Local Success, Global Value

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Agricultural 

Marketing Service

ACHIEVEMENT

REPORT 

2016
AMS:

Local Success, 

Global Value

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and AMS Administrator 

Elanor Starmer cut the ribbon for the 2016 USDA Farmer’s 

Market in Washington, DC on Friday, May 6, 2016. 

AMS is a uniquely innovative agency. Our services support the economic success of 

communities around the country and provide transparency and quality assurance to all who 

consume agricultural products. Our mission drives us to be responsive to industry needs 

and loyal to consumers’ desire for high-quality choices in the marketplace—whether that 

marketplace is local or global. This mission requires us to innovate along with our stakeholders. 

Our employees reflect this commitment with their creativity, dedication, and energy—and that 

makes AMS a wonderful place to work.

 We set our sights high, and this 2016 Annual Report reflects how much we have accomplished. 

From our grading, auditing, and certification programs, which handle over $150 billion worth 

of agricultural products each year, to the financial and technical resources we put to work to 

help farmers and ranchers access new markets, AMS is a vital partner for the businesses and 

communities we serve. I am very proud of the many ways AMS supports the economic engines 

that power communities.

-AMS Administrator Elanor Starmer

INNOVATION, DIVERSITY,

and COMMITMENT—

-Elanor Starmer

The words I most associate with AMS—

are the qualities that make us a 

vital partner for the businesses and 

communities we serve.

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Communication

Communication

Goal 1: Enhance Communication Between 

Stakeholders & AMS Programs

Providing On-Demand Information & Help

Information is crucial to any business. Getting 

the right information is essential to success 

when tracking market trends or following 

rulemaking. At AMS, we value transparency 

and openness in our operations and in our 

work with stakeholders.

We are making it easier to stay up-to-date 

on the programs and services stakeholders 

rely on. This year, we added a new email 

subscription service, allowing industry to 

get the latest information on the topics that 

matter. Simply by clicking the red envelope 

on any of our webpages or by typing in your 

email address on the homepage, signing 

up to receive updates on any AMS topics 

is easy. From press releases and blogs to 

grade standards and rulemaking—the email 

subscription service provides the latest 

information.

Our website is also mobile friendly—giving 

full access to information on phones, laptops, 

or tablets. And AMS is reachable via social 

media, too. As of August 2016, we are now 

on Instagram, giving visual insight into our 

mission and services. We welcome questions, 

comments, and conversations there and on 

Twitter. 

Stakeholders can join our network of more 

than 70,000 GovDelivery subscribers at www.

ams.usda.gov/subscribe and never miss an 

important announcement. Stakeholders can 

also follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/

USDA_AMS) and on Instagram (www.instagram.

com/USDA_AMS).

In 2016, AMS increased the overall transparency of our regulatory process 

by:

Engaging the public more during rulemaking efforts. Our work with organic stakeholders 

alone resulted in tens of thousands of public comments on proposed rules and guidance 

documents.

Offering more than double the webinars and teleconferences for stakeholders. Our 

Pesticide Data Program, for example, held its first stakeholder meeting and webinar, gaining 

insight and expertise from people across the country.

We also developed stronger relationships and partnerships with those we 

serve by:

Increasing the number of small businesses approved as USDA Foods vendors. Twenty-nine 

small businesses were approved, including 5 owned by women and 4 owned by Native 

Americans.

Facilitating meetings to address industry challenges. For instance, we brought producers, 

retailers, wholesalers, and key USDA experts to the table to discuss challenges and next 

steps for American egg producers responding to growing market demand for cage-free 

eggs.

This year, we also added useful communication tools, such as:

An easy way to get updates via email. We launched our email subscription service 

(GovDelivery) to allow our customers, stakeholders, and employees to stay informed on the 

issues that matter most to them.

Expanded social media channels. AMS is now on Instagram, providing visual insights into the 

work we do and the people we serve.

National Farmers Market Week tools. We put together a full communications toolkit to help 

farmers markets across the country celebrate together.

New factsheets and outreach materials. Our catalog of printable and downloadable 

resources grew, including new tools on organic production, cage-free demand, and many 

other hot topics.

Under this Administration, 

USDA has invested 

more than $1 

billion in over

40,000 local & 

regional food 

businesses & 

infrastructure 

projects.

U.S. Marine Corps veteran 

Calvin Riggleman grows 

fresh organic produce at 

his West Virginia farm. 

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Market Support

Developing a long-term transportation infrastructure plan to support American agricultural 

producers. At the request of Congress, AMS experts developed a report that explores how 

USDA is working with other Federal agencies to ensure the future of transportation for the 

agriculture sector. We also provided vital insight into the Surface Transportation Board’s 

study on the impact of allowing competitive switching regulations. 

Coordinating and facilitating international opportunities. This year, we oversaw work by 

the 22 industry Research and Promotion Boards and 18 industry Marketing Order Boards 

to collaborate with Cuba on cooperative research and information exchanges to further 

advance agricultural relations. So far, this initiative has resulted in 12 projects submitted to 

AMS for approval. 

y:

Launching Marketing Analysis 

Reporting Services (MARS), the 

agency’s first Big Data Initiative. This 

robust, open-source solution replaces 

the USDA Market News Information and 

Communication Systems, enabling the 

Market News team to more efficiently 

provide price, sales and supply chain 

data to the public about more than 

1,600 varieties of 196 commodities.

Enhancing and expanding our data 

collection. Not only did we use 

rulemaking to improve our mandatory 

reporting program for swine and lamb, 

we also developed several FederalState cooperative agreements to 

expand our collection of local, regional, 

and specialty market data to reach 

more farmers markets, Farm to 

School sales, and emerging high-value 

markets like non-GMO grain and grassfed beef. As of 2016, AMS Market News 

also reports on 250 organic products.

Goal 2: Provide Market Information & 

Marketing Innovation

Market Support

In 2016, we took a strategic approach to expanding our 

services and supporting new markets by:

Adding a Local and Regional Food Systems Policy Advisor as a permanent 

addition to our team. The new advisor works with stakeholders, policymakers, 

and experts across Federal agencies to coordinate and unify our efforts to 

serve this growing sector of agriculture.

Developing several sets of foreign language guidance documents. Offering 

regulatory guidance in other languages for programs like Country of Origin 

Labeling (COOL) helps more producers and businesses across all sectors 

of agriculture ensure compliance with labeling, marketing order, and other 

regulations.

Mobilizing internal experts to begin implementing the National Bioengineered 

Food Disclosure Labeling legislation. Signed into law over the summer, AMS has 

developed a time line for implementation, issued a Request for Proposals for 

the electronic study, and established several communications channels to keep 

stakeholders informed throughout the regulatory process.

Collaborating on international efforts to develop animal welfare standards. 

Through an agreement between the International Organization for 

Standardization (ISO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), USDA 

helped develop the first animal welfare standard of its kind, which will help 

improve transparency regarding the living conditions of animals raised for food 

production world-wide.

Working with research institutions and academic partners to create vital tools 

and resources. New publications and guidebooks launched in 2016, such as “The 

Economics of Local Food Systems: A Toolkit to Guide Community Discussions, 

Assessments and Choices,” help communities and businesses identify 

community priorities and evaluate options for building economically successful 

ventures. 

We also revolutionized our data offerings,

providing more insight than ever into growing 

markets, trends, and commodities by:

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Market Support

Good Natured Family Farms (GNFF), a 

cooperative of 18 Amish family farms in 

Missouri, is the first group certified under 

the new, fully established GroupGAP 

program, a voluntary USDA Good Agricultural 

Practices (GAP) audit program added in 

2016 and managed by AMS. The program 

allows producers of all sizes to meet buyer 

requirements for food safety audits by sharing 

the costs and going through certification as a 

group, rather than individually.

GroupGAP officially became the newest food 

safety certification option offered by USDA in 

April 2016 after completion of a 2-year pilot. 

Since then, AMS has conducted 10 GroupGAP 

audits representing more than 300 operations.

Since 2002, AMS has provided the traditional 

GAP audit program to the fruit and vegetable 

industry. This voluntary program verifies that 

participants are following U.S. Food and Drug 

Administration (FDA) guidelines and industry 

best practices to minimize risks of food safety 

hazards when producing, handling, and storing 

fruits, vegetables, and other specialty crops. 

