Founded by Lincoln in 1862, the same year as the Morrill Act and the Homestead Act, and called by him the people's department when half of Americans farmed. The USDA runs research, extension, crop statistics, food inspection, conservation programs born of the Dust Bowl, and the farm subsidy system, making it the template for national agriculture ministries worldwide. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Founding Year HeadquartersWashington, D.C., United States 1 Classification
KindNational Government Ministry or Department 1 United States Department of Agriculture
Connections
Associated With
The Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 created the Agricultural Adjustment Administration within the United States Department of Agriculture.
The US Cooperative Extension System, established by the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, is administered through the USDA and land-grant universities.
Source Wikipedia: Agricultural extension
The Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916 created the Federal Land Bank system for farm credit, administered alongside the United States Department of Agriculture own farm credit programs.
The Hatch Act of 1887 established the federally funded state agricultural experiment station system administered under the USDA's Office of Experiment Stations.
The Smith-Lever Act established the Cooperative Extension Service, administered through the United States Department of Agriculture and the land-grant universities.
Founded By
Ellsworth is credited as the founding figure and first head of the federal agricultural office that grew into the USDA.
Has Member
United States Secretary of Agriculture, 2001-2005.
United States Secretary of Agriculture, 1995-2001.
United States Secretary of Agriculture, 1971-1976.
United States Secretary of Agriculture, 1953-1961.
United States Secretary of Agriculture, 1933-1940.
USDA wheat botanist who introduced rust-resistant durum and hard red winter wheat varieties.
United States Secretary of Agriculture, 1993-1994.
United States Secretary of Agriculture, 1961-1969.
United States Secretary of Agriculture, 2009-2017 and 2021-2025.
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. United States Department of Agriculture (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationFormation section
Lincoln called it the 'people's department', since over half of the nation, at the time, was directly or indirectly involved in agriculture or agribusiness.
lead description (institution-kind)
Founded by Lincoln in 1862, the same year as the Morrill Act and the Homestead Act, and called by him the people's department when half of Americans farmed.
View the Source Wikipedia: Agricultural extension
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