Small Farms@USDA Home Page: USDA Council on Small Farms

5. USDA Council on Small Farms

To ensure that USDA has a formal mechanism in place to focus on developing programs and policies that serve the best interests of small farms, a USDA Council on Small Farms was established in October 1998. This Council is chaired by the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and is comprised of the following sub-cabinet officials at USDA:

Under Secretary, Marketing & Regulatory Programs;

Under Secretary, Farm & Foreign Agricultural Services;

Under Secretary, Food, Nutrition & Consumer Services;

Under Secretary, Food Safety;

Under Secretary, Natural Resources & Environment;

Under Secretary, Research, Education & Economics;

Under Secretary, Rural Development;

Assistant Secretary, Administration;

Director, Office of Civil Rights; and the

Director, Office of Outreach

The Director of Small Farms serves as the Executive Director of the Council on Small Farms and is responsible for coordinating, advocating, and facilitating implementation of small farms policies and programs across all USDA mission areas and agencies.

The Director chairs a Department-wide group of Coordinators identified for each sub-cabinet mission area, the Office of Outreach, Civil Rights, and individual agencies for the purpose of planning, coordinating, and collaborating the implementation of small farms policies and programs.