In 2016, AMS conducted nearly 4,000 traditional 

GAP audits.

Opening New Doors for Producers

Quality Testing

Goal 3: Provide Quality Claims & 

Analysis to Facilitate Marketing

Several innovative programs, including instrumentation and automation 

investments, enabled AMS to improve our quality grading and auditing 

services this year by:

Increasing the efficiency of processing and testing. This year we processed more than 1 

million cotton samples in the AMS cotton classification facility in Abilene, TX, while decreasing 

the number of testing instruments needed, saving approximately $1.5 million compared to 

previous methods. 

Responding to consumer and market demands to create new auditing programs. AMS 

partnered with industry clients to develop ground-breaking consumer marketing programs, 

including a non-GE/GMO USDA Process Verified Program (PVP) for consumer-facing products 

and the McDonald’s Responsible Antibiotic Use PVP for chicken.

Developing enhanced quality controls to protect farmers. Our work to improve the Quality 

Assurance Program for the Federal milk marketing order laboratory systems helps ensure 

that dairy farmers are properly paid for milk production that falls under the Federal Order 

program—a market valued at over $21 billion.

IT FEELS GOOD

to bring locally grown, 

safe produce to our most 

vulnerable families who 

need access to fresh, 

healthy food.

Pastor Terry Glenn,

who works with Good 

Natured Family Farms to 

source GAP certified locally 

grown produce.

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Quality Testing Quality Testing

We also leveraged technology to improve usability and streamline 

processes for our stakeholders by:

Implementing the first stage of AMS’s new Electronic Plant Variety Protection (ePVP) system, 

which enables staff to issue electronic certificates of intellectual property protection to 

breeders of new varieties of seeds and tubers, and allows external applicants and brokers 

to enter application requests and make payments through the Pay.Gov interface. 

Updating the Electronic Trade Document Exchange (eTDE) system that houses approximately 

1.5 million export certificates for dairy, meat, poultry, peanut, almond and egg products so 

that the more than 1,000 exporters in 100 countries who regularly use the system can enter 

information and search the database in several foreign languages.

Nikki Adams, in the AMS Livestock, 

Poultry, and Seed Program, is one of 

a small group of highly qualified AMS 

auditors who help companies add value 

to their products through voluntary 

audit programs, such as the USDA 

Process Verified Program (PVP). 

The backbone of PVP is the 

International Organization for 

Standardization’s (ISO) guidelines for 

quality management systems auditing 

designed to ensure that a production 

system is operating within the 

company’s parameters.

AMS is committed to the transparency 

and accountability of our auditing 

services so that consumers and buyers 

can make informed decisions about the 

products they purchase. 

That’s why School Food FOCUS worked 

with AMS to create a comprehensive 

PVP program to verify that companies 

are meeting the requirements of its 

Certified Responsible Antibiotic Use 

(CRAU) standard. In January 2016, AMS 

and School Food FOCUS announced 

that PVP auditors, like Nikki, will work 

with companies to verify that CRAU’s 

requirements, including that the use 

of medically important antibiotics in 

raising chicken is rare, well-documented 

and only with a licensed veterinarian’s 

prescription, are being met.

From farm to market, USDA labels—like 

the USDA Process Verified shield—will 

continue to represent the quality, 

objectivity, and integrity that 

consumers and stakeholders, such 

as the school food directors who 

buy nearly $1 billion of chicken 

every year, can rely on. 

Bringing More Transparency 

to Labeling

$139 BILLION

In FY 2015, The United States exported over

in agricultural exports.

AMS issued over 44,000 export certificates

to over 110 countries affecting approximately

$5 billion in international dairy trade

and designed and implemented a Chinese compliance 

certification program for U.S. dairy facilities enabling dairy 

trade with China valued at over $450 million to continue.

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Oversight

This year, we continued to ensure consumer confidence in the quality and 

wholesomeness of the foods they buy through: 

Maintaining a COOL compliance level of over 95 percent. This provides U.S. consumers with 

the confidence and information they need to understand where their food comes from.

Completing a full launch of the Organic Integrity Database. Starting in 2016, every organic 

certifier submitted data about organic farms and businesses through the system. As a 

result, the public is able to track and count certified organic operations more easily than 

ever before.

AMS also used new processes, procedures and methods to improve 

understanding and compliance with regulatory requirements and proposals 

by:

Streamlining the import process for fruits, vegetables, and other specialty crops by 

implementing the Compliance and Enforcement Management System (CEMS), which 

automates the integration and analysis of data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection 

with AMS inspection certificates. This streamlines the process for imported produce, 

bringing compliant goods to market more quickly and helping enforce import regulations 

more uniformly.

Oversight

Goal 4: Provide Effective Oversight 

of Markets & Entities

Leveraging strategies and technologies to reach stakeholders impacted by proposed rules. 

Our dairy team is working to keep California dairy producers and other interested parties 

informed and involved in the rulemaking related to an industry-requested Federal Milk 

Marketing Order in California.

Working with our fellow agencies to ensure products are treated accurately. This year, 

AMS worked with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to ensure that 

imported organic products are clearly identified and handled properly. These changes mean 

that any organic products that have to be treated for pest control purposes at the border 

will be removed from the organic stream of commerce.

Seeing Results from the 2014 Farm Bill

The AMS National Organic Program ensures 

that the USDA organic seal is a global standard. 

Currently, there are more than 31,000 certified 

organic operations around the world, including 

21,000 in the United States. The growing number 

of organic operations shows that USDA’s 

strong support for the vibrant $43 billion U.S. 

organic sector is helping to create jobs and 

opportunities in rural communities.

The 2014 Farm Bill is funding technology 

investments in the AMS Organic INTEGRITY 

Database, which provides current information 

about organic farms and businesses, and the 

products they produce. Anyone can conduct 

market research, confirm an operation’s 

certification status, and identify supply chain 

connections between buyers and sellers. 

Industry and the public can now perform 

increasingly sophisticated advanced searches 

by operation status, exact product name, and 

other criteria. Farms and businesses also can 

find an organic certifier in their geographic 

area far more easily. 

This year, we added a certifier reporting 

module to the database. Certifiers can now 

log in to the database and regularly update 

the list of organic operations they certify. 

Every organic certifier submits data about 

their organic farms and businesses through 

the system including historical information. As 

a result, the public is able to track and count 

certified organic operations more easily than 

ever before.

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Oversight Oversight

Our “Sound and Sensible” initiative helps 

make organic certification more accessible, 

attainable, and affordable for producers 

and businesses by streamlining the process, 

focusing on enforcement, and working with 

farmers and processors to correct small 

issues before they become larger ones. This 

year, AMS published 44 educational products, 

generated by 14 partner private-sector 

organizations, including videos, tip sheets, and 

training presentations to support certification 

across the country. AMS also generated a 

new self-guided training program for organic 

certifiers about how to conduct an organic 

inspection based on sound and sensible 

principles. Check out the full list of resources 

at: www.ams.usda.gov/reports/sound-sensible. 

AMS also oversees organic trade 

arrangements with several countries, including 

Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Japan, 

and the members of the European Union. 

These arrangements benefit U.S. producers 

and processors by creating new export 

markets and economic opportunities. In 

anticipation of a possible organic equivalency 

arrangement with Mexico, the United States 

and Mexico established terms for a Joint 

Organic Compliance Committee in 2016. This 

committee’s work will strengthen monitoring 

and enforcement controls and improve the 

traceability of organic products traded 

between the two countries. These initiatives 

support worldwide recognition of the integrity 

of the USDA organic seal and build market 

opportunities for U.S. producers and handlers. 

With sales of over$11 BILLION

in 2014 & projected growth of 10 % annually,

LOCAL & REGIONALLY PRODUCED 

FOOD is the FASTEST GROWING 

SECTOR of American agriculture.

Matthew Raiford, co-owner of Gilliard Farms, a Certified Organic Farm

YOU’RE TAUGHT THAT A SEED 

ALREADY HAS EVERYTHING IT 

NEEDS TO START...

I think that’s what organic certification’s about—starting off 

with all the things you need in the very beginning, and then 

adding just what’s needed to grow the full plant. 

Not a whole bunch of other stuff.

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Responsive Solutions 

Responsive Solutions

Goal 5: Provide Premier Procurement & 

Technical Solutions

Evolving & Innovating 

to Meet Ag’s Needs

AMS oversees the food product purchases for the USDA Foods program, 

a vital component of our Nation’s food safety net. In 2016, our improved webbased purchasing and reporting system enabled us to: 

Act as the purchasing arm for USDA’s food assistance programs. We purchased and 

delivered 2.6 billion pounds of nutritious food products, worth about $2.3 billion, for 

programs that serve schools, food banks, Indian Tribal Organizations, and the elderly.

Increase access to unprocessed fruits and vegetables. This year, we continued to work with 

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to manage 

the 2014 Pilot Project for the Procurement 

of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables 

(Unprocessed Pilot), which in 2016 delivered 

approximately $6.1 million of produce to 

USDA food programs.

Big Data isn’t just a buzzword 

at AMS. It is the driving force 

behind our effort to make 

USDA Market News data more 

useful to the entire agricultural 

supply chain through the new 

Market Analysis and Reporting 

Services (MARS) system. This 

dynamic, innovative change 

will assist USDA Market News 

in collecting and distributing 

information electronically from 

remote locations, by combining 

reporting from all commodity 

areas into a single platform.

MARS, unveiled in 

February 2016 at USDA’s 

Agricultural Outlook 

Forum, moves Market 

News and its data 

about more than 600 

commodities into the Big Data 

era. For more than 100 years, 

agricultural producers of all 

sizes have used USDA’s free 

Market News service to get 

timely, unbiased data. 

This new system reflects 

advances in data 

management, improves 

market transparency, reduces 

information disadvantage that 

may exist between buyers and 

sellers, and continues USDA’s 

100-year commitment to use 

experienced reporters to 

gather, analyze, and provide 

unbiased data through 

cooperative relationships 

and observation within the 

agricultural supply chain.

We also continued to ensure the safety and quality

of the foods we purchase by:

Thoroughly testing the meat and egg products we buy. AMS 

collected and analyzed approximately 70,000 samples of 

beef, poultry, and egg products.

Ensuring that animal welfare standards are adhered to for 

our meat purchases. This year, we conducted over 50 animal 

handling and welfare audits at AMS-approved vendors to 

ensure that animals are being treated humanely.

Being open and honest about our testing and audit results. 

We make the results of all microbiological testing and 

animal welfare audits available to the public to increase 

transparency and public awareness of our food safety 

measures.

Tiarra McLenore and her son, 

Matthew George, waiting in line at the 

Food Pantry in the Grace Lutheran Church in 

Richmond, California. AMS purchased 

and delivered 2.6 billion pounds 

of food products to support 

food banks, schools and more 

in 2016.

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Team AMS

Forging Partnerships

to Ensure Mutual Success

Team AMS

Goal 6: Sustain a Diverse, Dynamic Organization Many know President Abraham Lincoln as our 

country’s leader during the Civil War, one of 

its most trying times in the 1860s. Fewer people 

may know that, within 2 years, President 

Lincoln established both USDA—something 

he called “The People’s Department”—and 

Gallaudet University, an institution that has 

helped thousands 

of deaf and 

hard-of-hearing 

students achieve 

their educational 

goals and fulfill 

their dreams.

Now, more than 150 years later, these two 

transformational events converged. In 

December 2016, AMS signed a Memorandum 

of Understanding (MOU) with Gallaudet 

that will help ensure that a diverse group 

of candidates, including individuals with 

disabilities and other minorities, are well 

positioned to enter agricultural fields. 

We will work with Gallaudet to provide 

qualified students with information, advice, and 

assistance in applying for AMS internships and 

jobs, building on the legacy of both institutions 

by encouraging Gallaudet’s students to 

consider an internship or career at AMS.

The success of American agriculture is vital 

to the success of America. And it is vital that 

USDA, the People’s Department, cultivates 

a diverse and talented workforce that 

represents all those we serve.

We are committed to ensuring that AMS employees reflect the diverse 

population that we serve. In 2016, we made strides in building our team by:

Hiring 635 talented new employees and conducting 10 recruiting events across the country. 

