Foreign Agricultural Service
Encyclopedia
The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is the foreign affairs agency with primary responsibility for the United States Department of Agriculture
's (USDA) overseas programs—market development, international trade agreements
and negotiations, and the collection of statistics
and market information. It also administers the USDA's export credit guarantee and food aid programs and helps increase income and food availability in developing nations by mobilizing expertise for agriculturally led economic growth. In 2003, FAS began to return to a long-abandoned role in national security. The FAS mission statement reads, "Linking U.S. agriculture to the world to enhance export opportunities and global food security," and its motto is, "Linking U.S. Agriculture to the World."
Creation of a series of units in Washington to analyze foreign competition and demand for agricultural commodities was paralleled by assignment abroad of agricultural statistical agents, commodity specialists, and "agricultural commissioners". The analytical unit in Washington, supervised by Leon Estabrook, deputy chief of USDA's Bureau of Agricultural Economics, compiled publications based on reports from the USDA's overseas staff, U.S. consuls abroad, and data collected by the Rome-based International Institute of Agriculture
.
In 1924, USDA officials Nils Olsen and Louis Guy Michael, working with Congressman John Ketcham
, began drafting legislation to create an agricultural attaché
service with diplomatic status. Though this legislation passed the House of Representatives multiple times, it did not pass the Senate until 1930, in part due to opposition from then-Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover
. Hoover, however, eventually supported the legislation in order to garner support of the farm bloc during his presidential campaign. Accordingly, the Foreign Agricultural Service was created by the Foreign Agricultural Service Act of 1930 (46 Stat. 497), which President Herbert Hoover signed into law June 5, 1930.
The law stipulated that the Foreign Agricultural Service consist of the overseas officials of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA also created a Foreign Agricultural Service Division within the Bureau of Agricultural Economics to serve as the FAS's headquarters staff in Washington, D.C.
, naming Asher Hobson, a noted economist and political scientist, as its first head. The 1930 Act explicitly granted the USDA's overseas officials diplomatic status
and the right to the diplomatic title attaché
. In short order, FAS posted additional staff overseas, to Marseille
, Pretoria
, Belgrade
, Sydney
, and Kobe
, in addition to existing staff in London
, Buenos Aires
, Berlin
and Shanghai
. In Washington, Dr. Hobson hired a Russian émigré, Dr. Lazar Volin, as the agency's first domestically based regional analyst, to specialize in the study of Russia as a competitor to U.S. agriculture.
In 1934, Congress passed the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act
, which stipulated that the President must consult with the Secretary of Agriculture when negotiating tariff
reductions for agricultural commodities. Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace
delegated this responsibility to the Foreign Agricultural Service Division, and thus began the FAS's role in formulation and implementation of international trade policy. The FAS led agricultural tariff negotiations, first concluding a new tariff agreement with Cuba, followed by Belgium, Haiti, Sweden, Brazil and Colombia. By 1939, new agricultural tariff schedules were in place with 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States' largest agricultural trading partner.
This new responsibility spurred a change in field reporting from overseas offices. In order to negotiate tariff agreements, the FAS needed comprehensive information on the domestic agricultural policies of trading partners, and the primary source of this information was the agency's field offices abroad. Thus, in addition to traditional commodity reporting, the attachés and commissioners were called on to add policy analysis to their portfolios.
On December 1, 1938, the Foreign Agricultural Service Division was upgraded, made directly subordinate to the Secretary, and renamed simply the Foreign Agricultural Service. On July 1, 1939, however, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
ordered all diplomatic personnel, including the agricultural attachés and commissioners, transferred to the Department of State
. The Foreign Agricultural Service was abolished, and its headquarters staff was renamed the Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations (OFAR). At that time the Director of Foreign Agricultural Relations, Leslie A. Wheeler
, was appointed by executive order to the Board of the Foreign Service and the Board of Examiners, an acknowledgement of OFAR's status as a foreign affairs agency.
OFAR began handling food aid in 1941 when President Roosevelt and the Congress authorized $1.35 billion of food assistance to Great Britain. During this period OFAR also led negotiations that resulted in creation of the International Wheat Council
, and began assisting Latin American countries to develop their agriculture. This latter effort was related to the need for strategic commodities as World War II
loomed, as well as the need to tie South America closer to the Allies and thereby to keep Nazi Germany
from gaining a foothold in the New World. During World War II, OFAR analyzed food availability in both allied and enemy countries, and promoted the stockpiling of 100 million bushel
s (2.7 million metric tons) of wheat for feeding refugees after the anticipated end of the war.
After the war, OFAR was instrumental in carrying out land reform in Japan
and offering agricultural technical assistance under the Marshall Plan
and the Point Four Program
. By 1953, OFAR had roughly 400 agricultural specialists working on development programs in 27 foreign countries. OFAR also continued food aid programs, particularly using the Agricultural Act of 1949's authorities to donate surplus commodities. The intent of these efforts was first, to combat communism; second, to promote export sales of U.S. agricultural products; and third, to improve diets in foreign countries through extension of technical assistance and technology transfer.
At this point OFAR directed the work of overseas technical assistance programs while the Department of State directed the work of the agricultural attachés. Frictions began to develop as the Department of State began to deny USDA requests for information from the attachés, leading to pressure from both agricultural producer groups and influential congressmen for the attachés to be returned to USDA control.
