U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA)
Washington, District of Columbia
http://www.usda.gov
http://www.usda.gov
Organization Type: Other Government - Federal
Number of Lawyers: 100 +
Number of Lawyers: 100 +
Practice Areas: Legislative Policy, Regulatory Affairs
Description
In 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln founded the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he called it the "People's Department." In Lincoln's day, 90 percent of the people were farmers who were in need of good seed and information to grow their crops. Today, USDA continues Lincoln's legacy by serving all Americans, the two percent who farm as well as everyone who eats, wears clothes, lives in a house, or visits a rural area or a national forest.
USDA remains committed to assisting America's farmers and ranchers. USDA also:
- Leads the Federal anti-hunger effort with the Food Stamp, School Lunch, School Breakfast, and the WIC Programs;
- Stewards our nation's 192 million acres of national forests and rangelands;
- Encourages voluntary efforts to protect soil, water, and wildlife on the 70 percent of America's lands that are in private hands;
- Brings housing, modern telecommunications, and safe drinking water to rural America;
- Monitors the safety of meat, poultry, and egg products;
- Leads research in everything from human nutrition to new crop technologies that allow us to grow more food and fiber using less water and pesticides;
- Helps ensure open markets for U.S. agricultural products;
- Provides food aid to needy people overseas.