USDANEWS                                                           VOLUME 58 NO. 8 — October-November 1999

Here Is The Latest Progress Report On Our Readiness For Y2K
    Next Stop: The New Millennium

by Ron Hall, Office of Communications

USDA's Y2K clock keeps ticking inexorably toward January 1, 2000. Here's the latest on the Department's preparation for whatever may occur at USDA offices at midnight on the beginning of the new millennium.

As background, the Year 2000, or 'Y2K,' dilemma centers on the 'year digits' within the 6-digit code which computers use for processing information, when that information is a calendar date.

For example, July 31, 1999 is recorded and stored in a computer as 990731. But in the year 2000 a date such as July 31, 2000 would automatically be processed as 000731--but would be interpreted as July 31, 1900. That might cause the computer to reject legitimate entries, compute erroneous results, or simply not run at all--all because of that 'date phenomenon.'

Greg Parham is the executive director of the Department's nine-person Year 2000 Program Office, located within the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Created in April 1996, its mission has been to coordinate efforts to ensure that USDA's computers and information systems--both at headquarters and field locations--are reprogrammed to avoid those date-based problems.

The May 1998 issue of the USDA News carried a story on USDA's actions, as of that date, to respond to the Year 2000 matter.

Parham noted that all 344 of USDA's 'mission-critical computer systems' have been judged to be Y2K compliant.

"Those mission-critical computer systems support some $55 billion worth of USDA programs annually," Parham said. "Those systems have all been repaired or replaced as needed, tested, then deployed, and ultimately certified that the date change will not disrupt services."

"As of October 1, 1999, they're all 100 percent in compliance."

He explained that USDA's 'mission-critical computer systems' are vital to the successful delivery of such 'high impact' USDA programs as the Food and Nutrition Service's food assistance programs; the Food Safety and Inspection Service's responsibilities for food safety and inspection of the nation's meat and poultry supply; USDA's farm and rural development programs in support of America's farmers and ranchers; the Forest Service's management of its forest fire response and aviation activities; and the National Finance Center's processing of bi-weekly payroll accounts for over 450,000 federal employees governmentwide, plus processing records for the federal Thrift Savings Plan, covering 2.3 million employees.

But what about USDA's 'non-mission-critical' computer systems?

Sandra Ginyard, program manager for independent verification and validation in USDA's Year 2000 Program Office, said that examples of the Department's 336 'non-mission-critical' systems are FNS's Food Intake Analysis System and the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration's Wheat Export Cargo Monitoring System.

"All but three of those 336 are currently in Y2K compliance," she pointed out.

Dale Alling, program manager for crosscutting information and data in USDA's Year 2000 Program Office, noted that in November 1996 that Office asked USDA's agencies to submit an inventory identifying all of their computer systems, both at headquarters and field locations. "The number of USDA computers alone approximates the number of employees at the Department," he calculated. According to Ed McLaughlin, a computer specialist in the Office of Human Resources Management, as of November 17, 1999 USDA consisted of 102,100 employees--full-time, part-time, and temporary--at its headquarters and field locations and agricultural posts overseas.

"All those computers, at all those locations, should all now be Y2K compliant also, or should be upgraded or replaced by December 31, 1999," affirmed Parham.

In addition, USDA's inventory includes a multitude of items which function using computer chips. They include telecommunications systems such as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), office telephones, and voice mail systems. "This particular inventory consists of over 100,000 telecommunications items," said Boris deSouza, program manager for telecommunications and security in USDA's Year 2000 Program Office. "Only a very small percentage of that inventory is not in compliance."

USDA's computer chip-based inventory also includes such 'vulnerable systems' as office fax machines and copiers, office building security systems and elevators, lab equipment, and various power and utility items in USDA's over 39,000 buildings and facilities. USDA also has such items of transportation as its 'fleet' of over 38,000 motor vehicles, plus its nearly 400 aircraft that are normally used for firefighting in the Forest Service-administered National Forests.

"Not all of those items actually had date-driven computer chips," advised Cindy Bezz, program manager for vulnerable systems in USDA's Year 2000 Program Office. "The vulnerable systems with date-driven computer chips were tested by agencies, adjustments or replacements were then made as needed, and now those mission-critical vulnerable systems are compliant."

Evelyn Davis, program manager for business continuity and contingency planning in USDA's Year 2000 Program Office, said that in the time remaining before January 1, 2000, the Office staff is coordinating USDA's modifications and tests to its business continuity and contingency plans. "We're also continuing to independently validate and verify the Department's highest priority computer and information systems," she said.

"By January 1, 2000, USDA will have spent over $180 million to address Y2K," Parham advised. "But it had to be done."

"And now, because of a lot of hard work from a lot of USDA employees at headquarters and field offices, we feel that the Department is ready for the new millennium." 

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