Department+of+Agriculture

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture is Tom Vilsack. He was sworn in as the 30th Secretary of the US Department of Agriculture on January 21, 2009 by President Barack Obama.

The primary mission of the USDA is to provide leadership to the food production industry. They provide this leadership through expanding markets for agricultural products and supporting economic development. This further develops alternative markets for agricultural products and activities. They provide financing financing needed to help expand job opportunities and improve housing, utilities and infrastructure in rural America. The USDA enhances food safety by taking steps to reduce the prevalence of food-borne hazzards from farm to table, improving nutrition and health by providing food assistance, nutrition education and promotion. It is also their job to manage and protect America's public and private lands and work cooperatively with other levels of government and the private sector.

The USDA has been around for almost 150 years. It was founded in 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln signed into law an act of Congress establishing the United States Department of Agriculture. At that time President Lincoln called USDA "The Peoples Department". About 1/2 of all Americans lived on farms then. Today only about 2% do.