Runs food, farm, and nutrition programs — older than its Cabinet rank suggests.
USDA covers food and nutrition assistance, farm programs, agricultural research, food safety, rural development, and the national forests. Most people encounter it through SNAP, school meals, or the meat and poultry inspection stamp on their groceries.
I resolve to be a farmer’s department in the most comprehensive sense.
Attributed to early USDA leadership, on the department’s founding purpose
What It Does
USDA’s portfolio spans two very different kinds of work: supporting farmers and rural communities, and running the nation’s largest nutrition assistance programs. The Secretary of Agriculture oversees both, though they operate through largely separate agencies within the department.
Runs nutrition assistance
Administers SNAP, school meal programs, and WIC, the country’s major federal food-assistance programs.
Supports farmers
Provides farm loans, crop insurance, and price-support programs through the Farm Service Agency.
Inspects food safety
The Food Safety and Inspection Service inspects meat, poultry, and egg products for safety.
Manages national forests
The Forest Service manages 190 million-plus acres of national forests and grasslands.
How It Fits Into Government
A department that grew into Cabinet rank
USDA was created in 1862 during the Lincoln administration but wasn’t elevated to full Cabinet-level status until 1889 — for its first 27 years, it operated as an independent department without a seat in the Cabinet. Congress writes the farm bill roughly every five years, setting the statutory framework for most of USDA’s major programs, and appropriates the department’s budget annually.
Major Agencies
Food and Nutrition Service
Administers SNAP, school meals, and WIC.
- SNAP
- School meal programs
- WIC
Farm Service Agency
Farm loans, disaster assistance, and commodity programs.
- Farm loans
- Crop programs
- Disaster assistance
Forest Service
Manages national forests and grasslands, and coordinates wildfire response.
- Forest management
- Wildfire response
- Recreation permits
How It Is Checked
Congress
Passes the farm bill roughly every five years and appropriates USDA’s annual budget.
Courts
Review USDA rulemaking and can set aside actions exceeding statutory authority.
Public process
Farm program and food-safety rules generally go through notice-and-comment before final adoption.
Inspector General
The USDA OIG audits programs and investigates fraud, including SNAP misuse and farm-program fraud.
Public Services Visitors May Need
Check a food recallFSIS meat, poultry, and egg product recalls.→
Get a national forest permitCamping, timber, and recreation permits.→
Find farm loan or disaster assistanceFarm Service Agency program information.→
USDA is older than its Cabinet rank
A common misconception is that USDA’s founding and its Cabinet status happened at the same time. They didn’t — the department was created in 1862, but operated for 27 years as an independent department without a Cabinet seat before Congress elevated it to full Cabinet-level status in 1889. Several federal agencies share this pattern of being created well before, or sometimes well after, gaining Cabinet rank.