OFAR participated actively with the Department of State in negotiating the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT), signed in 1947 and expanded through subsequent negotiation rounds, although agriculture was not a major focus until the Uruguay Round
of negotiations. At the same time, OFAR was heavily involved in founding the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations, with Director of Foreign Agricultural Relations Leslie A. Wheeler playing a particularly instrumental role.
abolished OFAR and reconstituted the Foreign Agricultural Service. In April 1954 FAS handed off national security-related technical assistance to the International Cooperation Administration (forerunner of USAID) and began to concentrate on foreign market development for U.S. agricultural commodities, signaling a radical shift in the agency's focus. On September 1, 1954, following passage of H.R. 8033 (P.L. 83-690), the agricultural attachés were transferred back from State Department to FAS.
In the same year, Congress passed Public Law 480 (P.L. 83-480), the Food for Peace
Act, which became the backbone of FAS's food aid and market development efforts. Agricultural attachés began negotiating agreements for concessional sale of U.S. farm commodities to foreign countries on terms of up to 30 years and in their own local currencies.
In 1955 FAS began signing cooperative agreements with groups representing American producers of specific commodities in order to expand foreign demand. The first such agreement was signed with the National Cotton Council. This activity came to be called the Market Development Cooperator Program
, and the groups themselves to be called "cooperators".
In 1961 the General Sales Manager of USDA's Commodity Stabilization Service (CSS) and his staff were merged into FAS, bringing with them operational responsibility for export credit and food aid programs. In particular, the General Sales Manager was responsible for setting prices for export sale of USDA-owned surplus commodities that had been acquired through domestic farm support programs. At the same time, the CSS Barter and Stockpiling Manager was also moved to FAS. In the post-WWII era, USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation
was heavily involved in efforts to barter CCC-owned commodities acquired via domestic farm support programs for strategic commodities available from foreign countries short of hard currency. By the mid-1960s as European and Asian economies recovered from the war, however, the emphasis on barter waned.
In 1969 the General Sales Manager and his staff were split off to form a separate USDA agency, the Export Marketing Service (EMS). In 1974, however, EMS was re-merged with FAS. In 1977, under pressure from the Congress, the Carter
Administration created an "Office of the General Sales Manager" nominally headed by the General Sales Manager, but in reality still a subunit of FAS and subordinate to the FAS Administrator. In 1981 the Ronald Reagan
Administration abolished the Office of the General Sales Manager and formally restored its status as a program area of FAS. During that time, the GSM's responsibilities expanded from mere disposition of surplus commodities to management of commodity export credit guarantee programs, foreign food assistance programs, and direct credit programs.
The Foreign Agricultural Service, a foreign affairs agency since 1930, was included in the Foreign Service Act of 1980. Agricultural attachés were offered the choice of remaining civil servants
or being grandfathered into the Foreign Service
. Since that time the vast majority of agricultural officers overseas, just like State Department officials overseas, have been Foreign Service Officers. Since 1939, 11 former agricultural attachés have been confirmed as American Ambassador
s.
(EEC) boiled over in 1962 with the first Chicken War
, a trade dispute arising from the EEC's application of protective tariffs on poultry meat imported from the United States in retaliation for President Kennedy's
imposition of a ceiling on textile imports and raising of tariffs on carpets, glass and bicycles. FAS negotiators and analysts, including future Administrator Rolland "Bud" Anderson, supported talks that resulted in the EEC paying $26 million in damages, though in Anderson's words, "We won the battle but lost the war as U.S. exports of these products to Europe soon became insignificant." This "Chicken War" proved to be a precursor to numerous other, similar trade disputes, including the "Poultry War" with Russia
of 2002, during which Russia retaliated against the U.S. raising steel tariffs by barring imports of U.S. poultry meat, and the dispute over the European Union's ban on imports of U.S. beef produced from cattle treated with growth promotants.
In 1972 a short grain crop in the USSR resulted in the Soviet Union
quietly concluding grain purchasing contracts from a relatively small number of the secretive private multinational grain traders who dominated world trade in cereals. Because crop surveys in mid-spring had given the impression of a normal crop, FAS's agricultural attaché in Moscow chose not to follow up with additional crop observation travel, and thus missed a severe drought that set in after the last trip. As a result of this lapse, international grain traders and exporting nations were unaware of the Soviets' dire need for massive grain imports. By the time the scope of Soviet purchases became known, the USSR had locked in supplies at low, subsidized prices, leaving other importers and consumers scrambling for what was left at significantly higher prices. This event, known as the "Great Grain Robbery
", led to creation in the Foreign Agricultural Service of a satellite imagery unit for remote sensing
of foreign crop conditions, negotiation of a long-term grain agreement (LTA) with the Soviet Union, and imposition of an export sales reporting requirement for U.S. grain exporters. It also impressed on FAS the need for "boots-on-the-ground" observation of crop conditions in critical countries.
In the 1980s, the European Economic Community emerged as a competitor for export sales, particularly of grain. EEC export restitutions (subsidies) undercut U.S. sales, with the result that farm-state Members of Congress, led by Senator Bob Dole
of Kansas
, pushed through new legislation authorizing broader subsidization of commercial export sales. This Export Enhancement Program (or EEP, though it was originally called "BICEP" by Senator Dole) was used primarily to counter EEC subsidies in important markets. Use of EEP opened the United States to criticism from less developed countries on the grounds that export subsidies undercut their own farmers by depressing global commodity prices. By the mid-1990s EEP was largely abandoned in favor of negotiating for a multilateral ban on agricultural export subsidies; it was last used, for a single sale, during the Clinton Administration. With founding of the World Trade Organization
in January 1995, trade-distorting domestic agricultural supports were capped in all member states and absolute import quotas were banned, but negotiations on eliminating export subsidies continue still.
), which authorizes concessional sales. These programs were designed to support government-to-government transactions. The 1985 Farm Bill created the Food for Progress program
, which facilitated delivery of food aid through non-governmental organizations as well as foreign governments. Food for Progress can draw on multiple sources, including in-kind surplus commodities and appropriated funds.
