DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

TOM VILSACK

• Adopted from an orphanage in 1951
• Married Ann Christie
• Has 2 sons and 2 daughter in laws
• Vilsack attended Shady Side Academy, a preparatory high school
• He received a bachelor's degree in 1972 from Hamilton College in New York.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

2014 budget

They spend on average 149 billion dollars a year

MISSION AND VISION STATEMENT

• We provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources
• To expand economic opportunity through innovation, helping rural America to thrive

Important agency's and their duties
The take care of marketing and research for plant and animal health.

USDA EMBLEM

History
Founded in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law an act of Congress establishing the United States Department of Agriculture.Two and one-half years later, in what would be his final annual message to the Congress; Lincoln called USDA "The People's Department." At that time, about half of all Americans lived on farms, compared with about 2 percent today. But through our work on food, agriculture, economic development, science, natural resource conservation and a host of issues, USDA still fulfills Lincoln's vision - touching the lives of every American, every day.