Agricultural Marketing Service

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) was established by the Secretary of Agriculture on April 2, 1972, under the authority of Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1953 (5 U. S. C. app. ) and other authorities. The Service administers standardization, grading, certification, market news, marketing orders, research and promotion, and regulatory programs. The Agricultural Marketing Service includes five commodity programs--Dairy, Fruit and Vegetable, Livestock and Seed, Poultry, and Cotton and Tobacco. The programs provide standardization, grading and market news services for those commodities. They enforce such Federal Laws as the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act and the Federal Seed Act. AMS commodity programs also oversee marketing agreements and orders, administer research and promotion programs, and purchase commodities for Federal food programs. The AMS National Organic Program (NOP) develops, implements, and administers national production, handling, and labeling standards for organic agricultural products. The NOP also accredits the certifying agents (foreign and domestic) who inspect organic production and handling operations to certify that they meet USDA standards. The AMS Science and Technology Program lends centralized scientific support to AMS programs, including laboratory analyses, laboratory quality assurance, coordination of scientific research conducted by other agencies for AMS, and statistical and mathematical consulting services. The AMS Transportation and Marketing Program brings together a unique combination of traffic managers, engineers, rural policy analysts, international trade specialists, and agricultural marketing specialists to help solve problems of U. S. and world agricultural transportation. , provides better quality products to the consumer at reasonable cost, improves market access for growers with small-to medium sized farms, and promotes regional economic development. AMS is part of the Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP) mission area. MRP agencies facilitate the domestic and international marketing of U. S. agricultural products and ensure the health and care of animals and plants. MRP agencies are active participants in setting national and international standards.