The most recent addition to the array of FAS-implemented food aid programs is the McGovern/Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. Named in honor of Senator Dole and Senator George McGovern
, it supports school feeding programs in less developed countries, and reserves authority for supporting maternal and child health programs. It was authorized by the 2002 Farm Bill and reauthorized in 2008. Funding sources have varied since the pilot Global Food for Education program was deployed in fiscal year 2001, often combining both appropriated funds and funding from the Commodity Credit Corporation
’s borrowing authority.
After a nine-year hiatus from international agricultural development work at USDA, on July 12, 1963, Secretary Orville Freeman
ordered creation of an International Agricultural Development Service (IADS), which was subordinate to the same Assistant Secretary of Agriculture as but separate from FAS. IADS served as USDA's liaison with USAID and other assistance organizations, linking them to USDA expertise in pursuit of developmental goals. Dr. Matthew Drosdoff was hired effective February 19, 1964, to be the first permanent Administrator of IADS. In March 1969, after the Richard Nixon
Administration came to power, IADS was briefly merged into FAS, then in November 1969 was split out into a separate Foreign Economic Development Service (FEDS). On February 6, 1972, FEDS was abolished and its functions transferred to the Economic Research Service
, where it became the Foreign Development Division.
In 1977, Dr. Quentin West proposed consolidating three USDA units involved in technical assistance and development work into a single agency to be called the Office of International Cooperation and Development: the Foreign Development Division, the Science and Education Administration (an interagency consortium funded by foreign currency earnings), and FAS' International Organization Affairs Staff. Dr. West's proposal was accepted and thus OICD was created, with responsibility for technical assistance, training, foreign currency-funded research, and international organization liaison. In 1994 USDA's Office of International Cooperation and Development was merged with FAS, bringing technical assistance back to FAS after a roughly 40-year absence.
In 2003 FAS posted agricultural officers to Baghdad, not for the by-then traditional purposes of market intelligence and market development, but to reconstruct the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture. FAS also began organizing USDA contributions to Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq and Afghanistan. This marked FAS' return to national security work. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
has pledged to continue and to expand that work. FAS' role in national security work, however, remains controversial.
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
's (USDA) overseas programs—market development, international trade agreements
Trade pact
A trade pact is a wide ranging tax, tariff and trade pact that often includes investment guarantees. The most common trade pacts are of the preferential and free trade types are concluded in order to reduce tariffs, quotas and other trade restrictions on items traded between the signatories.-By...
and negotiations, and the collection of statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
and market information. It also administers the USDA's export credit guarantee and food aid programs and helps increase income and food availability in developing nations by mobilizing expertise for agriculturally led economic growth. In 2003, FAS began to return to a long-abandoned role in national security. The FAS mission statement reads, "Linking U.S. agriculture to the world to enhance export opportunities and global food security," and its motto is, "Linking U.S. Agriculture to the World."
Roots in analysis
USDA posted its first employee abroad in 1882, with assignment of Edmund J. Moffat to London. Moffat went out as a "statistical agent" of USDA's Division of Statistics but with the status of Deputy Consul General on the roster of the Department of State at London. Subsequent USDA officials assigned overseas, however, did not enjoy diplomatic or consular status. This impeded their work, which at that point consisted mainly of collecting, analyzing, and transmitting to Washington time-sensitive market information on agricultural commodities.International Institute of Agriculture
The International Institute of Agriculture was founded in Rome in 1905 by the King of Italy with the intent of creating a clearinghouse for collection of agricultural statistics. It was created primarily due to the efforts of David Lubin. In 1930, the IIA published the first world census of...
.
In 1924, USDA officials Nils Olsen and Louis Guy Michael, working with Congressman John Ketcham
John C. Ketcham
John Clark Ketcham was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Ketcham was born in Toledo, Ohio, and moved with his parents to Maple Grove, Michigan near Nashville, the same year. He attended the common schools of Barry County and high school at Nashville. He taught in rural and high schools...
, began drafting legislation to create an agricultural attaché
Agricultural attaché
An agricultural attaché is a diplomat who collects, analyzes, and acts on information on agriculture, agribusiness, food, and other related spheres in a foreign country or countries. Agricultural attachés may be directly employed by the sending country's agriculture ministry, or they may be...
service with diplomatic status. Though this legislation passed the House of Representatives multiple times, it did not pass the Senate until 1930, in part due to opposition from then-Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
. Hoover, however, eventually supported the legislation in order to garner support of the farm bloc during his presidential campaign. Accordingly, the Foreign Agricultural Service was created by the Foreign Agricultural Service Act of 1930 (46 Stat. 497), which President Herbert Hoover signed into law June 5, 1930.
The law stipulated that the Foreign Agricultural Service consist of the overseas officials of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA also created a Foreign Agricultural Service Division within the Bureau of Agricultural Economics to serve as the FAS's headquarters staff in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, naming Asher Hobson, a noted economist and political scientist, as its first head. The 1930 Act explicitly granted the USDA's overseas officials diplomatic status
Diplomatic rank
Diplomatic rank is the system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. Over time it has been formalized on an international basis.-Ranks:...
and the right to the diplomatic title attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
. In short order, FAS posted additional staff overseas, to Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, in addition to existing staff in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. In Washington, Dr. Hobson hired a Russian émigré, Dr. Lazar Volin, as the agency's first domestically based regional analyst, to specialize in the study of Russia as a competitor to U.S. agriculture.
International trade policy
Reciprocal Tariff Act
- Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934 :President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act into law in 1934. RTAA gave the president power to negotiate bilateral, reciprocal trade agreements with other countries. This law enabled Roosevelt to liberalize American...
