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Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides assistance to farmers and ranchers. The Department promotes agricultural trade and production, works to assure food safety, protects natural resources, fosters strong rural communities, and fights hunger in America and abroad. The FY'04 $74 billion request is 2% higher ($1.4 billion) than the previous year and $5.4 billion higher (or 8% growth) since FY2001.
- Budget highlights
- Regarding homeland security and agricultural protection programs, the budget includes nearly $47 million in new funding to strengthen laboratory security measures; conduct research on emerging animal diseases; develop new vaccines; create new bio-security database systems; and continue development of the unified Federal-State Diagnostic Network for identifying and responding to high risk pathogens.
- FY'04 budget continues a strong commitment to export promotion and foreign market development efforts by proposing $6.2 billion in spending. As part of that funding, the budget establishes a new, centralized fund of $6.6 million to support important, cross-cutting trade issues, compliance monitoring, dispute resolution, and biotechnology activities within the Department.
- The budget supports the continued implementation of the 2002 Farm Bill.
- Under the Department of Homeland Security Act of 2002, a number of functions performed by USDA will be transferred to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). These programs include research and diagnostic work and agricultural inspections at ports of entry. Total USDA transfers to DHS for 2004 are $246,613,000.
Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS)
The FAS administers a variety of programs designed to promote U.S. agricultural exports, develop long-term markets overseas, and improve world food security.
The budget provides appropriated funding of $145 million for FAS activities in 2004. This is an increase of nearly $10 million above the FY'03 level and supports a number of trade-related initiatives.
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
The USDA provides scientific focus, leadership, and expertise in addressing the important domestic and international public health and safety issues related to meat, poultry, and egg products regulated by the FSIS and under the general oversight of the Office of the U.S. Manager of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
The proposed increase for the Food Safety Inspection System (FSIS) will increase to a program level of $899 million, an increase of nearly $42 million over the FY'03. Funding for FSIS will support 7,680 food safety inspectors, an increase of 80 inspectors, and provide specialized training for the inspection workforce, increase microbiological testing and sampling, strengthen foreign surveillance programs and increase public education efforts.
Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS)
AMS facilitates the marketing of agricultural products in domestic and international markets, while ensuring fair trading practices. The budget proposes $4 million for biotechnology.
Agriculture Research Service (ARS)
ARS provides access to scientific data, conducts research to develop new scientific knowledge, and transfers technology to the private sector to solve technical agricultural problems of broad scope and high national priority.
- ARS Highlights
- Plant Science. Ongoing ARS research addresses a wide range of crop production issues, including pest and disease management through use of biologically-based technologies, plant genome mapping, and the maintenance and improvement of plant germplasm. The 2004 budget includes a proposed $3.5 million increase for plant/crop genomics.
- Animal Science. Research in this program is directed toward solving major issues faced by producers and consumers of meat and poultry products. Areas of emphasis include disease prevention, genetics and genome mapping, animal reproduction, food quality, and safety. The 2004 budget includes a $3.5 million increase for animal genomics financed with additional appropriations and an increase of $8.3 million for emerging diseases and biosecurity.
Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB)
CVB regulates veterinary biologics (vaccines, bacterins, antisera, diagnostic kits, and other products of biological origin) to ensure that the veterinary biologics available for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of animal diseases are pure, safe, potent, and effective.
Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES)
CSREES has primary responsibility for providing linkages between the Federal and State components of a broad-based, national agricultural research, extension, and higher education system. CSREES provides funding for projects conducted in partnership with the State Agricultural Experiment Stations, State Cooperative Extension Systems, land-grant universities, colleges and other research and education institutions. Federal funds are distributed to universities and institutions by statutory formula funding, competitive awards, and special grants. CSREES is responsible for administering USDA's primary competitive research grants program, the National Research Initiative (NRI), which supports investigator-initiated research with strong potential to contribute to major breakthroughs in agricultural science. The budget includes a $16 million dollar request for Homeland Security.
Animal Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS)
The mission of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is to protect America's animal and plant resources by safeguarding resources from exotic invasive pests and diseases, monitoring and managing agricultural pests and diseases existing in the United States, resolving and managing trade issues related to animal or plant health, and ensuring the humane care and treatment of animals.
The 2004 budget proposes a program level of $803 million for salaries and expenses, an increase of about $10 million from the current comparable 2003 estimate. Further, biosecurity and physical and operational security efforts would be bolstered, as would veterinary biologic and diagnostic support for the livestock sector. The office of Biotechnology Regulatory Services will need additional resources to handle an expected increase in permit application by entities engaged in agricultural biotechnology.
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA)
GIPSA establishes the official U.S. standards for grain, conducts official weighing and grain inspection activities, and grades rice, dry beans and peas, processed grain products, and hops. The agency regulates and monitors the activities of dealers, market agencies, live poultry dealers and packers in order to prevent unfair, unjust discriminatory or deceptive practices in the meat and poultry industries. The agency also audits these entities to ensure the financial integrity of the livestock, meat, and poultry markets.
Department of Agriculture Spending
| | 2002 (actual) | 2003 (estimate) | 2004 (request) |
USDA (Total)
| $71,325 billion | $71,753 billion | $76,346 billion |
| % Change* | --- | 0.06% increase | 6.0% increase |
Agriculture
Marketing Service
(AMS) | $211 million | $204 million | $205 million |
| % Change* | --- | 3.4 % decrease | 0.48% increase |
Agriculture
Research Service
(ARS) | $1,214 million | $992 million | $1,034 million |
| % Change* | --- | 22.3% decrease | 4.1% increase |
Animal Plant Health
and Inspection
Service (APHIS) | $882 million | $867 million | $813 million |
| % Change* | --- | 1.3% decrease | 6.6% decrease |
CODEX
| $2 million | $3 million | $3 million |
| % Change* | --- | 33% increase | --- |
CSREES
| $1,046 million | $1,026 million | $1,015 million |
| % Change* | --- | 1.9% decrease | 1.1% decrease |
Food Safety and
Inspection Service
(FSIS) | $730 million | $759 million | $678 million |
| % Change* | --- | 3.8% increase | 11.9% decrease |
Foreign Agriculture
Service (FAS) | $134 million | $135 million | $195 million |
| % Change* | --- | 0.7% increase | 30.8% increase |
GIPSA
| $33 million | $13 million | $13 million |
| % Change* | --- | 153.8% decrease | --- |
* % Change from the previous year.
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