150th Anniversary

After 6 p.m. February 24, USDA’s 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum speaker presentations will be available online. The Forum, which occurs annually, was a celebration of USDA’s 150 th anniversary, featuring eight former Secretaries of Agriculture discussing the future of agriculture with Secretary...

Following a morning plenary session featuring eight former Secretaries of Agriculture and Secretary Vilsack’s keynote speech, the USDA’s annual Outlook Forum will begin the programs breakout sessions featuring more than 80 speakers. The sessions will focus on a broad range of topical issues related...

Over the years, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has changed and evolved to meet the regulatory, statutory and market demands of U.S. agriculture. The agency’s role, its name and place within the structure of USDA have all evolved over the years. What hasn’t changed is the commitment...

On February 12, President Lincoln’s birthday, let’s take a moment to appreciate the many impressive accomplishments that our Nation's 16th President achieved during his four years in office. Many of those accomplishments have a direct tie-in to the success of American agriculture. Lincoln’s birthday...

Did you know that the number of farms in the United States peaked in 1935 at 6,812,350 operations when the average farm size was 154.8 acres? In comparison, the 2007 Census of Agriculture counted 2,204,792 farms with the average farm size of 418 acres. In celebration of 150 years of service to...

Today, I accompanied Secretary Vilsack on a trip to the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois to announce USDA’s year-long celebration of the 150 th anniversary of our founding in 1862. It is quite fitting that we are marking this celebration in the hometown of our founder, President Abraham...