United States Department of Agriculture

United States Department of Agriculture
US-DeptOfAgriculture-Seal2.svg
Seal of the Department of Agriculture
USDA logo.svg
Logo of the USDA
Agency overview
Formed May 15, 1862
(Cabinet status February 15, 1889)
Preceding agency Agricultural Division
Jurisdiction Federal government of the United States
Headquarters 1301 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.
Employees 105,778 (June 2007)
Annual budget US$95 billion (2009)
Agency executives Thomas J. Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture
Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
Child agency Click here
Website
www.usda.gov

The United States Department of Agriculture (informally the Agriculture Department or USDA) is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food. It aims to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers, promote agricultural trade and production, work to assure food safety, protect natural resources, foster rural communities and end hunger in the United States and abroad.

The head of the department is the Secretary of Agriculture, who is a member of the Cabinet. The current Secretary is Tom Vilsack.

Contents

History

Origins

Early in its history, the economy of the United States was largely agrarian. Officials in the federal government had long sought new and improved varieties of seeds, plants, and animals for importation to the United States. In 1836 Henry Leavitt Ellsworth, a Yale-educated attorney interested in improving agriculture, became Commissioner of Patents, a position within the Department of State. He soon began collecting and distributing new varieties of seeds and plants through members of the Congress and agricultural societies. In 1839, Congress established the Agricultural Division within the Patent Office and allotted $1,000 for "the collection of agricultural statistics and other agricultural purposes."

Ellsworth's interest in aiding agriculture was evident in his annual reports that called for a public depository to preserve and distribute the various new seeds and plants, a clerk to collect agricultural statistics, the preparation of statewide reports about crops in different regions, and the application of chemistry to agriculture. Ellsworth's agricultural focus earned him the sobriquet of "The Father of the Department of Agriculture."

In 1849 the Patent Office was transferred to the newly created Department of the Interior. In the ensuing years, agitation for a separate bureau of agriculture within the department or a separate department devoted to agriculture kept recurring. The USDA was created by Abraham Lincoln in order to help out the United States economy.

Formation and subsequent history

On May 15, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln established the independent Department of Agriculture to be headed by a Commissioner without Cabinet status.[1] Lincoln called it the "people's department." In the 1880s, varied advocacy groups were lobbying for Cabinet representation. Business interests sought a Department of Commerce and Industry, and farmers tried to raise the Department of Agriculture to Cabinet rank. In 1887, the House of Representatives and Senate passed bills giving Cabinet status to the Department of Agriculture and Labor, but the bill was killed in conference committee after farm interests objected to the addition of labor. Finally, on February 9, 1889, President Grover Cleveland signed a bill into law elevating the Department of Agriculture to Cabinet level.

In 1887, the Hatch Act provided for the federal funding of agricultural experiment stations in each state. The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 then funded cooperative extension services in each state to teach agriculture, home economics and related subjects to the public. With these and similar provisions, the USDA reached out to every county of every state.

During the Great Depression, farming remained a common way of life for millions of Americans. The Department of Agriculture was crucial to providing concerned persons with the assistance that they needed to make it through this difficult period, helping to ensure that food continued to be produced and distributed to those who needed it, assisting with loans for small landowners, and contributing to the education of the rural youth.

Allegations have been made that throughout the agency's history it discriminated against African-American farmers, denying them loans and access to other programs well into the 1990s.[2] The effect of this discrimination was the near total elimination of African-American farmers in the United States.[3] In 1999, the USDA settled a class action lawsuit (Pigford v. Glickman) alleging discrimination against African-American farmers.

Today, many of the programs concerned with the distribution of food and nutrition to people of America and providing nourishment as well as nutrition education to those in need are run and operated under the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. It also regulates the amount of methane produced by cows. The USDA also concerns itself with assisting farmers and food producers with the sale of crops and food on both a domestic and on the world market. It plays a role in overseas aid programs by providing surplus foods to developing countries. This aid can go through USAID, foreign governments, international bodies such as World Food Program, or approved non profit organizations. The Agricultural Act of 1949, section 416 (b) and Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, also known as Public Law 480 or Food for Peace, provides the legal basis of such actions.

Shirley Sherrod

The racial controversy regarding the resignation of Shirley Sherrod is an event about the resignation of an African American former employee of the United States Department of Agriculture and former USDA director of Rural Development in Georgia after a video surfaced on the Internet that appears to show her making racist comments about a white farmer who sought her help after his farm was about to be foreclosed. The event ignited a debate regarding racism in the United States and about the decisions made by the administration of Barack Obama.

