Department of Agriculture

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Fourteenth Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250

Phone, 202-720-2791. Internet, http://www.usda.gov/.

SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE Dan Glickman

Deputy Secretary Richard Rominger

Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign August Schumacher

Agricultural Services

Deputy Under Secretaries Dallas Smith

James Schroeder

Administrator, Farm Service Agency Keith Kelly

Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Lon Hatamiya

Service

Administrator, Risk Management Ken Ackerman

Agency

Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Shirley Watkins

Consumer Services

Deputy Under Secretary Julie Paradis

Administrator, Food and Nutrition Yvette Jackson

Service

Under Secretary for Food Safety Catherine Woteki

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 Craig Cox, Acting

Conservation

Chief, Forest Service Mike Dombeck

Chief, Natural Resources Pearlie S. Reed

Conservation Service

Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Miley Gonzalez

Economics

Deputy Under Secretary Eileen Kennedy, Acting

Administrator, Agricultural Research Edward B. Knipling, Service 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

Administrator, Rural Utilities Wally Beyer

Service

Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations J. David Carlin

Assistant Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Michael Dunn

Programs

Deputy Assistant Secretary Isi Siddiqui, Acting

Administrator, Agricultural Enrique Figueroa

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 Reba P. Evans, Acting

Deputy Assistant Secretary Debbie Matz

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 Sally Thompson

Deputy Chief Financial Officer Irwin T. David

General Counsel Charles Rawls, Acting

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 Bange

Board

Director, Office of Budget and Program Analysis Stephen B. Dewhurst

Director, Office of Outreach Samuel E. Thornton

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

T177653.014

(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 900 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 sustainable 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 and unincorporated areas of more than 50,000 people and their immediately adjacent urbanized 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 or unincorporated areas of more than 50,000 people and their immediately adjacent urbanized 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 or unincorporated areas of more than 50,000 people and their immediately adjacent...

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