, which stipulated that the President must consult with the Secretary of Agriculture when negotiating tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
reductions for agricultural commodities. Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace
Henry A. Wallace
Henry Agard Wallace was the 33rd Vice President of the United States , the Secretary of Agriculture , and the Secretary of Commerce . In the 1948 presidential election, Wallace was the nominee of the Progressive Party.-Early life:Henry A...
delegated this responsibility to the Foreign Agricultural Service Division, and thus began the FAS's role in formulation and implementation of international trade policy. The FAS led agricultural tariff negotiations, first concluding a new tariff agreement with Cuba, followed by Belgium, Haiti, Sweden, Brazil and Colombia. By 1939, new agricultural tariff schedules were in place with 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States' largest agricultural trading partner.
This new responsibility spurred a change in field reporting from overseas offices. In order to negotiate tariff agreements, the FAS needed comprehensive information on the domestic agricultural policies of trading partners, and the primary source of this information was the agency's field offices abroad. Thus, in addition to traditional commodity reporting, the attachés and commissioners were called on to add policy analysis to their portfolios.
On December 1, 1938, the Foreign Agricultural Service Division was upgraded, made directly subordinate to the Secretary, and renamed simply the Foreign Agricultural Service. On July 1, 1939, however, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
ordered all diplomatic personnel, including the agricultural attachés and commissioners, transferred to the Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
. The Foreign Agricultural Service was abolished, and its headquarters staff was renamed the Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations (OFAR). At that time the Director of Foreign Agricultural Relations, Leslie A. Wheeler
Leslie A. Wheeler
Leslie Allen Wheeler was a U.S. Government official and diplomat whose efforts contributed to broad liberalization of international trade in agricultural products, creation of the International Wheat Council, and creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.-Early life...
, was appointed by executive order to the Board of the Foreign Service and the Board of Examiners, an acknowledgement of OFAR's status as a foreign affairs agency.
Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations
International Wheat Council
The International Wheat Council is an international organization established on March 23, 1949 at the initiative of the U.S. government for the purpose of egalitarian distribution of wheat to countries in a state of emergency. It was part of the Point Four Program announced by US President Harry...
, and began assisting Latin American countries to develop their agriculture. This latter effort was related to the need for strategic commodities as World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
loomed, as well as the need to tie South America closer to the Allies and thereby to keep Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
from gaining a foothold in the New World. During World War II, OFAR analyzed food availability in both allied and enemy countries, and promoted the stockpiling of 100 million bushel
Bushel
A bushel is an imperial and U.S. customary unit of dry volume, equivalent in each of these systems to 4 pecks or 8 gallons. It is used for volumes of dry commodities , most often in agriculture...
s (2.7 million metric tons) of wheat for feeding refugees after the anticipated end of the war.
After the war, OFAR was instrumental in carrying out land reform in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and offering agricultural technical assistance under the Marshall Plan
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the large-scale American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to combat the spread of Soviet communism. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948...
and the Point Four Program
Point Four Program
The Point Four Program was a technical assistance program for "developing countries" announced by United States President Harry S. Truman in his inaugural address on January 20, 1949...
. By 1953, OFAR had roughly 400 agricultural specialists working on development programs in 27 foreign countries. OFAR also continued food aid programs, particularly using the Agricultural Act of 1949's authorities to donate surplus commodities. The intent of these efforts was first, to combat communism; second, to promote export sales of U.S. agricultural products; and third, to improve diets in foreign countries through extension of technical assistance and technology transfer.
At this point OFAR directed the work of overseas technical assistance programs while the Department of State directed the work of the agricultural attachés. Frictions began to develop as the Department of State began to deny USDA requests for information from the attachés, leading to pressure from both agricultural producer groups and influential congressmen for the attachés to be returned to USDA control.
OFAR participated actively with the Department of State in negotiating the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was negotiated during the UN Conference on Trade and Employment and was the outcome of the failure of negotiating governments to create the International Trade Organization . GATT was signed in 1947 and lasted until 1993, when it was replaced by the World...
(GATT), signed in 1947 and expanded through subsequent negotiation rounds, although agriculture was not a major focus until the Uruguay Round
Uruguay Round
The Uruguay Round was the 8th round of Multilateral trade negotiations conducted within the framework of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , spanning from 1986-1994 and embracing 123 countries as “contracting parties”. The Round transformed the GATT into the World Trade Organization...
of negotiations. At the same time, OFAR was heavily involved in founding the Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
of the United Nations, with Director of Foreign Agricultural Relations Leslie A. Wheeler playing a particularly instrumental role.
FAS is reconstituted
On March 10, 1953, Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft BensonEzra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson was the thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 until his death and was United States Secretary of Agriculture for both terms of the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower.-Biography:Born on a farm in Whitney, Idaho, Benson was the oldest of...
abolished OFAR and reconstituted the Foreign Agricultural Service. In April 1954 FAS handed off national security-related technical assistance to the International Cooperation Administration (forerunner of USAID) and began to concentrate on foreign market development for U.S. agricultural commodities, signaling a radical shift in the agency's focus. On September 1, 1954, following passage of H.R. 8033 (P.L. 83-690), the agricultural attachés were transferred back from State Department to FAS.
In the same year, Congress passed Public Law 480 (P.L. 83-480), the Food for Peace
Food for Peace
Public Law 480 also known as Food for Peace is a funding avenue by which U.S. food can be used for overseas aid....
Act, which became the backbone of FAS's food aid and market development efforts. Agricultural attachés began negotiating agreements for concessional sale of U.S. farm commodities to foreign countries on terms of up to 30 years and in their own local currencies.
Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program
The Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program is one of the agricultural export promotion programs operated by the Foreign Agricultural Service. This program consists of joint government/agri-industry efforts to develop markets by acquainting potential foreign customers with U.S. farm products...
, and the groups themselves to be called "cooperators".
In 1961 the General Sales Manager of USDA's Commodity Stabilization Service (CSS) and his staff were merged into FAS, bringing with them operational responsibility for export credit and food aid programs. In particular, the General Sales Manager was responsible for setting prices for export sale of USDA-owned surplus commodities that had been acquired through domestic farm support programs. At the same time, the CSS Barter and Stockpiling Manager was also moved to FAS. In the post-WWII era, USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation
Commodity Credit Corporation
The Commodity Credit Corporation is a wholly owned government corporation created in 1933 to "stabilize, support, and protect farm income and prices"...
was heavily involved in efforts to barter CCC-owned commodities acquired via domestic farm support programs for strategic commodities available from foreign countries short of hard currency. By the mid-1960s as European and Asian economies recovered from the war, however, the emphasis on barter waned.
In 1969 the General Sales Manager and his staff were split off to form a separate USDA agency, the Export Marketing Service (EMS). In 1974, however, EMS was re-merged with FAS. In 1977, under pressure from the Congress, the Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
Administration created an "Office of the General Sales Manager" nominally headed by the General Sales Manager, but in reality still a subunit of FAS and subordinate to the FAS Administrator. In 1981 the Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
Administration abolished the Office of the General Sales Manager and formally restored its status as a program area of FAS. During that time, the GSM's responsibilities expanded from mere disposition of surplus commodities to management of commodity export credit guarantee programs, foreign food assistance programs, and direct credit programs.
The Foreign Agricultural Service, a foreign affairs agency since 1930, was included in the Foreign Service Act of 1980. Agricultural attachés were offered the choice of remaining civil servants
United States civil service
In the United States, the civil service was established in 1872. The Federal Civil Service is defined as "all appointive positions in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of the Government of the United States, except positions in the uniformed services." . In the early 19th century,...
or being grandfathered into the Foreign Service
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
. Since that time the vast majority of agricultural officers overseas, just like State Department officials overseas, have been Foreign Service Officers. Since 1939, 11 former agricultural attachés have been confirmed as American Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
s.
Major events
Trade tensions with the European Economic CommunityEuropean Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
(EEC) boiled over in 1962 with the first Chicken War
Chicken tax
The Chicken tax was a 25% tariff on potato starch, dextrin, brandy, and light trucks imposed in 1963 by the United States under President Lyndon B. Johnson as a response to tariffs placed by France and West Germany on importation of U.S. chicken...
, a trade dispute arising from the EEC's application of protective tariffs on poultry meat imported from the United States in retaliation for President Kennedy's
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
imposition of a ceiling on textile imports and raising of tariffs on carpets, glass and bicycles. FAS negotiators and analysts, including future Administrator Rolland "Bud" Anderson, supported talks that resulted in the EEC paying $26 million in damages, though in Anderson's words, "We won the battle but lost the war as U.S. exports of these products to Europe soon became insignificant." This "Chicken War" proved to be a precursor to numerous other, similar trade disputes, including the "Poultry War" with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
of 2002, during which Russia retaliated against the U.S. raising steel tariffs by barring imports of U.S. poultry meat, and the dispute over the European Union's ban on imports of U.S. beef produced from cattle treated with growth promotants.
In 1972 a short grain crop in the USSR resulted in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
quietly concluding grain purchasing contracts from a relatively small number of the secretive private multinational grain traders who dominated world trade in cereals. Because crop surveys in mid-spring had given the impression of a normal crop, FAS's agricultural attaché in Moscow chose not to follow up with additional crop observation travel, and thus missed a severe drought that set in after the last trip. As a result of this lapse, international grain traders and exporting nations were unaware of the Soviets' dire need for massive grain imports. By the time the scope of Soviet purchases became known, the USSR had locked in supplies at low, subsidized prices, leaving other importers and consumers scrambling for what was left at significantly higher prices. This event, known as the "Great Grain Robbery
Great grain robbery
Great Grain Robbery refers to the 1972 purchase of U.S. grain by the Soviet Union at subsidized prices, which resulted in higher grain prices in the United States...
", led to creation in the Foreign Agricultural Service of a satellite imagery unit for remote sensing
Remote sensing
Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon, without making physical contact with the object. In modern usage, the term generally refers to the use of aerial sensor technologies to detect and classify objects on Earth by means of propagated signals Remote sensing...
of foreign crop conditions, negotiation of a long-term grain agreement (LTA) with the Soviet Union, and imposition of an export sales reporting requirement for U.S. grain exporters. It also impressed on FAS the need for "boots-on-the-ground" observation of crop conditions in critical countries.
In the 1980s, the European Economic Community emerged as a competitor for export sales, particularly of grain. EEC export restitutions (subsidies) undercut U.S. sales, with the result that farm-state Members of Congress, led by Senator Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, pushed through new legislation authorizing broader subsidization of commercial export sales. This Export Enhancement Program (or EEP, though it was originally called "BICEP" by Senator Dole) was used primarily to counter EEC subsidies in important markets. Use of EEP opened the United States to criticism from less developed countries on the grounds that export subsidies undercut their own farmers by depressing global commodity prices. By the mid-1990s EEP was largely abandoned in favor of negotiating for a multilateral ban on agricultural export subsidies; it was last used, for a single sale, during the Clinton Administration. With founding of the World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
in January 1995, trade-distorting domestic agricultural supports were capped in all member states and absolute import quotas were banned, but negotiations on eliminating export subsidies continue still.
