Farm Service Agency

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is the USDA agency into which were merged several predecessor agencies, including the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS). The ASCS was, as the FSA is now, primarily tasked with the implementation of farm conservation and regulation laws around the country. The Administrator of FSA reports to the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services.^[1] The FSA (ASCS) of each state is led by a politically appointed State Executive Director (SED).

FSA was set up when the Department was reorganized in 1994,^[2] incorporating programs from several agencies, including the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (now a separate Risk Management Agency), and the Farmers Home Administration. Although its name has changed over the years, the Agency's relationship with farmers goes back to the 1930s. Earler USDA agencies that evolved into FSA include the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, War Food Administration, Production and Marketing Administration, and Commodity Stabilization Service as well as ASCS.^[3]

At that time, Congress set up a unique system under which Federal farm programs are administered locally. Farmers who are eligible to participate in these programs elect a three- to five-person county committee, which reviews county office operations and makes decisions on how to apply the programs. This grassroots approach gives farmers a much-needed say in how Federal actions affect their communities and their individual operations. After more than 60 years, it remains a cornerstone of FSA's efforts to preserve and promote American agriculture.

References

1. ^ See page 5 of the 2008 OPM Plum Book [[1]]
2. ^ Title 7, Chapter 98, Section 6932 of the United States Code[[2]]
3. ^ See the full administrative history of FSA on the the National Archives and Records Administration website.[[3]]

External links

• "Farm Service Agency". http://www.fsa.usda.gov. Retrieved October 10 2005. 
• Farm Service Agency Meeting Notices and Rule Changes from The Federal Register RSS Feed
• Proposed and finalized federal regulations from the Farm Service Agency

v • d • e Agencies under the United States Department of Agriculture Secretary of Agriculture · Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment Forest Service · Natural Resources Conservation Service Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Farm Service Agency · Foreign Agricultural Service · Risk Management Agency  · Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development Rural Housing Service  · Rural Utilities Service  · Rural Business-Cooperative Service Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Food and Nutrition Service · Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety Food Safety and Inspection Service Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics Agricultural Research Service · Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service · Economic Research Service · National Agricultural Library · National Agricultural Statistics Service Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Agricultural Marketing Service · Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service · Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration