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Agricultural Marketing Service – Scientific Integrity Policy Statement

Informational Brochure

In August 2011, the Secretary of Agriculture issued the United States Department of 

Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Scientific Integrity Policy (SIP) memorandum that provides guidance to 

USDA employees and cooperators on the principles of conducting scientific activities, as well as 

the proper use of scientific and scholarly findings. The policy promotes a culture of transparency, 

integrity, and ethical behavior in the development, communication, and application of scientific 

data analyses in USDA decision-making activities. Access to reliable information is vital to the 

Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS’) mission to facilitate the strategic marketing of 

agricultural products in domestic and international markets. In many cases, AMS receives data 

from program stakeholders in order to fulfill requirements stated in assistance documents and/or 

Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs). This information is used to support Agency 

rulemaking, public policy development, inspections for voluntary and regulatory purposes, and 

grading or distributing commodity market news to the public. 

The Agency’s stated core values of honesty, integrity, and customer service play an important 

role in this policy. These guidelines are directed to all AMS employees, cooperators, and 

contractors who are engaged in, supervise, or manage the collection and interpretation of data or 

direct science activities on behalf of the Agency. This policy does not replace the Standards of 

Ethical Conduct (5 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 2635) or other Federal ethical obligations 

or policies regarding employee participation in scientific or data collection activities.

The principles described in the paragraphs below represent AMS SIP. 

• AMS will ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the 

information the Agency collects and disseminates to its stakeholders.

• Where applicable, AMS will use OMB (Standards and Guidelines for Statistical Surveys,

September 2006) best practices and guidance in conducting and releasing statistical 

survey information to the public regarding sampling methodology and data collection 

efforts. 

 

• The Agency will maintain a firm commitment to data driven, science-based decision 

making that is free from political interference or inappropriate influence. When this 

information is considered, AMS will ensure that the underlying assumptions and 

uncertainties are taken into account and communicated during the process as well as 

undergo an independent peer review by qualified experts. Public release of data and 

reports without the required level of review, or without the inclusion of appropriate 

disclaimers, could be considered misconduct in violation of SIP.

• AMS will ensure that all established record retention schedules are followed and, if 

necessary, establish new schedules.
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• AMS will ensure that senior level employees, within the appropriate disciplines and 

interests, are involved in the recruitment and selection of candidates for technical and 

scientific positions in AMS and that selections are based on the candidate's technical 

and scientific knowledge, credentials, experience, and integrity. Furthermore, these 

candidates and their supervisors will be held to the highest standard of professional and 

scientific ethics.

• AMS will ensure that any Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) committee that is 

tasked with giving scientific advice follow General Services Administration, FACA, 

and USDA Departmental Regulation (DR) 1041-001 guidelines and procedures as they 

relate to the recruitment process for new committee members. The process will be 

transparent, and committee member vacancies will be widely advertised, including 

publications in the Federal Register that encourage the public to recommend 

individuals for consideration.

a. Professional biographical information (including current and past professional 

affiliations) for appointed committee members will be made widely available to 

the public (e.g., via a Web site), and subject to Privacy Act and other 

statutory/regulatory considerations. Such information should clearly illustrate 

the individuals' qualifications for serving on the committee.

b. The selection of members to serve on technical or scientific FACA committees 

will be based on expertise, knowledge, and contribution to the relevant subject 

areas. Additional factors include, but are not limited to, the availability of the 

member to serve on the committee; diversity among members of the 

committee; and the ability to work effectively on an advisory committee. All 

Conflict of Interest waivers granted to committee members will be publicly 

available. Federal lobbyists are banned from serving on the committee.

c. All reports, recommendations, and products produced by the committee(s) will

be treated solely as the findings of such a committee rather than the Agency 

and will not be subject to Agency revision.

• AMS employees will be encouraged to publish data and findings in peer-reviewed, 

professional, or scholarly journals that contribute to the mission of the Agency and its 

reputation for collecting market information and promoting marketing innovation. 

Employees must coordinate these activities with their AMS supervisors and AMS’ Public 

Affairs staff. 

• AMS employees will be encouraged to participate in professional or scholarly societies, 

committees, task forces, and other specialized bodies of professional societies, as 

appropriate. Such participation should be reviewed by the employee’s supervisor and the 

AMS’ Ethics Office to determine if it is appropriate for employees to be conducted in a 

personal or official capacity.

• AMS has in place the following mechanism to report and resolve violations of the SIP:
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a. The Agency will comprehensively investigate each allegation (whether by a 

formal submission to the Agency, an informal document, or by verbal 

communication) of misconduct while ensuring the rights and privacy of any party 

against whom the allegation is made. AMS will comply with the requirements of

the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 (WPA), Public Law 101-12, and

expanded protections enacted by Public Law 103-424.

 

b. The AMS Scientific Integrity Officer (ASIO) and/or AMS Research Integrity 

Officer (ARIO) will perform the initial review of allegations to evaluate the 

timing, content, and reasonableness of the allegation to determine if the allegation 

should be dismissed or proceed to the inquiry stage.

c. The ASIO and/or ARIO will notify the USDA Departmental Scientific Integrity 

Officer (DSIO) and/or USDA Research Integrity Officer (USDA RIO) of all 

allegations of violations of the USDA SIP received by the Agency, as applicable.

d. The ASIO may determine that a Review Panel (RP) of subject area experts will be 

assembled for initial fact finding. ASIO and/or ARIO will oversee the RP. The 

RP compiles and analyzes the factual record to determine the scope and impact of 

the alleged misconduct. The RP prepares a summary review with findings. At any 

time, the ASIO and/or ARIO or RP may refer the matter to the Office of Inspector

General, if appropriate.

 

e. A final report will be sent to the Associate Administrator with recommendations 

as to corrective and disciplinary actions, as appropriate, in accordance with 

USDA personnel policies.

• Finally, the SI policy outlines the responsibilities of all AMS employees, cooperators,

and contractors for upholding and implementing the principles embedded in this policy. It 

allows the Agency to address concerns regarding how the information was collected and 

interpreted in addressing scholarly, scientific, and program issues. Any loss of integrity 

in the decision-making process could undermine the Agency’s reputation with program 

stakeholders, or weaken the Agency’s ability to effectively conduct the business of the 

Agency. This SIP does not supersede USDA’s SIP Handbook (DR 1074-001), but is 

designed to provide supplementary policies for a non-research organization in identifying 

and addressing information used by the Agency for policymaking and public release.