LibGuides: Government Websites: Agriculture

U.S. Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promote agricultural trade and production, ensure food safety, protect natural resources, foster rural communities, and work to end hunger in the United States and internationally.

USDA Websites

	Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service protects animal health, animal welfare, and plant health. APHIS is the lead agency for collaboration with other agencies to protect U.S. agriculture from invasive pests and diseases.
	Economic Research Service The Economic Research Service is a component of the United States Department of Agriculture and a principal agency of the Federal Statistical System of the United States. It provides information and research on agriculture and economics.
	Farm Service Agency The Farm Service Agency implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs, and manages conservation, commodity, disaster, and farm marketing programs through a national network of offices.
	Food and Nutrition Service The Food and Nutrition Service is the federal agency responsible for administering the nation's domestic nutrition assistance programs. It helps to address hunger in the United States.
	Food Safety and Inspection Service This public health regulatory agency ensures that the United States commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged. The FSIS also acts as a national health department and is responsible for the safety of public food-related establishments and business investigations.
	Foreign Agricultural Service The Foreign Agricultural Service is the foreign affairs agency primarily responsible for the United States Department of Agriculture overseas. It also administers the USDA's export credit guarantee and food aid programs and helps increase income and food availability in developing nations by mobilizing expertise for agriculturally led economic growth.
	National Agriculture Library The United States National Agricultural Library is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries and serves as a national library of the United States. It is one of five national libraries in the U.S. It is also the coordinator for the Agriculture Network Information Center, a national network of state land-grant institutions, and the coordinator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture field libraries.
	National Agricultural Statistics Service The National Agricultural Statistics Service is the statistical branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System. NASS conducts hundreds of surveys and issues nearly 500 national reports annually on agricultural production, economics, demographics, and the environment. NASS also conducts the United States Census of Agriculture every five years.
	Natural Resources Conservation Service Natural Resources Conservation Service, formerly the Soil Conservation Service, provides technical assistance to farmers, private landowners, and managers.
	Risk Management Agency The Risk Management Agency has three program areas: Insurance Services, which provides federal crop insurance to American farmers; Product Management, which develops and reviews crop insurance products to ensure actuarial soundness; and Compliance, which monitors federal crop insurance programs for fraud, waste, and abuse.