Current food aid authorities
FAS has managed food assistance programs since 1941, and today uses a mix of statutory authorities. The traditional programs are Section 416(b) of the Agricultural Act of 1949, which makes surplus commodities available for donation overseas, and Title I of Public Law 480 (Food for PeaceFood for Peace
Public Law 480 also known as Food for Peace is a funding avenue by which U.S. food can be used for overseas aid....
), which authorizes concessional sales. These programs were designed to support government-to-government transactions. The 1985 Farm Bill created the Food for Progress program
Food for Progress Program
The Food for Progress Program is a food aid program originally authorized by the Food Security Act of 1985 to provide commodities on credit terms or on a grant basis to developing countries and emerging democracies to assist in the introduction of elements of free enterprise into the countries’...
, which facilitated delivery of food aid through non-governmental organizations as well as foreign governments. Food for Progress can draw on multiple sources, including in-kind surplus commodities and appropriated funds.
The most recent addition to the array of FAS-implemented food aid programs is the McGovern/Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. Named in honor of Senator Dole and Senator George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
, it supports school feeding programs in less developed countries, and reserves authority for supporting maternal and child health programs. It was authorized by the 2002 Farm Bill and reauthorized in 2008. Funding sources have varied since the pilot Global Food for Education program was deployed in fiscal year 2001, often combining both appropriated funds and funding from the Commodity Credit Corporation
Commodity Credit Corporation
The Commodity Credit Corporation is a wholly owned government corporation created in 1933 to "stabilize, support, and protect farm income and prices"...
’s borrowing authority.
FAS' return to international development and national security
Orville Freeman
Orville Lothrop Freeman was an American Democratic politician who served as the 29th Governor of Minnesota from January 5, 1955 to January 2, 1961, and as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1961 to 1969 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson...
ordered creation of an International Agricultural Development Service (IADS), which was subordinate to the same Assistant Secretary of Agriculture as but separate from FAS. IADS served as USDA's liaison with USAID and other assistance organizations, linking them to USDA expertise in pursuit of developmental goals. Dr. Matthew Drosdoff was hired effective February 19, 1964, to be the first permanent Administrator of IADS. In March 1969, after the Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
Administration came to power, IADS was briefly merged into FAS, then in November 1969 was split out into a separate Foreign Economic Development Service (FEDS). On February 6, 1972, FEDS was abolished and its functions transferred to the Economic Research Service
Economic Research Service
The Economic Research Service is the main source of economic information and research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Located in Washington D.C., the mission of ERS is to inform and enhance public and private decision-making on economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food,...
, where it became the Foreign Development Division.
In 1977, Dr. Quentin West proposed consolidating three USDA units involved in technical assistance and development work into a single agency to be called the Office of International Cooperation and Development: the Foreign Development Division, the Science and Education Administration (an interagency consortium funded by foreign currency earnings), and FAS' International Organization Affairs Staff. Dr. West's proposal was accepted and thus OICD was created, with responsibility for technical assistance, training, foreign currency-funded research, and international organization liaison. In 1994 USDA's Office of International Cooperation and Development was merged with FAS, bringing technical assistance back to FAS after a roughly 40-year absence.
In 2003 FAS posted agricultural officers to Baghdad, not for the by-then traditional purposes of market intelligence and market development, but to reconstruct the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture. FAS also began organizing USDA contributions to Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq and Afghanistan. This marked FAS' return to national security work. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Tom Vilsack
Thomas James "Tom" Vilsack is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and presently the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He served as the 40th Governor of the state of Iowa. He was first elected in 1998 and re-elected to a second four-year term in 2002...
has pledged to continue and to expand that work. FAS' role in national security work, however, remains controversial.
Heads of Service
From 1930 to about 1934, division heads in USDA, including the heads of the Foreign Agricultural Service Division, had no formal title, but were referred to as "In-charge", though the Official Register of the United States Government listed them as "Chief". Beginning around 1934 and until 1938, the head of FASD was called the "Chief". When FAS was renamed in 1938, the head was titled "Director", and that title carried over into OFAR and then the renewed FAS until 1954. The first head of FAS to bear the title "Administrator" was William Lodwick in that year. Heads of the Foreign Agricultural Service and Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations since 1930 have been (periods as acting head are in italics):| Name | Term | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Asher Hobson | 1930–1931 | Foreign Agricultural Service Division Bureau of Agricultural Economics |
| Leslie A. Wheeler Leslie A. Wheeler Leslie Allen Wheeler was a U.S. Government official and diplomat whose efforts contributed to broad liberalization of international trade in agricultural products, creation of the International Wheat Council, and creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.-Early life... |
1931-1934, 1934–1938 | ditto |
