Mission Dependency

[Issue]{.underline}

Executive Order (E.O.) 13327 -- Federal Real Property Asset Management,
was signed by the President Bush on February 4, 2004, and was made a
program Initiative to the President's Management Agenda. The E.O. has
several major provisions, including the establishment of the Federal
Real Property Council (FRPC) and the identification of 23 real property
mandatory data elements that will be captured and reported by all
executive agencies for each capitalized real property asset. These data
elements include four (4) performance measures: 1) Utilization; 2)
Condition Index; 3) Mission Dependency; and 4) Annual Operating Costs.

[Performance Element #3 -- Mission Dependency]{.underline}

Performance Measure No. 3, Mission Dependency, is defined as the value
an asset brings to the performance of the mission as determined by the
governing agency in one of the following categories:

1.  Mission Critical -- without constructed asset or parcel of land,
    mission is compromised;

2.  Mission Dependent, Not Critical -- does not fit into *Mission
    Critical* or *Not Mission Dependent* categories;

3.  Not Mission Dependent -- mission unaffected.

[Statement of Agency Goals and Objectives]{.underline}

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) was established on November 2,
1953, pursuant to authority vested in the secretary of Agriculture by 5
U.S.C. 301 and Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1953, and other authorities.

ARS is the principal in-house research agency of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA). Congress first authorized federally supported
agricultural research in the organic Act of 1862, which established what
is now USDA. The statute directed the Commissioner of Agriculture "to
acquire and preserve in his department all information he can obtain by
means of books and correspondence, and by practical and scientific
experiments." The scope of USDA's agricultural research programs has
been expanded and extended more than 60 times since the Department was
created.

ARS research is authorized by the Department of Agriculture Organic Act
of 1862 (7 U.S.C. 2201 note); Agricultural Research Act of 1935 (7
U.S.C. 427); Research and Marketing Act of 1946 (P.L. 79-733) , as
amended (7 U.S.C. 427, 1621 note); Food and Agriculture Act 1977 (P.L.
95-113), as amended (7 U.S.C. 1281 note), Food Security Act of 1983
(P.L. 99-198) (7 U.S.C. 3101 note); Food, Agriculture, Conservation and
Trade Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-624) (7 U.S.C. 1421 note); Federal
Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-127); and
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act 1998 (P.L.
105-185). ARS derived most of its objectives from statutory language
specifically the "Purposes of Agricultural Research, Extension, and
Education" set forth in Section 801 of FAIR.

The ARS mission is to conduct research to develop and transfer solutions
to agricultural problems of high national priority 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 for rural citizens, communities, and society as a whole.

[Determination]{.underline}

Mission Dependency for each capitalized constructed asset will be
determined based upon the answers to four basic questions. The questions
are:

**1. If this asset were eliminated, could the unit's goals and
objectives still be met?** Yes or No

**2. If this asset were eliminated, would the health and safety of the
public or agency employees be at substantially increased risk?** Yes or
No

**3. Is there a more cost effective asset, process, or procedure that
can be substituted to meet the function of this asset?** Yes or No

**4. Is this asset's primary purpose to provide emergency services or
for national/local security purposes?** Yes or No

Categorization into one of the three elements will be determined as
follows:

**Mission Critical --** A "No" answer to Question 1; and "Yes" answer to
either Questions 2 or 4.

**Mission Dependent (Not Critical) --** A "No" to all four questions.

**Not Mission Dependent --** A "Yes" answer to Questions 1 or 3.

The questions above are general in nature and would apply to all USDA
agencies' constructed assets. However, due to the great diversity in the
individual missions of the agencies within USDA, additional questions
could be added to fine tune the answers to each agency's particular
mission. However, careful documentation is to be provided for any
additional questions or alternate criteria used to determine Mission
Dependency.

#### ARS Capitalized Building Inventory

ARS has over 3,300 Federally owned buildings under its custody and
control. Of this total, 1,084 buildings with an initial acquisition cost
of \$25,000 or greater are considered capitalized facilities. Attached
is a list of ARS capitalized buildings by location and worksite. Each
building is identified by its unique Building ID and Property Name. The
Predominate Usage column identifies one of the 15 building usage
categories required by the FRPC for reporting purposes. The
Subcategories of Predominate Usage provides a more accurate description
of the building's current usage.