Background

On July 19, 2010, a video posted on the Fox News website and released by Andrew Breitbart surfaced on the Internet showing an African American woman who appeared to be making racists remarks.[4]

In the video the woman appears to be saying the following although the audibility is in question:

"You know, the first time I was faced with helping a white farmer save his farm. He took a long time talking but he was trying to show me he was superior to me. I know what he was doing. But he had come to me for help. What he didn't know, while he was taking all that time trying to show me he was superior to me, was I was trying to decide just how much help I was going to give him."[5]'[4][6]
"I was struggling with the fact that so many black people had lost their farmland. And here I was faced with having to help a white person save their land, so I didn't give him the full force of what I could do."[7]
Ms. Sherrod's account

According to Ms. Sherrod's own account, the story in the video is about a farmer named Roger Spooner, who in 1986 was the first white farmer to come to her for help. She narrates that "the land was being sold, and had in fact already been rented out from under him." At first, she felt that he had a superior attitude toward her causing her to recall her life in the South including the murder of her father by a white person but further states that "I didn't let that get in the way of trying to help"[6]

"I didn't discriminate ... If I had discriminated against him, I would not have given him any help at all because I wasn't obligated to do it by anyone ... I didn't have to help that farmer. I could have sent him out the door without giving him any help at all. But in the end, we became very good friends, and that friendship lasted for some years."[6]

Regarding the full force remark, she states that it has to do with rallying other farmers' support:[6]

"I didn't know of any black farmers who would come out and try to support a white farmer at that point. ... I wasn't really sure of what I could do because at that time, I thought they [white people] had the advantages. I learned that was not the case."[6]

According to her, she had done her job, and took him to a white lawyer. She says that...[6]

"...if I take him to one of them, that his own kind would take care of him ... but that lawyer failed to help ... I did not discriminate against [the farmer]. And, in fact, I went all out to frantically look for a lawyer at the last minute because the first lawyer we went to was not doing anything to really help him. In fact, that lawyer suggested they should just let the farm go. The second attorney [was able to help the farmer] file Chapter 11 bankruptcy to help the family stay on the farm."[6]

Eloise Spooner, wife of the farmer, said that later, "after things kind of settled down, she brought Ms. Sherrod some tomatoes out of her garden, and they had a good visit".[6]

Resignation

After the video surfaced, Ms. Sherrod resigned from her post. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack commented, "There is zero tolerance for discrimination at USDA, and I strongly condemn any act of discrimination against any person... We have been working hard through the past 18 months to reverse the checkered civil rights history at the department and take the issue of fairness and equality very seriously".[8]

Ms. Sherrod rejected any claims that she was racist and further stated that the incident "helped her learn to move beyond race" and that "she t[old] the story to audiences to make that point".[6] She said that the White House forced her to resign while she was "on the road" from West Point, Georgia.[6] According to her, she was called by the Department of Agriculture thrice to have her resign.[9] In 2009, Ms. Sherrod had reportedly led a group that won a $13 million settlement in a longstanding discrimination suit against the USDA known commonly as the "Pigford Case".[10] The suit claimed the USDA racially discriminated against black farmers by not giving them fair treatment when they applied for loans or assistance. The case was first settled in 1999, resulting to date in more than $1 billion in compensation payments from the federal government.[10]

The White House, meanwhile, rejected any claims that they pressured Ms. Sherrod for a resignation with a statement that said that "[they were] not involved in pressuring for a resignation: "The White House did not pressure her or USDA over the resignation. It was the Secretary’s decision, as he has said”.[11]

Aftermath

Ralph Paige, executive director of the nonprofit Ms. Sherrod worked for before being appointed to the USDA job in 2009, says that "[Shirley] garnered only praise and there were never any claims of discrimination against her", adding that "I can't praise Shirley enough, she holds no malice in her heart".[6]

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, meanwhile, made a statement within hours after the video surface with the foundation's president Benjamin Jealous saying that:[12]

"Racism is about the abuse of power. Ms. Sherrod had it in her position at USDA. According to her remarks, she mistreated a white farmer in need of assistance because of his race. We are appalled by her actions, just as we are with abuses of power against farmers of color and female farmers. Her actions were shameful. While she went on to explain in the story that she ultimately realized her mistake, as well as the common predicament of working people of all races, she gave no indication she had attempted to right the wrong she had done to this man."[6][12]

However, after the increase of media coverage regarding the issue, they retracted their previous statement and said:[12]

With regard to the initial media coverage of the resignation of USDA Official Shirley Sherrod, we have come to the conclusion we were snookered by Fox News and Tea Party Activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias ... Having reviewed the full tape, spoken to Ms. Sherrod, and most importantly heard the testimony of the white farmers mentioned in this story, we now believe the organization that edited the documents did so with the intention of deceiving millions of Americans."[12]

Commentators, such as those from Fox News, have suggested that the resignation may have been a an attempt by the Obama administration to refute a possible "reverse racism" occurring during his term. They suggest that Ms. Sherrod was used by the administration as a "sacrificial lamb".[13]

