View source for Agricultural Research Service

{{short description|Research agency of the US Department of Agriculture}}
{{Organization 
|OrganizationName=Agricultural Research Service 
|OrganizationType=Research and Development Agencies
|Mission=The Agricultural Research Service conducts research to develop and transfer solutions to agricultural problems of high national priority. It aims to ensure high-quality, safe food, assess nutritional needs, sustain a competitive agricultural economy, enhance the natural resource base and the environment, and provide economic opportunities for rural citizens.
|OrganizationExecutive=Administrator
|Employees=9300
|Budget=$1.2 billion (Fiscal Year 2018)
|Website=https://www.ars.usda.gov
|Services=Agricultural Research; Nutrition Research; Food Safety; Crop Production; Animal Production
|ParentOrganization=United States Department of Agriculture
|CreationLegislation=Secretary of Agriculture's Reorganization Plan No. 2 (1953)
|Regulations=
|HeadquartersLocation=39.006847, -76.923810
|HeadquartersAddress=1400 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20250
}}
{{Infobox government agency
|agency_name     = Agricultural Research Service
|seal            = US-AgriculturalResearchService-Logo.svg
|seal_width      = 140px
|seal_caption    = Former logo of the Agricultural Research Service
|formed          = {{start date|1953|11|2}}
|parent_agency   = [[United States Department of Agriculture]]
|jurisdiction    = [[Federal government of the United States|United States federal government]]
|headquarters    = [[Washington, D.C.]]
|employees       = 7,379 employees (September 2017)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.opm.gov/data/index.aspx |title=Data, Analysis & Documentation:Raw Datasets |publisher=U.S. Office of Personnel Management |access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref>
|budget          = $1.1 billion (FY14)
|chief1_name     = Simon Liu
|chief1_position = Administrator
|website         = {{URL|https://www.ars.usda.gov|ars.usda.gov}}
|footnotes       = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/arsorganchart.htm |title=Agricultural Research Service |publisher=US Department of Agriculture}}</ref>
}}

The '''Agricultural Research Service''' ('''ARS''') is the principal in-house research agency of the [[United States Department of Agriculture]] (USDA).<ref name=":0" /> 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
* crop production and protection

ARS research focuses on solving problems affecting Americans every day.<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/about-ars/headquarters-information/|title=Headquarters Information: USDA ARS|publisher=US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service |access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref> For 2018, its budget was $1.2 billion.<ref>{{Cite news |last = Servick | first = Kelly |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/advocates-celebrate-funding-bump-usda-funded-research |title=Advocates celebrate funding bump for USDA-funded research |date=2018-03-23 |work=Science |publisher= [[American Association for the Advancement of Science|AAAS]] |access-date=2018-04-13|language=en |doi=10.1126/science.aat6839 |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024}}</ref>

== 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.<ref name=":0" />

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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/docs/business/|title=Business : USDA ARS|website=ars.usda.gov|access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

ARS disseminates much of its research results through scientific journals, technical publications, ''Agricultural Research'' magazine,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/|title=USDA ARS Online Magazine|website=agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov|language=en|access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref> and other forums. Information is also distributed through ARS's [[National Agricultural Library]] (NAL).<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nal.usda.gov/about|title=About {{!}} National Agricultural Library {{!}} USDA|website=nal.usda.gov|language=en|access-date=2018-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413084708/https://www.nal.usda.gov/about|archive-date=2018-04-13|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== History ==
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.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.allgov.com/departments/department-of-agriculture/agricultural-research-service?agencyid=7278|title=AllGov –Departments|website=allgov.com|access-date=2019-04-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/timeline/comp/|title=comp : USDA ARS|website=ars.usda.gov|access-date=2019-04-17}}</ref>