These 2016 new employees are more diverse than those hired in 2014 and 2015. In addition, 

for the first time, AMS’s new hires of individuals with non-targeted disabilities exceeded the 

Federal Government’s hiring goal of 10 percent.

Piloting a new initiative with the U.S. Department of Labor to launch a yearlong 

apprenticeship program for agricultural commodity graders focused on veterans. 

Some examples of the ways we became more efficient and improved our 

workflow this year include:

Consolidating management of five grant programs that award over $100 million in Federal 

funds to approximately 1,200 projects each fiscal year in order to improve grant-related 

service delivery by AMS employees and the timeliness of grant-related payments and 

reports. 

Executing Signature Process Improvement Projects for 

various agricultural product graders and other staff, as 

well as developing relevant webinars on topics ranging 

from budget to performance management for both 

AMS field and headquarters staff.

We also made strides in engaging our 

employees in 2016 by: 

Establishing a headquarters employee engagement 

advisory committee to advise AMS management and 

strengthen communications and connectivity at every level 

within the agency.

Launching the What a Great Idea (WAGI) employee suggestion 

program, which provides a mechanism for employees to suggest new 

ways to strengthen the agency’s work, receive votes from their peers, 

and implement their innovative ideas. 

Creating our first AMS Employee Handbook to provide everything employees 

need to know about the agency, all in one place.

A student flashes the sign for “I love you” at Gallaudet 

University’s 2016 graduation ceremony.

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AMS Financials 

FY2016

Resources

AMS offers a wealth of online resources to meet 

evolving stakeholder and public needs. Our website 

provides access to a comprehensive array of publications; site visitors can view, 

download, and print infographics, forms, reports, and more.

Reports: www.ams.usda.gov/resources

This section hosts in-depth reports and presentations on relevant data, including organic 

productions, marketing and economic analysis, meat grading, and much more.

Fact Sheets: www.ams.usda.gov/publications/Fact_Sheets

AMS fact sheets condense complex information into useful one-page handouts which can be 

shared at meetings and public events.

Infographics and Data Visualizations: 

www.ams.usda.gov/resources/infographics-data-visualizations

Our engaging infographics cover a range of topics, from tips on buying meat and eggs to 

current data on farmers markets and food hubs.

Presentations: www.ams.usda.gov/presentations

This archive of video, webinar, and PowerPoint presentations covers many of our programs and 

services.

22%

Commodity 

Purchases

with Food & Nutrition 

Service Funds

37%

Mandatory 

Appropriations

26%

Industry Board 

Assessments

8% User Fees

4% Farm Bill Grants

3% Discretionary 

Appropriations

• Specialty Crops

• Livestock, Poultry & 

Seed

• Cotton & Tobacco

• Dairy

• National Organic 

Program

• Transportation & 

Marketing

• Science & Technology

• Information Technology 

Service

• Compliance & Analysis

AMS Program Areas

• Commodity Procurement

• Public Affairs

• Legislative and Regulatory Review

• Civil Rights

AMS Staff Offices

20 AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE 2016 ACHIEVEMENT REPORT 2016 ACHIEVEMENT REPORT 2016 ACHIEVEMENT REPORT 21
Contact Info

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations 

and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, 

and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs 

are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, 

religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public 

assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights 

activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all 

programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., 

Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency 

or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay 

Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other 

than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, 

AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a 

letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request 

a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) 

mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence 

Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

www.ams.usda.gov

202-720-2791

1400 Independence Ave SW

Room 3071-S

Washington, DC 20250

8,600 MARKETS,an

INCREASE of almost

98% between 2006 

and 2016.

In 2015, the United States exported nearly

7.1 BILLION LBS. of

FRESH FRUITS & 

VEGETABLES 

to Canada & Mexico, worth 

$4.2 BILLION.

With USDA’s continued support, farmers markets and local food 

systems have seen tremendous growth. In fact, USDA’s National 

Farmers Market Directory now lists over

AMS’ grading, auditing, certification and inspection services 

ensure the quality of domestic products - helping American farms 

and businesses export goods to over 100 different countries.

In 2016, AMS graded over

26 BILLION LBS. of MEAT 

& POULTRY & 2.4 BILLION 

DOZEN SHELL EGGS.

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January 2017