Agricultural Research Service

Short description: Research agency of the US Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Service

Former logo of the Agricultural Research Service

Agency overview
Formed| November 2, 1953 (1953-11-02)
Jurisdiction| United States federal government
Headquarters| Washington, D.C.
Employees| 7,379 employees (September 2017)[1]
Annual budget| $1.2 billion (FY18)
Agency executive|

* Joon Park, Administrator (Acting)

Parent agency| United States Department of Agriculture
Website| ars.usda.gov
Footnotes
[2]

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).[3] ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with extending the nation's scientific knowledge and solving agricultural problems through its four national program areas: nutrition, food safety and quality; animal production and protection; natural resources and sustainable agricultural systems; and crop production and protection. ARS research focuses on solving problems affecting Americans every day.[3] The ARS Headquarters is located in the Jamie L. Whitten Building on Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C., and the headquarters staff is located at the George Washington Carver Center (GWCC) in Beltsville, Maryland.[4] For 2018, its budget was $1.2 billion.[5] For 2023, the budget grew to $1.9 billion.[6]

## Contents

* 1 Mission
* 2 History
* 3 Research centers
* 4 Research impacts
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 Sources
* 8 External links

## Mission

ARS conducts scientific research for the American public. Their main focus is on research to develop solutions to agricultural problems and provide information access and dissemination to:

* ensure high quality, safe food and other agricultural products,
* assess the nutritional needs of Americans,
* sustain a competitive agricultural economy.
* enhance the natural resource base and the environment, and
* provide economic opportunities to rural citizens, communities, and society as a whole.[3]

ARS research complements the work of state colleges and universities, agricultural experiment stations, other federal and state agencies, and the private sector. ARS research may often focus on regional issues that have national implications, and where there is a clear federal role. ARS also provides information on its research results to USDA action and regulatory agencies and to several other federal regulatory agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.[7][3]

ARS disseminates much of its research results through scientific journals, technical publications, Agricultural Research magazine,[8] and other forums. Information is also distributed through ARS's National Agricultural Library (NAL).[3] ARS has more than 150 librarians and other information specialists who work at two NAL locations—the Abraham Lincoln Building in Beltsville, Maryland; and the DC Reference Center in Washington, D.C. NAL provides reference and information services, document delivery, interlibrary loan and interlibrary borrowing services to a variety of audiences.[9]

## History

Soil erosion experimental station in LaCosse, Wisconsin, 1932

Prior to the inception of ARS, agricultural research was first conducted under the umbrella of the Agricultural Department in the U.S. Patent Office in 1839. It was created to collect statistics, distribute seeds and compile and distribute pertinent information. In 1862 the USDA was created and agricultural research was moved to its department. That same year, the department issued its first research bulletin on the sugar content of grape varietals and their suitability for wine. Six years later the USDA would begin its first research on animal diseases, specifically hog cholera, which was causing devastating losses at the time. In the early 1900s the USDA began analyzing food composition and the first studies of nutrition and the effects of cooking and processing foods were conducted. Finally, in 1953 the Agricultural Research Service was created to be the USDA's primary scientific research agency.[10][11]

## Research centers

ARS Geographic Regions

ARS supports more than 2,000 scientists and post docs working on approximately 690 research projects within 15 National Programs at more than 90 research locations.[3] The ARS is divided into 5 geographic areas: Midwest Area, Northeast Area, Pacific West Area, Plains Area, and Southeast Area.[12] ARS has five major regional research centers:

* Western Regional Research Center in Albany, California
* Center for Agricultural Resources Research in Fort Collins, Colorado
* Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana
* National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois
* Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania

The research centers focus on innovation in agricultural practices, pest control, health, and nutrition among other things. Work at these facilities has given life to numerous products, processes, and technologies.[13][14][15][16]

ARS' Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Beltsville, Maryland, is the world's largest agricultural research complex.[17] Other D.C. area locations include the United States National Agricultural Library and the United States National Arboretum.

