DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Department of Agriculture of the United States

Department of Agriculture of the United States

Introduction

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a department of the executive branch of government of the United States. Its multipronged mission is to maintain an adequate supply of food in the country, to promote agricultural research, to promote the marketing of U.S. farm products at home and abroad, and to seek fair prices for consumers and for farmers both at home and abroad (Waskey, 2010). The USDA headed by the Secretary of Agriculture, who is a member of the President's cabinet. The Secretary of Agriculture appointed by the President and confirmed with the advice and consent of the Senate.

Discussion

Historically, the farm vote was very significant, so it was common for appointment to the post of Secretary of Agriculture to be a reward for farm vote support from members of the President's party. Today, farmers in the United States number fewer than three million, so the vote is less important than it was historically (Lisa, 2009). It is still important, however, because the United States is by its geographic and geologic nature, an enormous agricultural country, and the appointment is still a reward for farm interests. Many of these farm interests today are giant agribusinesses that seek to use all manner of science and technology to provide food for global markets. Green interests are also a part of farm interests, from the small farmer to giant farms and food corporations.

As long as people need to eat, agriculture will be a subject of permanent legislative interest for the U.S. Congress. Its interest is in feeding an ever-growing number of U.S. citizens, along with selling huge volumes of agricultural products to the world. To deal with the many concerns posed by agriculture, Congress began to deal with these interests early in U.S. history. In 1836, Henry Leavitt Ellsworth became the Commissioner of Plants, a position within the Department of State (Maxine, 2005).

Ellsworth began collecting seeds and plants from around the country through members of Congress and agricultural societies, as well as from foreign sources via people serving overseas. The goal was to improve agriculture by identifying and using those plants that could adapt to U.S. agricultural conditions, and that would produce useful harvests. Because this work involved property claims, the Agricultural Division created as part of the Patent Office in 1839 (Waskey, 2010). Ellsworth produced annual ...