The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management. USDA focuses on further developing alternative markets for agricultural products and activities, providing financing needed to help expand job opportunities and improve housing, utilities and infrastructure in rural America, enhancing food safety by taking steps to reduce the prevalence of foodborne hazards from farm to table, improving nutrition and health by providing food assistance and nutrition education and promotion, supporting international agricultural and economic development, and managing and protecting America's public and private lands working cooperatively with other levels of government and the private sector.

Funding Highlights:

• Provides over $20 billion in loans and grants to support and expand rural development activities, including small businesses, renewable energy, and telecommunications.
• Includes a $50 million increase to address deferred maintenance on the most critical health and safety infrastructure within our national forests.
• Supports the implementation of a $250,0001 commodity program payment limit. The payment limit will help ensure that payments are made to those who most need them.
• Reflects the President's commitment to wildfire management and community protection by fully funding suppression costs at the 10-year average, establishing a discretionary contingent reserve for wildfires, and including program reforms to ensure fire management resources are focused where they will do the most good.
• Fully funds the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to serve all eligible individuals.
• Includes $1 billion per year for the Child Nutrition reauthorization.
• Supports a pilot program to help increase senior participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
• Reflects the President's commitment to supporting independent producers through improved enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act and investing in the full diversity of agricultural production, including organic farming and local food systems.
• Reflects the President's commitment to fiscal responsibility by reducing direct payments to the largest farmers, reducing crop insurance subsidies, eliminating cotton storage credits, eliminating funding for the Resource Conservation and Development program, and reducing program funding for overseas brand promotion.

Specifics

Develops Rural Broadband Services.

Modern technology is critical to the expansion of business, education, and health care opportunities in rural areas and the competitiveness of the Nation's small towns and rural communities. The Budget provides $1.3 billion in loans and grants to increase broadband capacity and improve telecommunication service and education and health opportunities in rural areas.

Strengthens Nutrition Assistance.

The President's Budget supports a strong Child Nutrition and WIC reauthorization package that will ensure that low-income children receive the nutrition assistance they need and help fulfill the President's pledge to end childhood hunger by 2015. The Budget provides an increase of $1 billion annually for program reforms aimed at improving program access, enhancing the nutritional quality of school meals, expanding nutrition research and evaluation, and improving program oversight. Funding is also provided to support over 9.8 million participants in the WIC program, which is critical to the health of pregnant women, new mothers, and their infants.

Enhances food Safety.

The President's Budget takes steps to improve the safety of the Nation's supply of meat, poultry and processed egg products and to ensure that these products are wholesome, and accurately labeled and packaged. The Budget provides additional resources to improve food safety inspection and assessment and the ability to determine food safety risks. This will lead to a reduction in foodborne illness and improve public health and safety.

Support Economic Recovery.

The recovery Act provides USDA with a total of $27.6 billion, most of which will fund increased benefits to low income families through the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program ($20 billion). In addition, the Act provides $6.9 billion in discretionary appropriations for rural development activities such as construction and renovation of rural water and wastewater systems, low income housing loans, broadband infrastructure in rural areas, rural business programs, and construction of Forest Service facilities. Finally, the Act provides $700 million in mandatory farm disaster assistance.

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