Department of Agriculture

Budget, Performance and Financial Snapshot Fiscal Year 2008

Who We Are

Mission: The Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, quality of life in rural America and related issues. The USDA Strategic Plan can be found at http://www.ocfo.usda.gov/usdasp/sp2005/sp2005.pdf.

Organization: USDA is organized by mission areas comprised of agencies and Departmental Offices. Mission areas include Natural Resources and Environment (NRE), Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services (FFAS), Rural Development (RD), Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services (FNCS), Food Safety and Inspection Service, Research, Education and Economics (REE), and Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP). Internet link to Agencies and Offices: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?navid=AGENCIES_OFFICES_C&parentnav=AGENCIES_OFFICES&navtype=RT.

Personnel: USDA?s diverse workforce operates in all 50 States and around the world. These 104,000 employees work to protect public health and our food, ensure a plentiful and nutritious food supply, encourage science-based stewardship of our natural resources, and administer programs that promote both agriculture and the quality of life in rural America.

Budgetary Resources: USDA receives most of its funding from appropriations authorized by Congress and administered by the Treasury. Total budgetary resources consist of the balance at the beginning of the year, appropriations received during the year, spending authority from offsetting collections and other budgetary resources. Total budgetary resources were $172.7 billion for FY 2008, compared to $161.9 billion in FY 2007.


Budget Snapshot

Total Spending FY 2005-2009
Total Outlays
 Mandatory $63,483 $71,273 $60,044 $66,501 $72,115
 Discretionary $21,854 $22,265 $24,398 $28,267 $22,643
Total $85,337 $93,538 $84,442 $94,768 $94,758
$ in millions
Top 5 Programs By Budget
  Top 5 Programs
  Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children Wildland Fire Management National Forest System Rental Assistance Program Farm Service Agency Salaries and Expenses
2008 $5,974 $2,451 $1,476 $1,202 $1,109
2009 $5,955 $1,916 $1,468 $1,281 $1,202
$ in millions

Performance Snapshot

Accomplishments: In FY 2008 USDA used more than $96 billion in taxpayer dollars to expand economic opportunities in international markets, realizing a record $114.06 billion in U.S. agricultural exports; facilitate access to a healthy diet for needy Americans, providing $34.0 billion in food stamp benefits; prevent and fight devastating wildfires as well as restore fire-ravaged land; develop renewable energy and demonstrate how biofuels help keep gas prices down, reduce America?s dependence on oil, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and invest in infrastructure that will bring new economic opportunities and jobs to rural areas.

Challenges: USDA?s Office of the Inspector General identified the following 8 management challenges: 1) Interagency Communications, Coordination, and Program Integration Need Improvement; 2) Implementation of Strong, Integrated Internal Control Systems Still Needed; 3) Continuing Improvements Needed in Information Technology (IT) Security; 4) Departmental Efforts and Initiatives in Homeland Security Need To Be Maintained; 5) USDA Needs To Develop a Proactive, Integrated Strategy To Assist American Producers To Meet the Global Trade Challenge; 6) Better Forest Service Management and Community Action Needed To Improve the Health of the National Forests and Reduce the Cost of Fighting Fires; 7) Improved Controls Needed for Food Safety Inspection Systems; and 8) Implementation of Renewable Energy Programs at USDA.
Financial Snapshot
Clean Opinion on Financial Statements Yes
Timely Financial Reporting Yes Material Weaknesses 3
Improper Payment Rate 6.1 Total Assets $160,373
Total Liabilities $120,972 Net Cost of Operations $96,733
$ in millions
  Footnote:* WIC: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Children; ARS: Agricultural Research Service. A detailed discussion of these elements may be found in the USDA Performance and Accountability Report: http://www.ocfo.usda.gov/usdarpt/pdf/par2008.pdf. Further discussion of the USDA budget may be found at: http://www.obpa.usda.gov/budsum/fy09budsum.pdf. The budget by goal excludes receipts of $5.103 billion for FY 2008.

Summary of Department of Agriculture Ratings for Fiscal Year 2008

 
                        FY 2008 Performance
Results per Strategic Goal
  Met/Exceeded     Not met but improved over prior years
  Not met target     Data not yet available
Budget per Strategic Goal
($ in millions)
Strategic Goal: Goal 1: Enhance International Competitiveness of American Agriculture
Expanding global markets for agricultural products is critical for the long-term economic health and prosperity of our food and agricultural sector.
 
Sample chart
          
2008 Actual = $1,697
Performance Measure(s)* 2006 Results 2007 Results 2008 Target 2008 Results 2009 Target
Value of trade preserved annually through USDA staff interventions leading to resolutions of barriers created by SPS or Technical Barrier to Trade (TBT) measures. ($ Millions) 2600 2457 2000 7316   3100
Strategic Goal: Goal 2: Enhance the Competitiveness and Sustainability of Rural and Farm Economies
USDA offers farm related programs designed to enhance the economic opportunities for all agricultural producers.
 
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2008 Actual = $20,650
Performance Measure(s)* 2006 Results 2007 Results 2008 Target 2008 Results 2009 Target
Increase the normalized value of risk protection provided to agriculture producers through FCIC-sponsored insurance ($ Billions) 48.7 50.7 53.7 51.0   54.8
Strategic Goal: Goal 3: Support Increased Economic Opportunities and Improved Quality of Life In Rural America
The Department strives to ensure that rural residents have equal opportunity to share in the Nation?s prosperity and technological advancement.
 
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2008 Actual = $3,962
Performance Measure(s)* 2006 Results 2007 Results 2008 Target 2008 Results 2009 Target
Jobs Created or Saved 71,715 72,710 72,373 70,476   37,743
Strategic Goal: Goal 4: Enhance Protection and Safety of the Nation?s Agriculture and Food Supply
USDA ensures that the Nation?s meat, poultry and egg products are safe, wholesome and labeled accurately. USDA also protects the Nation?s agricultural system from pests and disease outbreaks, minimizes production losses, maintains market viability and promotes responsible environmental stewardship.
 
Sample chart
          
2008 Actual = $2,710
Performance Measure(s)* 2006 Results 2007 Results 2008 Target 2008 Results 2009 Target
Reduce the overall public exposure to Listeria Moncytogenes in ready-to-eat products 0.24% 0.28% 0.27% 0.19%   0.28%
Strategic Goal: Goal 5: Improve the Nation?s Nutrition and Health
USDA promotes America?s health through food assistance for low-income people, nutrition education and guidance and promotion for the general public and targeted groups. The Department motivates Americans to use this information to improve their diets and physical activity patterns.
 
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2008 Actual = $59,839
Performance Measure(s)* 2006 Results 2007 Results 2008 Target 2008 Results 2009 Target
Participation level in the Food Stamp program (monthly) 26.7 26.5 27.8 28.1   28.0
Strategic Goal: Goal 6: Protect and Enhance the Nation?s Natural Resource Base and Environment
USDA is the steward of 192.5 million acres of National Forests and Grasslands. USDA also provides high-quality, science-based, and site-specific technical assistance to enable good stewardship on the 1.5 billion acres of non-Federal lands in the U.S.
 
Sample chart
          
2008 Actual = $11,013
Performance Measure(s)* 2006 Results 2007 Results 2008 Target 2008 Results 2009 Target
Increase Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres of riparian and grass buffers (millions of acres, cumulative) 1.86 1.95 1.92 2.02   1.94
  * This measure was selected from a number of performance measures aimed at the specific strategic goal