| Leslie A. Wheeler Leslie A. Wheeler Leslie Allen Wheeler was a U.S. Government official and diplomat whose efforts contributed to broad liberalization of international trade in agricultural products, creation of the International Wheat Council, and creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.-Early life... |
1938–1939 | Foreign Agricultural Service |
| Leslie A. Wheeler Leslie A. Wheeler Leslie Allen Wheeler was a U.S. Government official and diplomat whose efforts contributed to broad liberalization of international trade in agricultural products, creation of the International Wheat Council, and creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.-Early life... |
1939–1948 | Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations |
| Dennis A. FitzGerald Dennis A. FitzGerald Dennis Alfred FitzGerald was a government official and professional agricultural economist whose knowledge of food distribution gave him the opportunity to serve the U.S. government in many capacities.-Early life:... |
1948–1949 | ditto |
| Fred J. Rossiter | 1949 | ditto |
| Stanley Andrews | 1949–1952 | ditto |
| Francis A. Flood | 1952 | ditto |
| John J. Haggerty | 1952–1953 | ditto |
| Francis R. Wilcox | 1953 | ditto |
| Romeo Ennis Short | 1953 | Foreign Agricultural Service |
| Clayton E. Whipple | 1953-1954 | ditto |
| William G. Lodwick | 1954–1955 | ditto |
| Gwynn Garnett | 1955–1958 | ditto |
| Maxwell S. Myers | 1958–1961 | ditto |
| Robert C. Tetro | 1961–1962 | ditto |
| Raymond A. Ioanes | 1962–1973 | ditto |
| David L. Hume | 1973–1977 | ditto |
| Thomas R. Hughes | 1977–1981 | ditto |
| Richard A. Smith | 1981–1985 | ditto |
| Thomas O. Kay | 1985–1989 | ditto |
| Rolland E. Anderson | 1989–1991 | ditto |
| Duane C. Acker | 1991–1992 | ditto |
| Stephen L. Censky | 1992-1993 | ditto |
| Richard B. Schroeter | 1993-1994 | ditto |
| August Schumacher, Jr. August Schumacher, Jr. 'Born August Schumacher, Jr., Gus Schumacher currently serves as the VP of Policy at the Wholesome Wave Foundation in Westport, CT.-Career:Gus Schumacher is currently a member of the 21st Century Sustainable Agricultural Task Force of the National Academy of Sciences... |
1994–1997 | ditto |
| Lon S. Hatamiya | 1997–1999 | ditto |
| Timothy J. Galvin | 1999–2001 | ditto |
| Mattie R. Sharpless | 2001 | ditto |
| Mary T. Chambliss | 2001-2002 | ditto |
| A. Ellen Terpstra | 2002–2006 | ditto |
| Michael W. Yost | 2006–2009 | ditto |
| Suzanne K. Hale Suzanne Hale Suzanne K. Hale is a former United States Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia. She is currently Associate Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service.The United States Senate confirmed Hale on June 25, 2004... |
2009 | ditto |
| Michael V. Michener | 2009 | ditto |
| John D. Brewer | 2010-2011 | ditto |
| Suzanne E. Heinen | 2011- | ditto |
General Sales Managers
General Sales Managers since 1955 have been (periods as acting GSM are in italics):| Name | Term | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Francis C. Daniels | 1955–1959 | Commodity Stabilization Service |
| Sylvester J. Meyers | 1959–1961 | ditto |
| Frank LeRoux | 1961–1966 | Foreign Agricultural Service |
| James A. Hutchins, Jr. | circa 1966 | ditto |
| George Parks | 1966–1969 | ditto |
| Clifford Pulvermacher | 1969–1972 | Export Marketing Service |
| Laurel Meade | 1972–1974 | ditto |
| George S. Shanklin | 1974–1976 | Foreign Agricultural Service |
| James Hutchinson | 1976–1977 | ditto |
| Kelly Harrison | 1977–1981 | ditto |
| Alan Tracy | 1981–1982 | ditto |
| Melvin Sims | 1982–1989 | ditto |
| F. Paul Dickerson | 1989–1991 | ditto |
| Christopher E. Goldthwait | 1991-1993, 1993–1999 | ditto |
| Richard Fritz | 1999–2001 | ditto |
| Mary T. Chambliss | 2001 | ditto |
| Franklin D. Lee | 2001-2002 | ditto |
| W. Kirk Miller | 2002–2009 | ditto |
| Patricia R. Sheikh | 2009 | ditto |
| John D. Brewer | 2009 | ditto |
| Christian Foster | 2010 | ditto |
| Janet A. Nuzum | 2010-2011 | ditto |
| Suzanne E. Heinen | 2011- | ditto |
Heads of International Development
Administrators of the Office of International Cooperation and Development and its predecessors from creation until it was merged with FAS in 1994 were (periods as acting Administrator are in italics):| Name | Term | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Drosdoff | 1964–1966 | International Agricultural Development Service |
| Lester R. Brown Lester R. Brown Lester Russel Brown is a United States environmental analyst, founder of the Worldwatch Institute, and founder and president of the Earth Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C... |
1966–1969 | ditto |
| Quentin West | 1969–1972 | Foreign Economic Development Service |
| Quentin West | 1972–1977 | Foreign Development Division, Economic Research Service Economic Research Service The Economic Research Service is the main source of economic information and research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Located in Washington D.C., the mission of ERS is to inform and enhance public and private decision-making on economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food,... |
| Quentin West | 1977–1980 | Office of International Cooperation and Development |
| Ruth Zagorin | 1980-1981 | ditto |
| Joan S. Wallace | 1981–1989 | ditto |
| Robert Shirley | 1989-1990 | ditto |
| Steve Abrams | 1990 | ditto |
| Duane Acker | 1990–1992 | ditto |
| John Miranda | 1992-1993 | ditto |
| Lynnett M. Wagner | 1993–1994 | ditto |
Ambassadors
Agricultural officers who have served or are serving as Ambassadors are:| Name | Agricultural Posts | Ambassadorships, Presidential Appointments, Significant Appointments |
|---|---|---|
| Lester D. Mallory Lester D. Mallory Lester DeWitt Mallory was an American diplomat.Mallory was born in Houlton, Maine. He received a bachelor of science in agriculture in 1927 and a master of science in agriculture degree in 1929 from the University of British Columbia. Mallory earned a Ph.D... |
assistant agricultural commissioner, Marseille and Paris; agricultural attaché, Paris and Mexico City | Jordan 1953-58, Guatemala 1958-59, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State 1960 |
| Charles R. Burrows | assistant agricultural attaché (rank of vice consul), Buenos Aires | Honduras 1960-65 |
| Howard R. Cottam | agricultural economist, Paris; agricultural attaché, Rome | Kuwait 1963-69 |
| Clarence A. Boonstra | assistant agricultural attaché, Havana; agricultural attaché, Manila, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Lima | Costa Rica 1967-69 |
