How Were We Created?

The Office of Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), was administratively established by the Secretary of Agriculture in 1962 following a major criminal fraud scandal affecting several agencies within USDA. OIG was later legislatively established by Congress under the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended.

What Do We Do?

The Office of Inspections and Research (I&R) is responsible for conducting narrowly scoped reviews and inspections of USDA programs and operations; providing technical and scientific advice to OIG offices of Audit and Investigations; and conducting research and analysis addressing broad issues of interest to OIG and USDA, best practices studies, and other projects involving meta analysis of OIG and Departmental activities. The I&R staff provide OIG with an alternative mechanism to traditional audit and investigative disciplines to assess Departmental programs and activities. The group places an emphasis on the use of empirical information, research techniques, and other fact-gathering methodologies.


The I&R staff have subject-matter expertise in agricultural economics, science, statistics, and law to complement the audit and investigative staff. This group with their diverse skills and varied analytical approaches will expand the range and level of OIG services available to USDA.