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.
Thomas James Vilsack is an American politician serving as the 32nd United States secretary of agriculture in the Biden administration. He previously served in the role from 2009 to 2017 during the Obama administration. A member of the Democratic Party,he served as the 40th governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007. During his tenure,Iowa experienced a peak in new CAFO construction.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is the United States Department of Agriculture agency that was formed by merging the farm loan portfolio and staff of the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) and the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS). 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. The Administrator of FSA reports to the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation. The current administrator is Zach Ducheneaux. The FSA of each state is led by a politically appointed State Executive Director (SED).
The Economic Research Service (ERS) is a component of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and a principal agency of the Federal Statistical System of the United States. It provides information and research on agriculture and economics.
The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is the foreign affairs agency with primary responsibility for the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) overseas programs –market development,international trade agreements and negotiations,and the collection of statistics and market information. 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. The FAS mission statement reads,"Linking U.S. agriculture to the world to enhance export opportunities and global food security," and its motto is "Linking U.S. Agriculture to the World."
Jonathan Steven Adelstein is an American political appointee and trade association president. He was nominated to posts by Republican President George W. Bush and Democratic President Barack Obama,serving as a Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Administrator of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service.
In the United States,a presidential transition is the process during which the president-elect of the United States prepares to take over the administration of the federal government of the United States from the incumbent president. Though planning for transition by a non-incumbent candidate can start at any time before a presidential election and in the days following,the transition formally starts when the General Services Administration (GSA) declares an “apparent winner”of the election,thereby releasing the funds appropriated by Congress for the transition,and continues until inauguration day,when the president-elect takes the oath of office,at which point the powers,immunities,and responsibilities of the presidency are legally transferred to the new president.
Barack Obama assumed office as President of the United States on January 20,2009,and his term ended on January 20,2017. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.
Bradley M. Pfaff is an American agriculture policy administrator and Democratic politician from La Crosse County,Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin Senate,representing Wisconsin's 32nd Senate district since 2021. He was an unsuccessful candidate for United States House of Representatives in 2022.
Rayne Pegg was the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the Department of Agriculture,and was appointed on July 6,2009,by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. In her position,she has the responsibility of overseeing AMS policies and programs. AMS administers programs that facilitate the efficient,fair marketing of U.S. agricultural products,including food,fiber,and specialty crops. She participated in the World Trade Organization and US-Korea FTA negotiations,and was previously appointed to USDA’s Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee on Fruits and Vegetables.
Shirley Sherrod is the Executive Director for the Southwest Georgia Project and Vice President of Development for New Communities at Cypress pond. Sherrod is a civil rights activist who has devoted most of her life advocating for farmers and rural residents. Sherrod has been the recipient of various praises such as;The Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Sojourner-Douglas College,being inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame,and awarded the James Beard Leadership Award.
Emily Webster Murphy is an American attorney and former government official who served as the administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) from 2017 to 2021. Before serving in the GSA,Murphy was an attorney for the Republican National Committee and worked for several congressional committees and executive departments in the field of acquisition policy.
The presidential transition of Joe Biden began on November 7,2020,and ended on January 20,2021. Unlike previous presidential transitions,which normally take place during the roughly 10-week period between the election in the first week of November and the inauguration on January 20,Biden's presidential transition was shortened somewhat because the General Services Administration under the outgoing Trump administration did not recognize Biden as the "apparent winner" until November 23.
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.
The USDA Coalition of Minority Employees is a civil rights organization formed by employees of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1994 specifically focused on ending discrimination within the Department and more generally on eradicating racism in agriculture in the United States.
Homer Lee Wilkes is an American conservationist and government official from Mississippi. In 2021,Wilkes was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as under secretary of agriculture for natural resources and environment.
Janie Simms Hipp is an agriculture and food lawyer,policy expert,and the founder of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at the University of Arkansas,founder of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Office of Tribal Relations in the Office of the Secretary,founding Executive Director of the Native American Agriculture Fund,. Hipp's work focuses on the intersection of Indian law and agriculture and food law. She is currently the CEO/President of Native Agriculture Financial Services since August 2023.
Love v. Vilsack refers to the 2001 lawsuit filed by a group of women farmers against the USDA. The lawsuit alleged that the USDA discriminated against female farmers through the agricultural loan process,and specifically named the Farm Service Agency (FSA). This lawsuit is often discussed in conjunction with Garcia v. Vilsack because of its similar timeline and like the Garcia v. Vilsack,the claims process for female farmers was voluntary,which meant that female farmers had to file claims individually.
Jonathan Eugene Meyer is an American lawyer and government official who has served as the sixth general counsel of the United States Department of Homeland Security since 2021.
