Welcome to the Office of the Chief Economist (OCE). OCE advises the Secretary of Agriculture on the economic implications of policies and programs affecting the U.S. food and fiber system and rural areas. OCE supports USDA policy decision making by analyzing the impact of proposals and coordinating a response among several USDA agencies. Requests for analyses come from the Secretary, other Administration officials, and members of Congress. These requests may concern proposed changes in USDA programs, policies, and legislation. OCE also coordinates, reviews, and approves the Department's commodity, farm sector, and weather forecasts, which are available to the public.

OCE publishes the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, which shows U.S. farmers, policymakers, and traders what’s going on in the world of farm commodity forecasts at a single moment in time.

OCE houses the Joint Agricultural Weather Facility, which produces the Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin, an international summary of crop-related weather developments; and the Office of Climate Change.

OCE also coordinates USDA's annual Agricultural Outlook Forum, which first began in 1923.