USDA'S MISSION CRITICAL SYSTEMS NOW Y2K COMPLIANT
                                                           
                              Mike Alexander (202) 720-0044
                                    mike.alexander@usda.gov
  
  USDA'S MISSION CRITICAL SYSTEMS NOW Y2K COMPLIANT
  
       WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 1999--Chief Information Officer Anne F.
  Thomson Reed announced today that all 344 of the U.S. Department of
  Agriculture's mission-critical computer systems are now Y2K compliant. 
  The systems, which support some $55 billion annually in USDA programs,
  have all  been remediated, tested, and deployed.
  
       "Achieving 100 percent compliance for our mission-critical systems
  is an important victory for USDA agencies," Reed said. "All of the
  employees who have been working diligently on this issue should be proud
  of what they have accomplished.  I want to thank each and every one of
  them for their efforts and encourage them to continue to work hard as we
  near the January 1, 2000 deadline."
  
       USDA's mission critical systems support the delivery of important
  programs across several mission areas.  For example:
  
  -  USDA's Food and Nutrition Service manages the Food Stamp Program,
  School Lunch Program, and the Supplemental Food Program for Women,
  Infants and Children, which provide nutrition for millions of adults and
  children each day;
  
  -  USDA has responsibility for food safety and inspection of the
  nation's meat and poultry;
  
  -  USDA's farm and rural development programs support America's farmers;
  help small businesses create jobs; house rural families; and bring
  electric, telephone, and water and waste systems to rural communities;
  
  -  The Forest Service, another USDA agency, fights forest fires and
  manages more acres of recreational land than any other entity; and
  
  -  USDA's National Finance Center in New Orleans processes bi-weekly
  payroll accounts for over 450,000 federal employees.  NFC is also the
  record keeper for the federal Thrift Savings Plan, covering 2.3 million
  employees and totaling some $62 billion. 
  
       Reed noted that achieving 100 percent compliance on the mission
  critical systems that support these and other important USDA programs
  does not mean that USDA's Year 2000 work is complete, or that the agency
  can now relax.
  
       "In the three months that we have left, we must focus our
  attention on modifying and testing our contingency plans, continue to
  independently validate and verify our highest priority systems, and
  continue working with our state partners to ensure that these programs
  are not interrupted, even if Y2K glitches do occur," Reed said.  "We
  have accomplished a lot, but there is a lot of important work still to
  be done." 
  
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