Extension Faculty Orientation Modules:
Abbreviations & Acronyms
U.S. Department of Agriculture
| USDA | United States Department of Agriculture The third-largest civilian Department of the U.S. Government, overseeing a variety of agencies, government corporations, and other entities that employ more than 100,000 people at over 15,000 locations in all 50 States and 80 countries. http://www.usda.gov/ All USDA agencies |
| CSREES | Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service Unites the research, higher education, and extension education and outreach resources of USDA. CSREES contributions are strengthened by a broad spectrum of public and private partnerships, including other USDA agencies, Federal and State government departments, nonprofit organizations, and private sector entities. CSREES is also the Federal component of the Cooperative Extension System. http://www.csrees.usda.gov/ |
| AMS | Agricultural Marketing Service USDA agency providing standardization, grading and market news for specific commodities and overseeing marketing agreements and orders. http://www.ams.usda.gov/ |
| APHIS | Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service USDA agency providing leadership in ensuring the health and care of animals and plants. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ |
| ARS | Agricultural Research Service The principal in-house research agency of USDA. http://www.ars.usda.gov/ |
| CCC | Commodity Credit Corporation A federally owned and operated corportion within USDA created to stabilize, support, and protect agricultural prices and farm income through loans, purchases, payments, and other operations. http://content.fsa.usda.gov/ccc/ |
| CFO | Chief Financial Officer The Office of the CFO provides financial management leadership and service to support quality program delivery by USDA. |
| CIO | Chief Information Officer The Office of the CIO has primary responsibility for supervision and coordination within the Department of the design, acquisition, maintenance, use and disposal of information technology by USDA agencies, and for monitoring the performance of USDA's information technology programs and activities. http://www.ocio.usda.gov/ |
| CNPP | Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion USDA agency that oversees nutrition, dietary guidelines, healthy diets, food and nutrition information, and the Food Guide Pyramid. http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/ |
| ERS | Economic Research Service Provides information and analysis on agriculture, food, natural resources and rural America. http://www.ers.usda.gov/ |
| FAC | Food and Agriculture Council The FACs at the national, state, and local levels consist of professionals who coordinate the U.S. Department of Agriculture's programs, initiatives, and activities requiring cooperative involvement across mission area and agency lines. FACs were instituted by the Secretary of Agriculture in order to provide a policy level, cross agency, decision making and communication medium as needed to achieve USDA's goals and objectives. |
| FAS | Foreign Agricultural Service USDA agency that represents the diverse interests of farmers and the food and agricultural sector abroad. http://www.fas.usda.gov/ |
| FNS | Food and Nutrition Service USDA agency that administers the Food Stamp Program, the Food Distribution Program, the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program, the WIC program, and Community Food Security. http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/ |
| FS | Forest Service USDA agency that administers the lands and resources of the National Forest System. http://www.fs.fed.us/ |
| FSA | Farm Service Agency (formerly known as the ASCS and FmHA Agencies) USDA agency with the mission to help farmers conserve land and water resources, provide credit to new or disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, and help farm operations recover from the effects of disaster. http://www.fsa.usda.gov/ |
| FSIS | Food Safety and Inspection Service USDA agency with the mission to protect consumers by ensuring that meat, poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ |
| GIPSA | Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration Administrative arm of USDA's standards, directives and rulemaking. http://www.gipsa.usda.gov/ |
| NAL | National Agriculture Library Part of the Agricultural Research Service, NAL is a major international source for agriculture and related information and is one of four national libraries in the U.S. http://www.nal.usda.gov/ |
| NAREE | National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board Established by the FAIR Act of 1996, this Board is charged with reviewing long-term and short-term national policies and priorities relating to agricultural research, extension, education, and economics. |
| NASS | National Agricultural Statistics Service Administers USDA's program for collecting and publishing timely national and state agricultural statistics. http://www.nass.usda.gov/ |
| NRCS | Natural Resources Conservation Agency (formerly known as the SCS Agency) The USDA lead agency for conservation technical assistance. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ |
| OBPA | Office of Budget and Program Analysis USDA office which coordinates the preparation of the Department's budget estimates, legislative reports and regulations. http://www.obpa.usda.gov/ |
| OC | Office of Communications Provides leadership, expertise, counsel and coordination of matters relating to USDA communications strategies. Office of Communications Web site |
| OCD | Office of Community Development USDA agency that administers Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Communities and the Rural Economic Action Program. http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/wa/ocd.htm |
| OCRE | Office of Civil Rights Enforcement Focal point for USDA Secretary of Agriculture in EEO/Civil Rights matters. |
| OGC | Office of General Counsel Serves as the legal advisor and counsel for the Secretary and program agencies of the Department. |
| OIG | Office of Inspector General Conducts and supervises audits and investigations relating to programs and operations of the Department. http://www.usda.gov/oig/ |
| REE | Research, Education, and Economics A USDA mission area comprised of four agencies: the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES), the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the Economic Research Service (ERS), and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). |
| RBS | Rural Business-Cooperative Service USDA agency that provides assistance for business development. http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/ |
| RHS | Rural Housing Service USDA agency that administers rural housing assistance. http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/ |
| RMA | Risk Management Agency USDA agency with the mission to improve the economic stability of agriculture by offering producers a sound system of crop insurance. http://www.rma.usda.gov/ |
| RUS | Rural Utilities Service USDA agency that oversees Distance Learning/Telemedicine and Rural Telecommunications, Electric and Water programs. http://www.usda.gov/rus/ |
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