USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers farm commodity, farm credit and resource conservation programs for farmers through a nationwide network of state and county offices. The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is a wholly-owned government corporation within USDA, which provides funding for farm programs and for the purchase, storage and disposal of surplus agricultural commodities. FSA personnel act as administrative agents who manage CCC’s inventory of bulk and processed commodities.

FSA purchases U.S. agricultural commodities and food products for domestic and international food assistance programs that help individuals in need. FSA’s Deputy Administrator for Commodity Operations (DACO) is responsible for the procurement, storage and transportation of products to fulfill USDA program commitments, and contracts with private industry to supply the various programs with high quality nutritious products.

FSA purchases commodities for use in the P.L. 480 Title II and III “Food for Peace” program administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the “Food for Progress” program, the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition program and the Section 416 (b) program administered by the Foreign Agricultural Service. The purchased commodities provide nutritious foods for both emergency and development aid programs.

Commodities procured include processed grain products such as bulgur, wheat flour and cornmeal; blended foods such as wheat-soy blend and corn-soy blend; and pulses such as peas, beans and lentils. Also included are milled rice; vegetable oil; whole grains, such as wheat, corn and sorghum; and dairy and peanut products. Commodities may be provided directly from government-owned stocks when surplus commodities are available in inventory.

FSA’s Commodity Operations personnel, working with other federal agencies and international organizations, delivered approximately 1.8 million metric tons of grain and food products (valued at nearly $1 billion) during fiscal year 2011 to relief programs throughout the world.

FSA and other USDA agencies purchase and deliver foods for various domestic food assistance programs. These include national school lunch, school breakfast, child and adult food care, summer food service, elderly feeding, charitable institutions, Indian reservations, emergency food assistance and special supplemental food for women, infants, and children. FSA is often called upon to quickly provide food aid for emergency situations caused by hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters.

FSA supplied approximately 392 million pounds of commodities such as grain, dairy, peanut and cereal products worth more than $400 million during fiscal year 2011.

For information on FSA commodity operations, including purchase announcements and solicitations, contact either of the following offices:

USDA, Farm Service Agency

Commodity Operations Division, Director

Stop 0553

P.O. Box 2415

Washington, DC 20013

(202) 720-2121

USDA, Farm Service Agency

Kansas City Commodity Office

Deputy Director

P.O. Box 419205

Kansas City, MO 64141-6205

(816) 926-6301

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, genetic information, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay).

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.