USDA Farm Service Agency Strategic Plan FY 2016-2018

The USDA Farm Service Agency Strategic Plan FY 2016-2018 is a national sectoral strategic plan of the United States of America. Its main mission is to serve our nation’s farmers and ranchers professionally, efficiently, equitably, and in a manner that is customer, taxpayer, and employee friendly.
More specifically, the Strategic Plan aims to provide a financial safety net for America’s farmers and ranchers to sustain economically viable agricultural production; provide access to capital; increase lending to beginning and underserved farmers and ranchers; increase analytics capability; improve loan processing and servicing; expand marketing opportunities through on-farm storage; support economic viability; increase program participation; improve program delivery; increase analytics capability; increase stewardship of America’s natural resources while enhancing the environment; provide resource stewardship opportunities on private lands; develop Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) initiatives to address emerging critical issues; maintain the amount of acreage of wetlands restored, constructed, protected, and created; prevent and reduce soil erosion; combat invasive species; maintain acreage in CRP riparian buffers and filterstrips; partner with state and tribal governments and others to promote conservation; mitigate and adapt to climate change; target natural resource needs to maximize benefits; develop and implement measures to conserve surface and ground water supplies; develop and implement approaches to enhance water quality; develop and enhance wildlife habitat; ensure commodities are procured and distributed effectively and efficiently to increase food security; enhance procurement practices for commodity purchases and deliveries; improve procurement processes; promote competition for international food aid contracts; maintain capability to complete independent government estimates (IGES); protect the interests of commodity owners; ensure the integrity of approved and licensed agricultural warehouses; improve the efficiency and effectiveness of warehouse examinations; establish a food security plan requirement; improve the quality and security of commodities purchased for food assistance programs; focus on shipment and delivery of international food assistance; improve food quality and security procedures; accomplish our mission by effectively managing people and service capabilities; invest in the workforce; strengthen leadership and employee development; enhance diversity and inclusion and ensure equal employment opportunities; expand work life balance options; develop and implement succession planning and recruitment strategies; strengthen employee recognition efforts; increase operational effectiveness; strengthen core financial and business processes; implement an integrated agency-wide enterprise risk management and internal control system; improve the personnel security and safety program; strengthen information technology investments and services; provide consistently outstanding and equitable customer service; expand increase program awareness through enhanced outreach; and design and use internal and external customer service tools to improve performance.