“I’m proud of an America that has the strength of being opening and welcoming. I’m proud of an America that… continues to press the case for a federal government, for federal agencies, for our country to be open to diversity; to be open to the sharing of stories; to understand the struggles of those who have come up the hard way; to create a better level of understanding so that over time we can build a trusting relationship that will empower USDA, the federal government and the United States of America.”

~Secretary Vilsack

Over the past eight years, under the leadership of Secretary Vilsack, USDA has forged a new era of civil rights both for our employees and for the communities we serve. Through coordinated outreach and better engagement, we’re forming new partnerships in diverse communities and regaining trust where it was once lost. This is most evident in the rising number of Hispanic and African-American farmers. Between 2007 and 2012, the United States saw a 12 percent increase in the number of black farmers and a 21 percent increase in Hispanic farmers. There is still much to accomplish, but we’ve made significant progress by prioritizing the following five core goals:

1. Correcting Past Mistakes
2. Improving Outreach to Expand the Breadth of Our Service
3. Increasing Representation from Those We Serve
4. Broadening Access to Economic Opportunity
5. Spurring Cultural Transformation within the Department


You can read more about how each of these goals has been addressed and how they’re making progress toward a more equal and inclusive USDA by joining us throughout the month of August as we tell this important story. Follow along on usda.gov, on the USDA blog and by using #USDAResults, or catch up on Chapter VIII on our Medium site.