FY 1998 Report of the Secretary of Agriculture           

United States Department of Agriculture                                  Office of Communications

USDA: Preparing for a New Millennium

[full report for printing]

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As we all know, 1998 brought crises to American farmers—economic downturns in Asia and Russia, strong overseas production, and poor weather across broad regions of the United States pushed down prices to farmers to levels not seen in decades. As we go to press in 1999, that unhappy trend continues.

I am proud that our Nation rallied behind President Clinton to help the family farmer. We passed a strong emergency relief package for farmers. USDA has responded to the situation and has made roughly $17.7 billion in direct payments to America’s family farmers for their 1998 crops, and $1.6 billion in payments have been made under Federal crop insurance.

In addition, USDA provided farmers with $3.2 billion to date in farm credit loans and approximately $7 billion in marketing assistance loans that helped offset income lost to lower prices. We provided much-needed assistance to pork producers and dairy farmers, and have stepped up efforts to combat anti-competitive practices that hit small farmers and ranchers the hardest.

In a year that saw demand drop off in overseas markets, USDA worked aggressively to shore up agricultural exports. We broke through 77 barriers to U.S. farm trade, helping open up $2.2 billion in export opportunities. We made a nearly 50-percent increase in export credit guarantee allocations, so we could be aggressive in holding on to some of our best customers. And, we committed over 8 million tons of food aid to help hungry people around the world and the American farmer here at home.

Food Safety

This country’s food supply is the safest in the world. But with a growing world population, increased production, and threats from microbes never before seen, we need to make sure we have a food safety system for the future. This year we began implementing Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), our new science-based meat and poultry inspection system, in the largest plants. Preliminary findings indicate that we’ve seen a dramatic reduction in levels of Salmonella in pork and chicken in these plants.

Meanwhile our scientists continue to develop new ways to ensure food safety. This past year, I announced a new anti-Salmonella spray developed by USDA scientists that can help us come very close to eliminating Salmonella on the farm. And President Clinton established the Joint Institute for Food Safety Research and the President’s Council on Food Safety to coordinate all government activities on this front, and FORC-G (Foodborne Outbreak Response Coordination Group), a rapid response team for outbreaks of foodborne illness.

America’s Anti-Hunger Department

As America’s anti-hunger Department, USDA through its nutrition programs helped feed 1 in 10 Americans–including the 20 million people in this country who receive food stamps and the children who received 2.5 billion subsidized school meals. Our Special Supple-mental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provided nutritious food, nutrition education, and medical referrals to 7.4 million new moms, their infants, and young children.

This Administration won a major victory when its proposal to extend child nutrition programs was adopted. The proposal included a major provision to expand after-school snack programs to help get at-risk kids off the streets and into productive environments. We also restored food stamp benefits for our most vulnerable legal immigrants, including children and the elderly.

USDA employees donated hundreds of thousands of pounds of food to the needy, while our field gleaning efforts got fresh produce to families in need.

Protecting the Land

We’ve got to be careful that we don’t bite the land that feeds us. From expansion of our Wetlands Reserve Program to protect natural habitats ... to expansion of our Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program to protect our water ... to an ambitious new forest road management effort that protects the environment while providing improved service to users ... to new technology that softens wood chips, thereby reducing environmental damage and energy costs and even producing stronger paper ... to protecting endangered American farmland from urban sprawl ... we are making wise stewardship of our natural resources a fundamental part of our daily lives.

Also, our folks in the Camino Real Ranger District won the Innovations in American Government Award—the most prestigious government award in the country—for bringing together deeply divided factions in a forest community.

Civil Rights

I’m proud to say that in our continuing efforts on civil rights we are making serious headway. We won a rare congressional waiver of the statute of limitations so we could settle old civil rights cases that we inherited—cases that had been sitting on the shelf for far too long. We beefed up our civil rights enforcement staff, hired a seasoned civil rights advocate as USDA’s Director of Civil Rights, and established a division of civil rights in our General Counsel’s office.

This is just a brief summary of our year at USDA. I urge you to look at the detailed material in this report. Now, I’d like to turn my attention to 1999.

Key Priorities for 1999

The famous phrase “what’s past is prologue” aptly characterizes how our accomplishments lay the foundation for a strong 1999. Last year we focused on relief for farmers in a crisis. Next year, we need to develop a sturdy risk management system centered around a strengthened crop insurance program.

We need to build on our nutrition and anti-hunger activities by expanding our food rescue and gleaning efforts in our communities, expanding the School Breakfast Program, expanding the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and encouraging more grass-roots community involvement.

Our tremendous progress on civil rights encourages us to intensify our commitment to making USDA the #1 civil rights department in government.

On conservation we will continue our efforts to enhance our private land and clean water efforts throughout the Nation.

As the department of rural America, we will continue to bring clean running water to rural citizens, help increase the already record-setting pace of home ownership, and provide rural residents with on-ramps to the Information Superhighway through our Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program.

For our dairy producers, we will move quickly to implement the dairy portion of the disaster bill and work to complete milk marketing order reform.

The continuing advances made by our scientists in the past foreshadow the importance of research and technology in all aspects of USDA’s work, from food safety to nutrition to sustainable agriculture.

With a strong past to build on, I look forward to a very productive year to close out the century. I especially want to take this opportunity to thank the employees of USDA, whose diligence day in and day out is why I can report proudly what we’ve done in 1998.

Introduction

The mission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is to enhance the quality of life for the American people by supporting production agriculture; ensuring a safe, affordable, nutritious, and accessible food supply; caring for agricultural, forest, and range lands; supporting sound development of rural communities; providing economic opportunities for farm and rural residents; expanding global markets and services; and working to reduce hunger in America and throughout the world. Seven mission areas carry out USDA's mission: Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services; Food Nutrition, and Consumer Services; Food Safety; Marketing and Regulatory Programs; Natural Resources and Environment; Research, Education, and Economics; and Rural Development. USDA has identified in its 1997-2002 Strategic Plan three strategic goals for USDA's policies and programs: (1) expand economic and trade opportunities for agricultural producers and other rural residents; (2) ensure food for the hungry, and a safe, affordable, nutritious, and accessible food supply; and (3) promote sensible management of our natural resources.