Department of Agriculture
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EXECUTIVE BRANCH:
DEPARTMENTS
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington,DC 20250
Phone, 202–720–4623. Internet, http://www.usda.gov.
Secretary of Agriculture THOMAS J. VILSACK
Deputy Secretary KATHLEEN MERRIGAN
Director, Office of Communications CHRIS MATHER
Inspector General PHYLLIS K. FONG
General Counsel STEVE SILVERMAN, Acting
Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations KRYSTA HARDEN
Assistant Secretary for Administration PEARLIE REED
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights JOE LEONARD
Chief Information Officer CHRIS SMITH
Chief Financial Officer JON HOLLADAY, Acting
Chief Economist JOSEPH GLAUBER
Under Secretary for Natural Resources and
Environment
HARRIS SHERMAN
Chief, Forest Service THOMAS TIDWELL
Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service DAVID WHITE
Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign
Agricultural Services
JAMES MILLER
Administrator, Farm Service Agency JONATHAN COPPESS
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service JOHN BREWER
Administrator, Risk Management Agency WILLIAM MURPHY
Under Secretary for Rural Development DALLAS TONSAGER
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative
Service
JUDY CANALES
Administrator, Rural Housing Service TAMMYE TREVINO
Administrator, Rural Utilities Service JONATHAN ADELSTEIN
Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and
Consumer Services
KEVIN CONCANNON
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service JULIE PARADIS
Director, Center for Nutrition Policy and
Promotion
RAJ ANAND
Under Secretary for Food Safety JERALD MANDE, Acting
Administrator, Food Safety and Inspection Service ALFRED V. ALMANZA
Under Secretary for Research, Education, and
Economics
MOLLY JAHN
Administrator, Agricultural Research Service EDWARD B. KNIPLING
Director, National Institute of Food and
Agriculture
ROGER N. BEACHY
98 U.S. GOVERNMENT MANUAL
Administrator, Economic Research Service KATHERINE SMITH
Director, National Agricultural Library SIMON Y. LIN
Administrator, National Agricultural Statistics
Service
CYNTHIA CLARK
Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory
Programs
EDWARD M. AVALOS
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service RAYNE PEGG
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service
CINDY J. SMITH
Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers, and
Stockyards Administration
J. DUDLEY BUTLER
Chief Judge, Administrative Law Judges PETER DAVENPORT
[For the Department of Agriculture statement of organization, see the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 7,
Part 2]
The Department of Agriculture provides leadership on food, agricultural, and
environmental issues by developing agricultural markets, fighting hunger and
malnutrition, conserving natural resources, and ensuring standards of food quality
through safeguards and inspections.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA)
was created by act of May 15, 1862 (7
U.S.C. 2201).
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 the
Chief Information Officer, Office of
Communications, Office of Congressional
and Intergovernmental Relations, Office
of the Inspector General, and the Office
of the General Counsel.
Rural Development
USDA’s rural development mission is to
increase the economic opportunities of
rural Americans and improve their quality
of life. To accomplish this, USDA works
to foster new cooperative relationships
among Government, industry, and
communities. As a capital investment
bank, USDA provides financing for
rural housing and community facilities,
business and cooperative development,
telephone and high-speed Internet
access, electric, water, and sewer
infrastructure. Approximately 800 rural
development field offices, staffed by
7,000 employees, provide frontline
delivery of rural development loan and
grant programs at the local level.
Rural Business-Cooperative Programs
To meet business credit needs in
underserved areas, USDA rural
development business programs are
usually leveraged with commercial,
cooperative, or other private sector
lenders. USDA’s rural development
business programs are listed below.
Business and Industry Guaranteed
Loans This program generates jobs and
stimulates rural economies by providing
financial backing for rural businesses.
Loan proceeds may be used for working
capital, machinery and equipment,
buildings and real estate, and certain
types of debt refinancing.
Business Enterprise These grants help
public bodies, nonprofit corporations,
and federally recognized Indian
tribal groups finance and facilitate
development of small and emerging
private business enterprises located in
rural areas. Grant funds can pay for
the acquisition and development of
land and the construction of buildings,
plants, equipment, access streets and
roads, parking areas, utility and service
extensions, refinancing, and fees for
professional services, as well as technical
assistance and related training, startup
costs and working capital, financial
assistance to a third party, production
of television programs targeted to rural
residents, and rural distance learning
networks.
Business Opportunities This
program promotes sustainable economic
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