ARD and the 1890 Land-Grant Universities are partners or have collaborative activities in one or more of seven USDA mission areas:

Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services

Mission:

"...to ensure the well-being of U.S. agriculture through delivery of farm programs, strengthen crop insurance and other risk management programs, and improve the trade opportunities to raise farm income."

Agencies in this mission area:

Farm Service Agency (FSA)
Risk Management Agency (RMA)
Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)

Rural Development

Mission:

"...to improve the quality of life for rural residents."

Agencies in this mission area:

Rural Housing Service (RHS)
Rural Utilities Service (RUS)
Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS)
Alternative Agricultural Research and Commercialization Corporation (AARC)

Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services

Mission:

"...to provide children and needy families access to a more healthful diet through its food assistance programs and comprehensive nutrition education efforts."

Agency in this mission area:

Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS)

Natural Resources and Environment

Mission:

"...to promote the conservation, and sustainable use of natural resources on the Nation’s private lands and to sustain production of all the goods and services that the public demands of the National Forests."

Agencies in this mission area:

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Forest Service (FS)

Food Safety

Mission:

"...to ensure that the Nation’s meat, poultry, and processed egg product supply is safe, wholesome, and properly labeled."

Agency in this mission area:

Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)

Research, Education, and Economics

Mission:

to provide "...the discovery and dissemination of knowledge spanning the biological, physical, and social sciences related to agricultural research, economic analysis, statistics, extension, and higher education."

Agencies in this mission area:

Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)
Economic Research Service (ERS)
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)

Marketing and Regulatory Programs

Mission:

"...to facilitate the domestic and international marketing of U.S. agricultural products and to ensure the health and care of animals and plants while improving market competitiveness and the economy for the overall benefit of both consumers and American agriculture."

Agencies in this mission area:

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration (GIPSA)

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