== Research centers ==
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.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/about-ars/|title=About ARS : USDA ARS|website=www.ars.usda.gov|access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref> The ARS is divided into 5 geographic areas: Midwest Area, Northeast Area, Pacific West Area, Plains Area, and Southeast Area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/people-locations/find-a-location/|title=Find A Location : USDA ARS|website=ars.usda.gov|access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/wyndmoor-pa/eastern-regional-research-center/|title=Eastern Regional Research Center : USDA ARS|website=ars.usda.gov|access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/natural-resources-and-sustainable-agricultural-systems/biorefining/docs/regional-biomass-research-centers/|title=Regional Biomass Research Centers : USDA ARS|website=ars.usda.gov|access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2015/oct/srrc/|title=USDA ARS Online Magazine Southern Regional Research Center, New Orleans, Louisiana|website=agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov|language=en|access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bcm.edu/departments/pediatrics/sections-divisions-centers/childrens-nutrition-research-center|title=Children's Nutrition Research Center|website=Baylor College of Medicine|language=en|access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref>

ARS' [[Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center]] (BARC) in Beltsville, Maryland, is the world's largest agricultural research complex.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2001/oct/barc|title=Beltsville Agricultural Research Center: USDA ARS Online Magazine Vol. 49, No. 10|website=agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov|language=en|access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/human-nutrition-research/|title=Human Nutrition Research : USDA ARS|website=ars.usda.gov|access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":1" />

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)<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |url=http://nrrl.ncaur.usda.gov/ |title=NRRL culture collection |access-date=2012-02-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205081716/http://nrrl.ncaur.usda.gov/ |archive-date=2015-02-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ARS operates the [[U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory]] in [[Fort Pierce, Florida]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/fort-pierce-fl/us-horticultural-research-laboratory/|title=U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory : USDA ARS|website=ars.usda.gov|access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref> and the [[U.S. National Poultry Research Center]] in [[Athens, Georgia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/athens-ga/us-national-poultry-research-center/|title=U.S. National Poultry Research Center : USDA ARS|website=ars.usda.gov|access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref> 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 {{visible anchor|Cereal Disease Laboratory}} is located on the campus of the [[University of Minnesota]] in [[Saint Paul, Minnesota|Saint Paul]].<ref name="UMn" /><ref name="USDA-ARS" /><ref name="UMn-MBBNet" /> It primarily hosts research into rusts and ''Fusaria'' of cereals.<ref name="UMn" /><ref name="USDA-ARS" /><ref name="UMn-MBBNet" /> The [https://www.ars.usda.gov/pacific-west-area/parlier/sjvasc/ 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'''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GRIN |url=https://www.ars-grin.gov/ |access-date=2022-12-03 |website=ars-grin.gov}}</ref>

== 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.federallabs.org/successes/success-stories/lactose-free-milk-low-fat-cheese-and-more-dairy-breakthroughs|title=Lactose-Free Milk, Low-Fat Cheese, and More Dairy Breakthroughs|last=Porch|first=Kaitlyn|date=2018-04-12|website=federallabs.org|language=en|access-date=2018-10-26}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.federallabs.org/successes/success-stories/grapes-our-never-ending-crush|title=Grapes! Our Never-Ending Crush|last=Porch|first=Kaitlyn|date=2018-04-12|website=federallabs.org|language=en|access-date=2018-10-26}}</ref> The ARS Citrus and Subtropical Products Laboratory in Winter Haven, Florida, actively works to improve the taste of orange juice concentrate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.federallabs.org/successes/success-stories/ars-makes-condensed-orange-juice-taste-more-like-fresh|title=ARS Makes Condensed Orange Juice Taste More Like Fresh|last=Porch|first=Kaitlyn|date=2018-03-16|website=federallabs.org|language=en|access-date=2018-10-26}}</ref>

