Texas Home Loan
Insider Angelo Christian

In the beginning of US history the economy was mainly agriculture. The government in that time frame had longed for programs, polices and procedures to spur and cultivate the needs of the average farmer.  In 1836 Henry Leavitt Ellsworth, became Commissioner of Patents, a position within the Department of State. He soon began collecting and distributing new varieties of seeds and plants through members of the Congress and agricultural societies. In 1839, Congress established the Agricultural Division within the Patent Office and allotted $1,000 for "the collection of agricultural statistics and other agricultural purposes."

Formation and subsequent history

On May 15, 1862, President  Lincoln setup the independent Department of Agriculture to be run by a Commissioner without Cabinet status.[1] Lincoln called it the "people's department." In the 1880s. Business interests desired a Department of Commerce and Industry, and farmers tried to take the Department of Agriculture to Cabinet rank. In 1887, the House of Representatives and Senate passed bills giving Cabinet status to the Department of Agriculture and Labor, but the bill was cancelled in conference committee after farm interests objected to the addition of labor. Finally, on February 9, 1889, President Grover Cleveland signed a bill into law raising the Department of Agriculture to Cabinet level[2]
  The USDA has broad powers. Multiple agencies handling various sorts of responsibilities for the United States Government and citizens.
United states Department of Agriculture

Mission Areas and Offices

Agencies and Offices

Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services
Commodity, credit, conservation, disaster, emergency assistance programs...
Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services
Dietary guidance, nutrition policy coordination, nutrition education...
Food Safety
Meat, poultry, and egg inspection, food recalls, food labeling, packaging...
Marketing and Regulatory Programs
Organic program, animal and plant health, grain inspection...
Natural Resources and Environment
Forestry, conservation, damage prevention, land management, sustainable land management...
Research, Education and Economics
U.S. food and fibers system, library, statistics, research, analysis, education...
Rural Development
Financial programs, water and sewer systems, housing, health clinics, economic development, loans, lending pools...