COMMODITY CORNER
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture is there to help all Americans in more ways than you may think.
hen you hear about the U.S. Department of Agriculture, what do you think of? Some may associate it with the farm bill or the Farm Service Agency, while others may only know of their work through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Either way, the USDA is comprised of so much more than the average American may realize. The USDA can best be described as a large umbrella with 29 different agencies under it. In total, roughly 100,000 people in 4,500 offices across the United States are working daily to serve Americans in a variety of ways such as through the Rural Utilities Service, Agricultural Marketing Service, Food and Nutrition Services and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. With the establishment of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture by President Abraham Lincoln on May 15, 1862, he would address Congress just two and a half years later, referring to the USDA as “the people’s department.” While the USDA has impacted generations of Americans since its inception, it will continue to do so through its endless work for food, agriculture, economic development, science, natural resource conservation and a variety of other issues. One of the many ways USDA assists Americans is through several supplemental food programs established to ensure citizens of all ages know the importance of proper nutrition and can lend a hand when needed. Learn more about some of those programs on the next page. Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
30 — Oklahoma Country
