The following is a summary description of the functions and activities of Federal agencies responsible for administering programs listed in the Catalog. The programs (numbers) are also listed with the administering agency.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agriculture Research Service (10.001) Conducts research to develop new knowledge and technology to ensure an abundance of high quality agricultural commodities and products at reasonable prices to meet the increasing needs of an expanding economy and to provide for the continued improvement in the standard of living of all Americans. It conducts basic, applied, and developmental research on animal and plant production; use and improvement of soil, water, and air; processing, storage, distribution, food safety, consumer services and human nutrition research, and food and agriculture sciences.

Office of Advocacy and Enterprise (OAE) (10.140) Provides overall policy and leadership, coordination and direction for the Departments of Civil Rights and EEO programs; Planning for and coordination of the participation of minor college and universities departmental programs; oversight of all procurement activities to assure maximum participation of small and disadvantage business in the procurement process; and direction in monitoring of agency compliance in promoting full and open competition in the departments contracting process Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) (10.153-10.165) --Adminis

ters standardization, grading, voluntary and mandatory inspection, market news, marketing orders, regulatory, and related programs.

Cooperative State Research Service (10.200-10.215) --Participates in a nationwide system of agricultural research program planning and coordination between the States and the Department of Agriculture to encourage and assist in the establishment and maintenance of cooperation within and among the States and between the States and their Federal research partners. The primary function is to administer the Acts of Congress that authorize Federal appropriations for agricultural research carried on by the State agricultural experiment stations of the 50 States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, and Micronesia; by approved schools of forestry; the 1980 land-grant institutions and Tuskegee Institute; colleges of veterinary medicine; and other eligible institutions.

Economic Research Service (10.250) Economic analysis and research is composed of research on the economic function and performance of the food and fiber industry from the farm to the consumer, and analysis of major developments and trends. Specific topics treated include: commodity analysis; farm sector economics; food system research; farm income, productivity, cost of production, and price spreads; food prices; and agricultural and food policies. The activity in international agriculture involves: world demand and supply forecasting; foreign agricultural, economic, and trade policies; and country and region situation and outlook, analysis, and research. The natural re

sources research covers: landownership and use; energy development impacts; water use and conservation; resource planning; pesticide regulation and management; and water quality and institutions. The rural development program encompasses: demographic research; farm work force and rural labor markets; rural health, education, and housing; State and local government services to rural communities; and rural credit.

Agricultural Cooperative Service (10.350) Serves as the focal point of national activity involving agricultural cooperatives. The purpose of ACS is to help farmers help themselves by providing the assistance necessary to support and improve existing cooperatives and to help farmers organize new cooperatives. The studies conducted by ACS (some through joint Federal/State efforts) are intended to provide farmers with information on financial, organizational, legal, social and economic aspects of cooperative activity. In today's rapidly changing economic environment, ACS provides technical advice to assist farmer cooperatives in the development and operation of viable, profitable organizations serving the nation's small farm

Food Safety and Inspection Service (10.475-10.477) Assures that meat and poultry products moving in interstate and foreign commerce are safe, wholesome, unadulterated and honestly and informatively labeled, as required by the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act. The Meat and Poultry Inspection Program provides continuous inplant inspection of all domestic plants preparing meat and poultry products for sale or distribution in commerce; reviews inspection systems in foreign establishments that prepare meat or poultry products for export to the United States; and provides technical and financial assistance to States which maintain meat and poultry inspection programs equal to Federal inspection. Extension Service (10.500) Coordinates and provides administrative, technical, and other services to a nationwide Cooperative Extension System, in partnership with State and local governments and the private sector. The primary function of this system is to take the research findings of the Department of Agriculture, the State Land-Grant Colleges and programs administered by the Department of Agriculture, and to develop and deliver informal, out-of-school educational programs. These programs communicate and demonstrate to people how they can apply research findings to identify and solve farm, home, and community problems. This work is carried out through extension offices in each State, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, and Micronesia.

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Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) (10.550-10.568) Administers programs to make food assistance available to people who need

it. These programs are operated in cooperation with State and local governments.

Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) (10.601) --The export promotion and service agency for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Stimulates overseas markets for U.S. agricultural products. FAS fulfills its role as the promotional agency for the world's largest agricultural export business through its network of agricultural counselors, attaches, and trade officers stationed overseas and its backup team of analysts, marketing specialists, negotiators, and related specialists. FAS maintains a worldwide agricultural intelligence and reporting system through its attache service. FAS also has a continuing market development program to develop, service, and expand commercial export markets for U.S. agricultural products. By virtue of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978, FAS received authority to open at least 6 and not more than 25 agricultural trade offices overseas to develop, maintain and expand international markets for U.S. agricultural commodities. Eleven of these offices have been established and are located in such key markets as West Germany, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Venezuela. To improve access for U.S. farm products abroad, FAS international trade policy specialists coordinate and direct USDA's responsibilities in international trade agreement programs and negotiations. FAS also manages the Public Law 480 Program, Titles I and III (Food for Peace Program), and the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Export Credit Guarantee Programs. Public Law 480 is aimed at long-range improvement in the economies of developing countries. The commercial programs provide exporter-risk insurance for financing the agricultural products purchased by countries with market growth potential and direct credit when used in a blended credit program. Title I, the concessional sales section of Public Law 480, provides for lowinterest, long-term credit to recipients of U.S. farm commodities.

Forest Service (10.652-10.669) Promotes and achieves a pattern of natural resource uses that will best meet the needs of people now and in the future; generation of forestry opportunities to accelerate rural community growth; protection and improvement of the quality of air, water, natural beauty, and open space environment in urban and community areas; encouragement of growth and development of forestry-based enterprises and optimum forest land ownership patterns; expansion of environment conservation; involvement of the public in forestry policy and program formulation.

also assists in agricultural pollution control, environmental inprovement, and rural community development.

National Agricultural Statistics Service (10.950) Crop and livestock estimates involve collecting, analyzing, and publishing ag. ricultural production and marketing data, including: number of farms and acreage in farms; crop acreage, yields, production, stocks, value, and utilization; inventories and production of livestock, poultry, eggs, and dairy products; prices received by farmers for products, prices paid for commodities and services for living and production, and related indexes; farm employment and wage rates; cold storage supplies; and other relevant aspects of the agricultural economy. Estimates for about 150 crops and 50 livestock items are published in about 500 Federal and 10,000 State-Federal reports each year. All information is made available to the news media and the public at scheduled release times. Statistical research and service is directed toward improving crop and livestock estimating techniques. Considerable emphasis is placed on improving sample survey designs as well as testing new forecasting and estimating techniques, such as using satellite data. Also included here are the review, coordination, and monitoring of the surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the review of all proposed statistical forms and survey plans prior to submittal to the Office of Management and Budget for clearance. Office of International Cooperation and Development (OICD) (10.960-10.962) The programs of the Office of International Cooperation and Development (OICD) focus on sharing knowl edge of agriculture through development assistance and cooperation with other countries. The Office's primary activities are providing technical assistance and training in agriculture to other countries, particularly the developing world; working with international food and agricultural organizations to solve world food problems; and sponsoring scientific exchanges and research that will help farmers both at home and abroad.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census (11.001-11.006) Conducts decennial censuses of population and housing; a mid-decade census of population to be taken initially in 1985 and every 10 years thereaf ter; quinquennial censuses of agriculture, State and local gov. ernments, manufacturers, mineral industries, distributive trades, construction industries, and transportation; current surveys which provide information on many of the subjects covered in the censuses at weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual, or other intervals; compilation of current statistics on U.S. foreign trade, including data on imports, exports, and shipping; conducts special censuses at the request and expense of State and local government units; publishes estimates and projections of the population and housing characteristics; issues current reports on manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade, selected services, construction, imports and exports, State and local government finances and employment, and other subjects; and makes searches of decennial census records and furnishes certificates to individuals for use as evidence of age, relationship, or place of birth.

Economic and Statistical Analysis (ESA) (11.025-11.027) --Provides a clear picture of the U.S. economy through the preparation, development, and interpretation of the national income and product accounts, summarized by the gross national product (GNP); the wealth accounts, which show the business and other components of national wealth; the input-output accounts, which trace the interrelationships among industrial markets; personal income and related economic series by geographic area; the U.S. balance of payments accounts and associated foreign investment accounts; and measures relating to environmental change and to welfare within the framework of the national economic accounts. The data and analyses prepared are dis