On July 20, 2010, in an interview with CNN's John King, Andrew Breitbart responded to questions regarding his intentions of releasing the video saying that:[14]

"This was not about Shirley Sherrod. This was about the NAACP attacking the Tea Party and this [the video of Ms. Sherrod] is showing racism at an NAACP event. I did not ask for Shirley Sherrod to be fired. I did not ask for any repercussions for Shirley Sherrod. They were the ones that took the initiative to get rid of her. I – I do not – I think she should have the right to defend herself. [R]acism is used by the left and the Democratic Party to shut up opposition [a]nd [by releasing the Sherrod video] I am showing you that people who live in glass houses should not be throwing stones."[14]

After the uproar regarding Ms. Sherrod's resignation, Tom Vilsack released a statement on the night of July 20, 2010 saying that the Department will "conduct a thorough review and consider additional facts".[15]

Ms. Sherrod asserts that the NAACP was “the reason why this happened.” They got into a fight with the Tea Party, and all of this came out as a result of that.”[16] She adds that "she might not want her job back if it's offered ... because of all the publicity surrounding what happened … how would I be treated once I'm back there? I just don't know ... I would have to be reassured on that."[17]

On July 21, 2010, Fox News rejected any claims that they helped inflame the situation with a statement saying "[the network] did not make any mention of this story yesterday on the air until after Shirley Sherrod had already lost her job after Secretary Vilsack had already drawn his own conclusions — conclusions that the president apparently agreed with."[5] But this is false, as Fox had already run the story before Sherrod resigned.[18]

On July 21, the White House sought for an official review of the case. Tom Vilsack, meanwhile, sent an e-mail regarding the issue that states "I am of course willing and will conduct a thorough review and consider additional facts to ensure to the American people we are providing services in a fair and equitable manner."[19]

Operating units

Active

The headquarters of the USDA are on the National Mall at Washington, D.C.
USDA building (photo taken in 1934)

Inactive

Related legislation

The Secretary of Agriculture's office is located in the Jamie L. Whitten Building.
USDA Visitor's Center in the Jamie L. Whitten Building.

Important legislation setting policy of the USDA includes the:

See also

References

  1. ↑ 12 Stat. 387, now codified at 7 U.S.C. § 2201.
  2. ↑ General Accounting Office, USDA - Problems Continue to Hinder the Timely Processing of Discrimination Complaints, January 1999
  3. ↑ Brooks, Roy L. Atonement and Forgiveness: A New Model for Black Reparations. University of California Press. pp. 7–8. ISBN 0-520-24813-9. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/19/clip-shows-usda-official-admitting-withheld-help-white-farmer/
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,597324,00.html
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 http://edition.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/07/20/agriculture.employee.naacp/#fbid=X40jhuCTauq
  7. ↑ http://abcnews.go.com/WN/fair-fire-shirley-sherrod-department-agriculture-official-world/story?id=11214996
  8. ↑ http://wcbstv.com/topstories/tea.party.naacp.2.1812710.html
  9. ↑ http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/07/obama-white-house-dragged-into-ag-departmentnaacp-flap/1
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/20/official-ousted-ag-department-took-usda-court-won
  11. ↑ http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/20/sherrod-white-house-worried-about-glenn-beck/?fbid=Wub0vkd3uTl&loc=interstitialskip
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20011138-503544.html
  13. ↑ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,597263,00.html
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 http://johnkingusa.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/20/breitbart-this-was-not-about-shirley-sherrod/
  15. ↑ http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7117358.html
  16. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/21/us/21sherrod.html?src=mv
  17. ↑ http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/viral-videos-shirley-sherrod-flap-highlights-growing-political/story?id=11214756
  18. ↑ http://mediamatters.org/research/201007210032
  19. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/us/politics/22sherrod.html?_r=1
  20. ↑ APHIS Organization. USDA. Retrieved on 2009-03-09.

External links

Agencies under the United States Department of Agriculture
Headquarters: Jamie L. Whitten Building
Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture  · Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
Under Secretary of Agriculture for
Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services
Farm Service Agency · Foreign Agricultural Service · Risk Management Agency  · Commodity Credit Corporation  · Federal Crop Insurance Corporation
 United States Department of Agriculture Seal
Under Secretary of Agriculture for
Natural Resources and Environment
Forest Service · Natural Resources Conservation Service
Under Secretary of Agriculture for
Rural Development
Rural Housing Service  · Rural Utilities Service  · Rural Business-Cooperative Service
Under Secretary of Agriculture for
Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services
Food and Nutrition Service · Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
Under Secretary of Agriculture for
Food Safety
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Under Secretary of Agriculture for
Research, Education, and Economics
Agricultural Research Service · Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service · Economic Research Service · National Agricultural Library · National Agricultural Statistics Service
Under Secretary of Agriculture for
Marketing and Regulatory Programs
Agricultural Marketing Service · Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service · Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration
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