[United States Government Manual]
[May 31, 1996]
[Pages 133-136]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



Research, Education, and Economics

This mission area's main focus is to create, apply, and transfer 
knowledge and technology to provide affordable food and fiber, ensure 
foods safety and nutrition, and support rural development and natural 
resource needs of people by conducting integrated national and 
international research, information, education, and statistical programs 
and services that are in the national interest.

Agricultural Research Service

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) provides access to agricultural 
information and develops new knowledge and technology needed to solve 
technical agricultural problems of broad scope and high national 
priority. The goal is to ensure adequate availability of high quality, 
safe food, and other agricultural products--to meet the nutritional 
needs of the American consumer, sustain a viable and competitive food 
and agricultural economy, enhance the quality of life and economic 
opportunity for rural citizens and society as a whole, and maintain a 
quality environment and natural resource base.
    All administrative and management responsibilities of the four 
Research, Education, and Economic agencies--Agricultural Research 
Service (ARS), Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension 
Service (CSREES), Economic Research Service (ERS), and National 
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)--are administered by the ARS 
Administrative and Financial Management Unit headquartered in 
Washington, DC.
    Research activities are carried out at 104 domestic locations 
(including Puerto Rico) and 3 overseas locations. Much of this research 
is conducted in cooperation with partners in State universities and 
experiment stations, other Federal agencies, and private organizations. 
A national program staff, headquartered in Beltsville, MD, is the focal 
point in the overall planning and coordination of ARS' research 
programs. Day-to-day management of the respective programs for specific 
field locations is assigned to eight area offices.

                                   Area Offices--Agricultural Research Service                                  
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                                     Office                                                  Address            
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BELTSVILLE AREA--Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, National Arboretum,    Bldg. 003, Beltsville          
 Washington, DC                                                                   Agricultural Research Ctr. W.,
                                                                                  Beltsville, MD 20705          
                                                                                                                
MIDSOUTH AREA--Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee              P.O. Box 225, Stoneville, MS   
                                                                                  38776                         
                                                                                                                
MIDWEST AREA--Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio,      1815 N. University St., Peoria,
 Wisconsin                                                                        IL 61804                      
                                                                                                                
NORTHERN PLAINS AREA--Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South   Suite 150, 1201 Oakridge Rd.,  
 Dakota, Utah, Wyoming                                                            Fort Collins, CO 80525-5562   
                                                                                                                
NORTH ATLANTIC AREA--Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New  600 E. Mermaid Ln.,            
 Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West       Philadelphia, PA 19118        
 Virginia                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                

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PACIFIC WEST AREA--Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon,   800 Buchanan St., Albany, CA   
 Washington                                                                       94710                         
                                                                                                                
SOUTH ATLANTIC AREA--Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South        P.O. Box 5677, Athens, GA 30613
 Carolina, Virgin Islands, Virginia                                                                             
                                                                                                                
SOUTHERN PLAINS AREA--Arkansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas                      Suite 230, 7607 Eastmark Dr.,  
                                                                                  College Station, TX 77840     
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    The National Agricultural Library (NAL), administered by ARS, 
provides information services over a broad range of agricultural 
interests to a wide cross-section of users, from research scientists to 
the general public. The Library assists its users through a variety of 
specialized information centers. Its staff uses advanced information 
technologies to generate new information products, creating an 
electronic library as it improves access to the knowledge stored in its 
multimedia collection of more than 2 million items.
    Information is made available through loans, photocopies, reference 
services, and literature searches. A subject profiling system for 
selective searches of agricultural data bases is available for USDA 
scientists. Citations to the agricultural literature are stored in the 
Agricultural Online Access (AGRICOLA) data base, available through 
online computer systems and on compact disc. The Library also 
distributes in the U.S. the AGRIS data base of citations to the 
agricultural literature prepared by centers in various parts of the 
world and coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the 
United Nations.

For further information, contact the Information Staff, Agricultural 
Research Service, Department of Agriculture, 6303 Ivy Lane, Room 450, 
Greenbelt, MD 20770. Phone, 301-344-2340.

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service

The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service 
(CSREES) expands the research and higher education functions of the 
former Cooperative State Research Service and the education and outreach 
functions of the former Extension Service. The result is better customer 
service and an enhanced ability to respond to national priorities.
    The Service links the research and education resources and 
activities of USDA and works with the following institutions: land-grant 
institutions in each State, territory, and the District of Columbia; 
more than 130 colleges of agriculture; 59 agricultural experiment 
stations; 57 cooperative extension services; 63 schools of forestry; 
sixteen 1890 historically Black land-grant institutions and Tuskegee 
University; 27 colleges of veterinary medicine; 42 schools and colleges 
of family and consumer services; twenty-nine 1994 Native American land-
grant institutions; and 127 Hispanic-serving institutions, including 81 
members and 45 associate members of the Hispanic Association of Colleges 
and Universities.
    In cooperation with its partners and customers, CSREES provides the 
focus to advance a global system of research, extension, and higher 
education in the food and agricultural sciences and related 
environmental and human sciences to benefit people, communities, and the 
Nation.
    The Service's mission emphasizes partnerships with the public and 
private sectors to maximize the effectiveness of limited resources. Its 
programs increase and provide access to scientific knowledge; strengthen 
the capabilities of land-grant and other institutions in research, 
extension, and higher education; increase access to and use of improved 
communication and network systems; and promote informed decisionmaking 
by producers, families, and social conditions in the United States and 
globally. These conditions include improved agricultural and other 
economic enterprises; safer, cleaner water, food, and air; enhanced

