Agricultural Research Service
The Agricultural Research Service ( ARS ) is an organization of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for agricultural research and works on research projects on agricultural problems of high national importance. The Agricultural Research Service also provides information from the field of agricultural research for both scientists and the general public. In 2012, the Agricultural Research Service worked on 800 research projects under 18 government programs. 2200 scientists and 6200 other employees were employed. The Agricultural Research Service has more than 90 research facilities, some of them outside the Americas. The budget for the year 2012 was 1.1 billion US dollars . The agency is based in Washington, DC
The Agricultural Research Service pursues the following goals with its projects and information services :
- Ensuring the production of wholesome and high quality food and agricultural products
- Evaluation of the food needs of Americans
- Ensuring competitive agriculture
- Promote natural resources and the environment
- Creation of economic prospects for rural communities and their inhabitants
The Agricultural Research Service is one of the four U.S. Department of Agriculture organizations dedicated to research, education and economics (REE). The others are the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the Economic Research Service (ERS), and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The current director is Edward B. Knipling.