The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production,promotes agricultural trade and production,works to assure food safety,protects natural resources,fosters rural communities and works to end hunger in the United States and internationally. It is headed by the secretary of agriculture,who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack,who has served since February 24,2021.
Organic farming,also known as organic agriculture or ecological farming or biological farming,is an agricultural system that emphasizes the use of naturally occurring,non-synthetic inputs such as compost manure,green manure,and bone meal and places emphasis on techniques such as crop rotation,companion planting,and mixed cropping. Biological pest control methods such as the fostering of insect predators are also encouraged. Organic agriculture can be defined as "an integrated farming system that strives for sustainability,the enhancement of soil fertility and biological diversity while,with rare exceptions,prohibiting synthetic pesticides,antibiotics,synthetic fertilizers,genetically modified organisms,and growth hormones". It originated early in the 20th century in reaction to rapidly changing farming practices. Certified organic agriculture today accounts for 70 million hectares globally,with over half of that total in Australia.
An agricultural subsidy is a government incentive paid to agribusinesses,agricultural organizations and farms to supplement their income,manage the supply of agricultural commodities,and influence the cost and supply of such commodities.
The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is a wholly owned United States government corporation that was created in 1933 to "stabilize,support,and protect farm income and prices". The CCC is authorized to buy,sell,lend,make payments,and engage in other activities for the purpose of increasing production,stabilizing prices,assuring adequate supplies,and facilitating the efficient marketing of agricultural commodities.
An agriculturist,agriculturalist,agrologist,or agronomist is a professional in the science,practice,and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada,India,the Philippines,the United States,and the European Union. Other names used to designate the profession include agricultural scientist,agricultural manager,agricultural planner,agriculture researcher,or agriculture policy maker.
American Farmland Trust (AFT) is a non-profit organization in the United States with a mission to protect farmland,promote environmentally sound farming practices,and keep farmers on the land. AFT is staffed by farmers,policy experts,researchers,and scientists,and governed by a board of directors. Its headquarters are in Washington,D.C.,and it has regional offices throughout the country. AFT also runs the Farmland Information Center,an online collection of information on farmland and ranchland protection and stewardship established as a public-private partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services was the third-ranking official in the United States Department of Agriculture prior to reorganization of several mission areas,announced on May 11,2017. The mission area of USDA's purpose was to "help to keep America's farmers and ranchers in business as they face the uncertainties of weather and markets..." and that "...deliver[s] commodity,credit,conservation,disaster,and emergency assistance programs that help improve the stability and strength of the agricultural economy." The Under Secretary was traditionally appointed to serve as the President of the Commodity Credit Corporation.
Intensive animal farming,industrial livestock production,and macro-farms,also known as factory farming,is a type of intensive agriculture,specifically an approach to animal husbandry designed to maximize production while minimizing costs. To achieve this,agribusinesses keep livestock such as cattle,poultry,and fish at high stocking densities,at large scale,and using modern machinery,biotechnology,and global trade. The main products of this industry are meat,milk and eggs for human consumption.
Earl Lauer "Rusty" Butz was a United States government official who served as the secretary of agriculture under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. His policies favored large-scale corporate farming and an end to New Deal programs.
Charles Franklin "Chuck" Conner is a former United States deputy secretary of agriculture.
In the United States,the farm bill is comprehensive omnibus bill that is the primary agricultural and food policy instrument of the federal government. Congress typically passes a new farm bill every five to six years.
The agricultural policy of the United States is composed primarily of the periodically renewed federal U.S. farm bills. The Farm Bills have a rich history which initially sought to provide income and price support to US farmers and prevent them from adverse global as well as local supply and demand shocks. This implied an elaborate subsidy program which supports domestic production by either direct payments or through price support measures. The former incentivizes farmers to grow certain crops which are eligible for such payments through environmentally conscientious practices of farming. The latter protects farmers from vagaries of price fluctuations by ensuring a minimum price and fulfilling their shortfalls in revenue upon a fall in price. Lately,there are other measures through which the government encourages crop insurance and pays part of the premium for such insurance against various unanticipated outcomes in agriculture.
William Howard Northey was an American politician who served as the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation in the United States Department of Agriculture from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party,he previously served as the Secretary of Agriculture of Iowa,first elected on November 7,2006,and sworn in on January 2,2007. In that position he led the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
The National Pork Board is a program sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service whose purpose is to provide consumer information,perform industry-related research,and promote pork as a food product. The board's activities are funded by a mandatory commodity checkoff program,which requires hog producers to pay a small percentage-based fee each time an animal is sold.
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is an advisory board that makes recommendations to the United States Secretary of Agriculture on organic food and products. Members are appointed by the Secretary and these make recommendations,one of the most important of which is to review and develop the National List of Approved and Prohibited Substances.
James Lee Reese is a farmer,businessman and politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Appointed by Republican Governor Mary Fallin as Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture,Reese was sworn into office on January 10,2011. He also acted as Fallin's chief advisor on policy development and implementation related to agriculture,food,and forestry. Reese serves concurrently in Oklahoma City as the commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture.
August "Gus" Schumacher,Jr. (1939–2017) was an American economist and agricultural policy official. He was Vice-President of Policy at the Wholesome Wave Foundation in Bridgeport,Connecticut. He was also a member of the 21st Century Sustainable Agricultural Task Force of the National Academy of Sciences.
Digital agriculture,sometimes known as smart farming or e-agriculture,are tools that digitally collect,store,analyze,and share electronic data and/or information in agriculture. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has described the digitalization process of agriculture as the digital agricultural revolution. Other definitions,such as those from the United Nations Project Breakthrough,Cornell University,and Purdue University,also emphasize the role of digital technology in the optimization of food systems.
Robert Farrell Bonnie is the current Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation,having been confirmed by the Senate on November 16,2021,by a vote of 76-19. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Senior Advisor,Climate,in the Office of the Secretary in the United States Department of Agriculture. He was appointed on Jan. 20,2021.
Fred Kirschenmann is an American professor,organic farmer,and a leader in the sustainable agriculture movement. He is board president of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture and the former director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. He is considered "one of the most prominent spokesmen for the sustainable farming movement."