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stewardship and management of natural resources; healthier, more 
responsible and more productive individuals, families, and communities; 
and a stable, secure, diverse, and affordable national food supply.
    The Service provides research, extension, and education leadership 
through programs in Plant and Animal Production, Protection, and 
Processing; Natural Resources and Environment; Rural, Economic, and 
Social Development; Families, 4-H, and Nutrition; Partnerships; 
Competitive Research Grants and Awards Management; Science and Education 
Resources Development; and Communications, Technology, and Distance 
Education.
    The Service's partnership with the land-grant universities and their 
representatives is critical to the effective shared planning, delivery, 
and accountability for research, higher education, and extension 
programs.
    As a recognized leader in the design, organization, and application 
of advanced communication technologies and in meeting the growing demand 
for enhanced distance education capabilities, CSREES provides essential 
community access to research and education knowledge and connects the 
private citizen to other Federal Government information.

For further information, contact the Communications, Technology, and 
Distance Education Office, Cooperative State Research, Education, and 
Extension Service, Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250-0906. 
Phone, 202-720-4651. Fax, 202-690-0289. TDD, 202-690-1899. E-mail, 
[email protected]. Internet, http://www.reeusda.gov/.

Economic Research Service

The mission of the Economic Research Service (ERS) is to provide 
economic and other social science information and analysis for public 
and private decisions on agriculture, food, natural resources, and rural 
America. The Service produces such information for use by the general 
public and to help the executive and legislative branches develop, 
administer, and evaluate agricultural and rural policies and programs.
    The Service produces economic information through a program of 
research and analysis on: domestic and international agricultural 
developments; statistical indicators of food and consumer issues and 
concerns, including nutrition education and food assistance, food safety 
regulation, determinants of consumer demand for quality and safety, and 
food marketing trends and developments; agricultural resource and 
environmental issues; and the effect of public and private actions and 
policies on national rural and agricultural conditions, including the 
transformation of the rural economy, the financial performance of the 
farm sector, and the implications of changing farm credit and financial 
market structures.

For further information, contact the Information Services Division, 
Economics Research Service, Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 
20005-4788. Phone, 202-219-0310.

Office of Energy and New Uses  The Office of Energy and New Uses serves 
as the focal point for all energy-related matters within the Department. 
The Office is responsible for developing and coordinating all USDA 
energy policies; reviewing and evaluating all USDA energy and energy-
related programs; evaluating the economics of new nonfood uses for 
agricultural crops; serving as economic liaison on new uses issues; and 
providing liaison with the Department of Energy and other Federal 
agencies and departments on energy activities that may affect 
agriculture and rural America. A major component of this is the 
responsibility for the coordination and evaluation of the departmental 
Biofuels Program.
    The Office also represents the Department in meetings with 
agriculture, industry, and consumer groups to discuss effects of 
departmental energy policies, programs, and proposals on the 
agricultural sector and rural economy.

For further information, contact the Information Services Division, 
Economic Research Service, Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 
20005-4788. Phone, 202-219-0310.

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National Agricultural Statistics Service

The National Agricultural Statistics Service prepares estimates and 
reports on production, supply, price, and other items necessary for the 
orderly operation of the U.S. agricultural economy.
    The reports include statistics on field crops, fruits and 
vegetables, dairy, cattle, hogs, sheep, poultry, aquaculture, and 
related commodities or processed products. Other estimates concern farm 
numbers, farm production expenditures, agricultural chemical use, prices 
received by farmers for products sold, prices paid for commodities and 
services, indexes of prices received and paid, parity prices, farm 
employment, and farm wage rates.
    The Service prepares these estimates through a complex system of 
sample surveys of producers, processors, buyers, and others associated 
with agriculture. Information is gathered by mail, telephone, personal 
interviews, and field visits.
    The 45 State-Federal offices, serving all 50 States, and the 
national office prepare weekly, monthly, annual, and other periodic 
reports for free distribution to the news media, Congress, and survey 
respondents. The reports are available to others free on the Internet, 
or on a subscription basis. Information on crop and livestock products 
appears in about 400 reports issued annually. Cooperative agreements 
with State agencies also permit preparation and publication of estimates 
of individual crops and livestock by counties in most States.
    The Service performs reimbursable survey work and statistical 
consulting services for other Federal and State agencies and provides 
technical assistance for developing agricultural data systems in other 
countries.

For further Information, contact the Executive Assistant to the 
Administrator, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Department of 
Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250-2000. Phone, 202-720-5141.