2000-present

  • USDA unveils organic standards and official organic seal

  • Farm Security and Rural Investment Act passed to address water and other environmental issues. Programs include the Conservation Security Program, which created a reward system for eco-conscientious farmers

  • USDA launches Conservation Effects Assessment Project to quantify benefits associated with cropland conservation practices

  • ARS scientists deliver the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS), a tool for forecasting wind erosion damage, to the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service for implementing across the nation

  • A newly released pear variety—Sunrise—fills the need for an early-season pear with excellent fruit quality and appearance, and with resistance to the devastating disease known as fire blight

  • ARS scientists found that storage of cotton bales for at least two years leads to a significant reduction in yarn strength as well as an increase in yellowness. Both factors are associated with inferior quality

  • 2008 Farm Bill

    The U.S. farm bill is the primary agricultural and food policy tool of the federal government.
  • Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2012

  • Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013

  • Agricultural Act of 2014