| Philip Habib Philip Habib Philip Charles Habib was a Lebanese-American career diplomat known for work in Vietnam, South Korea and the Middle East... |
agricultural attaché (vice consul), Ottawa and Wellington | South Korea 1971-74; Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs 1974-1976; Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs 1976-78; Acting Secretary of State 1977; Special Negotiator for the Middle East 1981; winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States... 1982; featured on a postage stamp 2006 |
| H. Reiter Webb | assistant agricultural attaché, London; agricultural attaché, Cairo | Chief Negotiator for Textile Matters with rank of Ambassador 1979-81 (not confirmed by the Senate) |
| George S. Vest | agricultural attaché (vice consul), Quito | European Community 1981-85, Director General of the Foreign Service 1985-89 |
| Christopher E. Goldthwait | assistant agricultural attaché, Bonn; agricultural attaché and counselor at Lagos | Chad 1999-2004 |
| Mattie R. Sharpless | administrative assistant, Paris (OECD); assistant agricultural attaché, Brussels USEC; agricultural attaché, Bern; agricultural counselor, Rome; agricultural minister-counselor, Paris | Central African Republic 2001-2002 |
| Suzanne K. Hale Suzanne Hale Suzanne K. Hale is a former United States Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia. She is currently Associate Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service.The United States Senate confirmed Hale on June 25, 2004... |
agricultural attaché and agricultural trade officer, Tokyo; agricultural minister-counselor, Beijing and Tokyo | Federated States of Micronesia 2004-2007 |
| Patricia M. Haslach Patricia M. Haslach Patricia M. Haslach is a career diplomat with the U.S. Department of State. Since February 2011 she has served as the Iraq Transition coordinator. Immediately prior she was the Deputy Coordinator for Diplomacy of the Department of State's Office of the Coordinator for the Global Hunger and Food... |
agricultural attaché, New Delhi | Laos 2004-2007, APEC 2008-2009, Coordinator for Assistance Transition in Iraq (with ambassadorial rank) 2009-2010, Deputy Coordinator for Diplomacy, Office of the Coordinator for the Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative, 2010- |
| Asif J. Chaudhry | agricultural attaché, Warsaw; senior agricultural attaché, counselor, and acting minister-counselor, Moscow; agricultural minister-counselor, Cairo | Moldova 2008-2011 |
See also
- Agricultural attachéAgricultural attachéAn agricultural attaché is a diplomat who collects, analyzes, and acts on information on agriculture, agribusiness, food, and other related spheres in a foreign country or countries. Agricultural attachés may be directly employed by the sending country's agriculture ministry, or they may be...
- Agricultural Trade Act of 1978Agricultural Trade Act of 1978The the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 directed the establishment of trade offices in major centers of commerce throughout the world. The agricultural trade offices are operated by the Foreign Agricultural Service to develop, maintain, and expand international markets for U.S...
- Chief Agricultural NegotiatorChief Agricultural NegotiatorThe Chief Agricultural Negotiator is an ambassador of the Office of the United States Trade Representative responsible for conducting and overseeing international negotiations related to trade in agricultural products...
- Commissioner
- Commodity Credit CorporationCommodity Credit CorporationThe Commodity Credit Corporation is a wholly owned government corporation created in 1933 to "stabilize, support, and protect farm income and prices"...
- Dennis A. FitzGeraldDennis A. FitzGeraldDennis Alfred FitzGerald was a government official and professional agricultural economist whose knowledge of food distribution gave him the opportunity to serve the U.S. government in many capacities.-Early life:...
- Foreign Agricultural Trade System of the United StatesForeign Agricultural Trade System of the United StatesFATUS is a system of more than 200 trade codes created and maintained by USDA’s Economic Research Service to summarize U.S. agricultural trade in a form accessible to the public. FATUS codes aggregate more than 4,000 import and 2,000 export, 10-digit agricultural trade codes from the Harmonized...
- Foreign Market Development Program
- Iowa Hog LiftIowa Hog LiftThe Iowa Hog Lift was a 1960 rescue effort by the agriculture sector in the U.S. State of Iowa following significant damage resulting from typhoons in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan...
- Leslie A. WheelerLeslie A. WheelerLeslie Allen Wheeler was a U.S. Government official and diplomat whose efforts contributed to broad liberalization of international trade in agricultural products, creation of the International Wheat Council, and creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.-Early life...
- Market Access ProgramMarket Access ProgramThe Market Access Program is administered by the Foreign Agricultural Service and uses funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation . It helps producers, exporters, private companies, and other trade organizations finance promotional activities for agricultural products of the United States...
- Targeted Export Assistance ProgramTargeted Export Assistance ProgramThe Targeted Export Assistance Program is a program authorized by the Food Security Act of 1985 to assist U.S. producer groups in promoting exports of products adversely affected by foreign governments’ unfair trade practices. TEA is the predecessor of the Market Promotion Program , which was...
- Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services
- Unified Export StrategyUnified Export StrategyThe Unified Export Strategy is a single, consolidated application process that U.S. agricultural trade promotion groups use to apply for funding for a variety of USDA export promotion programs, including the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program...
- United States Department of AgricultureUnited States Department of AgricultureThe United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
- United States Foreign ServiceUnited States Foreign ServiceThe United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
- Wolf LadejinskyWolf LadejinskyWolf Isaac Ladejinsky was an influential American agricultural economist and researcher, serving first in the United States Department of Agriculture, then the Ford Foundation and later the World Bank...