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|post=,}} 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).<ref name="usat_Afte">{{Cite web | last=May | first=Ashley | date=2019-04-03 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/03/usda-cat-kitten-experiments-controversial-deadly-research-stop/3350305002/|title=After thousands of cats died in experiments, USDA says it will stop controversial research program|work=USA TODAY|access-date=2019-04-04}}</ref><ref name="wash_USDA">{{Cite news
| last = Rosenberg | first=Eli
| date = 2019-03-20
| title = USDA is turning lab cats into cannibals by forcing them to eat feline meat, watchdog says
| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]
| access-date = 2019-04-04
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/03/20/kitten-cannibalism-watchdog-says-government-scientists-fed-cat-dog-meat-felines-lab/
| quote = The organization alleges that the lab cats, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture houses at a facility in Beltsville, Md., were fed tongues, brains and hearts of cats purchased in at a meat market in China. Dogs purchased from shelters in Colombia and Brazil were killed, the report claims; then their brains, tongues and hearts were fed to the research cats. The goal was to study the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis, a flu-like disease that can infect humans for weeks or months. ... Goodman called the practice "kitten cannibalism."
}}</ref><ref name = 'Whistleblower Report on ARS'>{{cite web | title = White Coat Waste Project | website = White Coat Waste Project | url=https://blog.whitecoatwaste.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/USDA-Kitten-Cannibalism-March-2019.pdf | access-date=2024-01-22}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" />

== 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 ==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="UMn">{{cite web | title=Cereal Disease Lab | website=Experts@Minnesota [[University of Minnesota]] | url=http://experts.umn.edu/en/organisations/cereal-disease-lab | access-date=2021-02-14}}</ref>

<ref name="USDA-ARS">{{cite web | title=Cereal Disease Lab | website=Agricultural Research Service | publisher=[[United States Department of Agriculture]] | date=2021-02-14 | url=http://www.ars.usda.gov/midwest-area/stpaul/cereal-disease-lab/ | access-date=2021-02-14}}</ref>

<ref name="UMn-MBBNet">{{cite web | title=Cereal Disease Laboratory | website=MBBNet [[University of Minnesota]] | url=http://www.mbbnet.umn.edu/labs/cdl.html | access-date=2021-02-14}}</ref>

}}

== Sources ==
* {{cite web | title=Agricultural Research Service | url=http://ars.usda.gov/ | access-date=7 October 2005 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20041014211800/http://ars.usda.gov/| archive-date=October 14, 2004| url-status= live}}
* {{cite web | title=Image gallery | work=Agricultural Research Service | url=http://ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/ | access-date=7 October 2005 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051006185249/http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/ | archive-date=6 October 2005 | url-status=dead }} – An online catalog from the Agricultural Research Service Information Staff.
* {{cite web | title=Western Regional Research Center | url=http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=53-25-00-00  | access-date=1 September 2009 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090901094536/http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=53-25-00-00| archive-date= 1 September 2009 | url-status= live}}
* {{cite web | title=Southern Regional Research Center | url=http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=64-35-00-00 | access-date=1 September 2009 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090826053347/http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=64-35-00-00| archive-date= 26 August 2009 | url-status= live}}
* {{cite web | title=National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research | url=http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=36-20-00-00 | access-date=1 September 2009 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090831170723/http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=36-20-00-00| archive-date= 31 August 2009 | url-status= live}}
* {{cite web | title=Eastern Regional Research Center | url=http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=19-35-00-00 | access-date=1 September 2009 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090903002807/http://ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=19-35-00-00| archive-date= 3 September 2009 | url-status= live}}
* {{cite web | title=ARS Human Nutrition Research | url=http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=1276 | access-date=1 September 2009 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090902100449/http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=1276| archive-date= 2 September 2009 | url-status= live}}
* {{cite web | title=National Agricultural Library | url=http://www.nal.usda.gov/ | access-date=19 November 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081116210958/http://www.nal.usda.gov/| archive-date= 16 November 2008 | url-status= live}}
* {{cite web | title = White Coat Waste Project | website = White Coat Waste Project | url=https://blog.whitecoatwaste.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/USDA-Kitten-Cannibalism-March-2019.pdf | access-date=2024-01-22}}

==External links==
{{commons category|USDA Agricultural Research Service}}
* {{Official website|http://www.ars.usda.gov/}}
* [https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/agricultural-research-service Agricultural Research Service] in the [[Federal Register]]

{{US research agencies}}
{{ES Government}}
{{USDA agencies}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:United States Department of Agriculture agencies]]
[[Category:Agricultural research institutes in the United States]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1953]]
[[Category:Research institutes established in 1953]]
[[Category:1953 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Research institutes in Washington, D.C.]]