ARS also has six major human nutrition research centers that focus on solving a wide spectrum of human nutrition questions by providing authoritative, peer-reviewed, science-based evidence.[18] The centers are located in Arkansas, Maryland, Texas, North Dakota, Massachusetts (the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging), and California. ARS scientists at these centers study the role of food and dietary components in human health from conception to advanced age.[18]

The ARS also offers the Culture Collection, which is the largest public collection of microorganisms in the world, containing approximately 93,000 strains of bacteria and fungi. The ARS Culture Collection is housed at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR).[19] There is also a collection of entomopathogenic fungi, called ARSEF, at the Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health in Ithaca, New York.[20][21] The ARS operates the U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida,[22] and the U.S. National Poultry Research Center in Athens, Georgia.[23] Other notable ARS facilities include Northern Great Basin Experimental Range in Oregon, and formerly the Plum Island Animal Disease Center off Long Island.

Several ARS research units focus on pests, diseases, and management practices of horticultural crops. The Cereal Disease Laboratory is located on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Saint Paul.[24][25][26] It primarily hosts research into rusts and Fusaria of cereals.[24][25][26] The San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Parlier, California conducts research on specialty crops including grapes, citrus, almonds, alfalfa, peaches, pomegranates, and many others. Several research locations throughout the US also house germplasm collections of plant species important for agricultural and industrial uses as part of the National Genetic Resources Program.[27]

## Research impacts

From the very beginning the Department of Agriculture and in turn the Agricultural Research Service has been focused on improving not only the farming industry but also the quality of food and the health of Americans. In 1985, technology to produce lactose-free milk, yogurt, and ice cream was developed through the Agricultural Research Service.[28] The grape breeding program, currently located in Parlier, CA which began in 1923, developed seedless grapes and continues to release new grapevine varieties with improved traits.[29] The ARS Citrus and Subtropical Products Laboratory in Winter Haven, Florida, actively works to improve the taste of orange juice concentrate.[30]

The Agricultural Research Service had a Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) research program, which experimented on cats infected with the parasite, from 1982 until 2018. The prevalence of T. gondii parasite has been reduced by 50% in the U.S. As of September 2018,[update] which the ARS claims is a result of their research. The USDA has since discontinued the use of cats in their research amid acute accusations of animal abuse, and a lack of meaningful contribution to the field in recent years (only three of thirteen papers published about T. gondii by the ARS were published after the year 2000).[31][32][33]

More recently, the ARS has focused research on genetics and plant and animal DNA. Their research has developed pest-resistant corn, faster growing plants and fish, and a focus on plant and animal genome research and mapping. Outside of scientific research, the ARS has worked to release databases on food components in order to assist consumers with making informed decisions about food choices.[3][10]

## See also

* Agricultural Resource Management Survey
* Germplasm Resources Information Network
* Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging
* National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame
* National Clonal Germplasm Repository
* National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research
* Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations

## References

1. ↑ "Data, Analysis & Documentation:Raw Datasets". U.S. Office of Personnel Management. https://www.opm.gov/data/index.aspx.
2. ↑ "Agricultural Research Service". US Department of Agriculture. https://www.ars.usda.gov/people-locations/organizational-chart/.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "About ARS : USDA ARS". https://www.ars.usda.gov/about-ars/.
4. ↑ "Headquarters Information: USDA ARS". US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. https://www.ars.usda.gov/docs/headquarters-information/.
5. ↑ Servick, Kelly (2018-03-23). "Advocates celebrate funding bump for USDA-funded research" (in en). Science (AAAS). doi:10.1126/science.aat6839. https://www.science.org/content/article/advocates-celebrate-funding-bump-usda-funded-research.
6. ↑ "Budget | Home" (in en). 2025-02-25. https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/general-information/leadership-usda/budget.
7. ↑ "Business : USDA ARS". https://www.ars.usda.gov/ott/office-of-technology-transfer/.
8. ↑ "USDA ARS Online Magazine" (in en). https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/.
9. ↑ "About | National Agricultural Library | USDA" (in en). https://www.nal.usda.gov/about-the-library.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "AllGov –Departments". http://www.allgov.com/departments/department-of-agriculture/agricultural-research-service?agencyid=7278.
11. ↑ "comp : USDA ARS". https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/timeline/comp/.
12. ↑ "Find A Location : USDA ARS". https://www.ars.usda.gov/people-locations/find-a-location/.
13. ↑ "Eastern Regional Research Center : USDA ARS". https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/wyndmoor-pa/eastern-regional-research-center/.
14. ↑ "Regional Biomass Research Centers : USDA ARS". https://www.ars.usda.gov/natural-resources-and-sustainable-agricultural-systems/biorefining/docs/regional-biomass-research-centers/.
15. ↑ "USDA ARS Online Magazine Southern Regional Research Center, New Orleans, Louisiana" (in en). https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2015/oct/srrc/.
16. ↑ "Children's Nutrition Research Center" (in en). https://www.bcm.edu/departments/pediatrics/sections-divisions-centers/childrens-nutrition-research-center.
17. ↑ "Beltsville Agricultural Research Center: USDA ARS Online Magazine Vol. 49, No. 10" (in en). https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2001/oct/barc.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Human Nutrition Research : USDA ARS". https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/human-nutrition-research/.
19. ↑ "NRRL culture collection". https://nrrl.ncaur.usda.gov/.
20. ↑ "Mycology : USDA ARS". https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/ithaca-ny/robert-w-holley-center-for-agriculture-health/emerging-pests-and-pathogens-research/docs/mycology/.
21. ↑ U.S. Department Of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (2016-09-28) (in en), ARS Collection of Entomopathogenic Fungal Cultures (ARSEF), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, doi:10.15482/USDA.ADC/1326695, https://agdatacommons.nal.usda.gov/articles/dataset/ARS_Collection_of_Entomopathogenic_Fungal_Cultures_ARSEF_/24660507, retrieved 2025-02-18
22. ↑ "U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory : USDA ARS". https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/fort-pierce-fl/us-horticultural-research-laboratory/.
23. ↑ "U.S. National Poultry Research Center : USDA ARS". https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/athens-ga/us-national-poultry-research-center/.
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Cereal Disease Lab". http://experts.umn.edu/en/organisations/cereal-disease-lab.
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Cereal Disease Lab". United States Department of Agriculture. 2021-02-14. https://www.ars.usda.gov/midwest-area/stpaul/cereal-disease-lab/.
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Cereal Disease Laboratory". http://www.mbbnet.umn.edu/labs/cdl.html.
27. ↑ "GRIN". https://www.ars-grin.gov/.
28. ↑ Porch, Kaitlyn (2018-04-12). "Lactose-Free Milk, Low-Fat Cheese, and More Dairy Breakthroughs" (in en). https://www.federallabs.org/successes/success-stories/lactose-free-milk-low-fat-cheese-and-more-dairy-breakthroughs.
29. ↑ Porch, Kaitlyn (2018-04-12). "Grapes! Our Never-Ending Crush" (in en). https://www.federallabs.org/successes/success-stories/grapes-our-never-ending-crush.
30. ↑ Porch, Kaitlyn (2018-03-16). "ARS Makes Condensed Orange Juice Taste More Like Fresh" (in en). https://www.federallabs.org/successes/success-stories/ars-makes-condensed-orange-juice-taste-more-like-fresh.
31. ↑ May, Ashley (2019-04-03). "After thousands of cats died in experiments, USDA says it will stop controversial research program". USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/03/usda-cat-kitten-experiments-controversial-deadly-research-stop/3350305002/.
32. ↑ Rosenberg, Eli (2019-03-20). "USDA is turning lab cats into cannibals by forcing them to eat feline meat, watchdog says". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/03/20/kitten-cannibalism-watchdog-says-government-scientists-fed-cat-dog-meat-felines-lab/.
33. ↑ "White Coat Waste Project". https://blog.whitecoatwaste.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/USDA-Kitten-Cannibalism-March-2019.pdf.

