, the program works with other USDA agencies, Federal agencies, State and local governments, and private organizations and universities in a combined effort to develop and promote comprehensive community and economic development in rural America.
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
The mission of the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) is to enhance the quality of life for all rural Americans by providing leadership in building competitive businesses and cooperatives that can prosper in the global marketplace. To meet business credit needs in under-served areas, RBS business programs are usually leveraged with commercial, cooperative, or other private sector lenders. RBS business programs include:
Business and Industry Guaranteed Loans This program helps create jobs and stimulates rural economies by providing financial backing for rural businesses. The program guarantees up to 80 percent of a loan made by a commercial lender. Loan proceeds may be used for working capital, machinery and equipment, buildings and real estate, and certain types of debt refinancing. Loan guarantees can be extended to loans made by commercial or other authorized lenders in rural areas (all areas other than cities of more than 50,000 people and their immediately adjacent urban or urbanizing areas).
Assistance under the Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program is available to virtually any legally organized entity, including a cooperative, corporation, partnership, trust, or other profit or nonprofit entity, Indian tribe or federally recognized tribal group, municipality, county, or other political subdivision of a State.
Applicants need not have been denied credit elsewhere to apply for this program. The maximum aggregate guaranteed loan(s) amount that can be offered to any one borrower under this program is $25 million.
Business and Industry Direct Loans This program provides loans to public entities and private parties who cannot obtain credit from other sources. Loans to private parties can be made for improving, developing, or financing business and industry, creating jobs, and improving the economic and environmental climate in rural communities, including pollution abatement. Assistance is available in rural areas (all areas other than cities of more than 50,000 people and their immediately adjacent urban or urbanizing areas).
Eligible applicants include any legally organized entity, including a cooperative, corporation, partnership, trust, or other profit or nonprofit entity, Indian tribe or federally recognized tribal group, municipality, county, any other political subdivision of a State, or individuals. Loans are available to those who cannot obtain credit elsewhere and for public bodies. The maximum aggregate loan amount that can be offered to any one borrower is $10 million.
Intermediary Relending Program Loans These loans finance business facilities and community development projects in rural areas, including cities with populations of less than 25,000. The Service lends these funds to intermediaries, which in turn provide loans to recipients who are developing business facilities or community development projects. Eligible intermediaries include public bodies, nonprofit corporations, Indian tribes, and cooperatives.
Rural Venture Capital Demonstration Program To demonstrate the usefulness of guarantees to attract increased investment in private business enterprises in rural areas, this program designates up to 10 community development venture capital organizations to establish a rural business private investment pool to make equity investments in rural private business enterprises. The program is available in rural areas
(all areas other than cities of more than 50,000 people and their immediately adjacent urban or urbanizing areas).
Rural Business Enterprise Grants These grants help public bodies...
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