## Sources

* "Agricultural Research Service". https://www.ars.usda.gov/.
* "Image gallery". Agricultural Research Service. http://ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/. – An online catalog from the Agricultural Research Service Information Staff.
* "Western Regional Research Center". https://www.ars.usda.gov/pacific-west-area/albany-ca/wrrc/.
* "Southern Regional Research Center". https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/new-orleans-la/southern-regional-research-center/.
* "National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research". https://www.ars.usda.gov/midwest-area/peoria-il/national-center-for-agricultural-utilization-research/.
* "Eastern Regional Research Center". https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/wyndmoor-pa/eastern-regional-research-center/.
* "ARS Human Nutrition Research". https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/human-nutrition-research/.
* "National Agricultural Library". https://www.nal.usda.gov/.
* "White Coat Waste Project". https://blog.whitecoatwaste.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/USDA-Kitten-Cannibalism-March-2019.pdf.

## External links

* Official website
* Agricultural Research Service in the Federal Register

* v
* t
* e

Research and development agencies of the federal government of the United States

Independent agencies|

* National Science Foundation (NSF)
* National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
* Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development
* Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA)
* Smithsonian Institution research centers and programs

Agriculture|

* Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
* National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
* Economic Research Service (ERS)
* United States Forest Service Research and Development (R&D)

Commerce|

* National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
* National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Defense|

| Air Force|

* Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC)
* Air Armament Center (AAC)
* Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
* Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC)
* Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (NWC)
* Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT)

|

Army|

* Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDCOM)
* Army Research Laboratory (ARL)
* United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC)
* United States Army CCDC Armaments Center (CCDCAC)
* Picatinny Arsenal
* Benét Laboratories
* Watervliet Arsenal
* U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC)
* Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC)
* Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC)

Navy|

* Office of Naval Research (ONR)
* Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)
* Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC)
* Naval Warfare Centers
* Air (NAWC)
* Surface (NSWC)
* Undersea (NUWC)
* Command, Control and Ocean Surveillance (NCCOSC)
* Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS)
* Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)
* Marine Corps Combat Development Command (MCCDC)
* Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL)

Other|

* Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
* Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU)

Education|

* Institute of Education Sciences (IES)
* National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)

Energy|

* Office of Science (DOE SC)
* Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E)
* National Laboratories

Health and Human Services|

* National Institutes of Health (NIH)
* National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
* Food and Drug Administration science and research programs
* Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
* Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)
* Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI)

Homeland Security|

* Directorate for Science and Technology (S&T)
* Coast Guard Research & Development Center (CG RDC)

Interior|

* United States Geological Survey (USGS)

Justice|

* National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
* FBI Science and Technology Branch

Transportation|

* Research and Innovative Technology Administration
* Federal Aviation Administration Research, Engineering, and Development
* Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology

Treasury|

* Office of Financial Research (OFR)

Veterans Affairs|

* Veterans Health Administration Office of Research and Development (ORD)

Executive Office of the President|

* Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
* U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)
* Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program (NITRD)
* National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)

Legislative branch|

* House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
* Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
* Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) (defunct)

Judicial branch|

* Federal Judicial Center

* v
* t
* e

United States government agencies involved in environmental science

* Environmental Protection Agency
* Global Change Research Program
* National Aeronautics and Space Administration
* National Science Foundation
* Smithsonian Institution

Department of the Interior|

* Bureau of Indian Affairs
* Bureau of Land Management
* Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
* Bureau of Reclamation
* National Park Service
* United States Fish and Wildlife Service
* United States Geological Survey
* Office of the Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs
* Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement

Department of Commerce|

* National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
* Geodetic Survey
* Marine Fisheries Service
* Ocean Service
* Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
* Weather Service

Department of Energy|

* Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
* Office of Environmental Management
* Office of Science
* National Laboratories and Technology Centers

Department of Agriculture|

* Agricultural Research Service
* Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
* Farm Service Agency
* Food and Nutrition Service
* Foreign Agricultural Service
* Natural Resources Conservation Service (National Water and Climate Center)
* Rural Utilities Service
* Forest Service

Department of Homeland Security|

* Science and Technology Directorate
* United States Coast Guard

Department of Health
and Human Services|

* Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
* National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Department of Defense|

* Air Force Research Laboratory
* Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
* Joint Typhoon Warning Center
* Office of Naval Research
* Combat Capabilities Development Command

Template:USDA agencies Template:Agriculture in the United States

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural Research Service. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Organization:Agricultural_Research_Service&oldid=4111175"
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template