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The Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) advises the Secretary of Agriculture on policies and programs affecting U.S. agriculture and rural areas. This advice includes assessments of USDA program proposals, legislative proposals, and economic developments of importance to agriculture and rural areas. In addition, the Office of the Chief Economist coordinates activities across USDA agencies. These activities are described below. The World Wide Web address for the Office of the Chief Economist is http://www.usda.gov/oce/
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The World Agricultural Outlook Board is USDA’s focal point for forecasts and projections of global commodity markets. Each month the Board brings together interagency committees of experts to forecast the supply, use, and prices of major commodities in the United States and abroad. The committees also clear agricultural forecasts published by other USDA agencies. This teamwork ensures that USDA forecasts are objective and consistent.
Because growing-season weather is vital to crop forecasts, specialists from the Board work side by side with weather analysts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to monitor the weather and assess its effect on crops. They provide timely information on potential changes in global production and publish a Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin (http://www.usda.gov/oce/waob/jawf.htm). The Board also coordinates departmentwide activity on long-term economic projections, remote sensing, and climate. The Department is one of the largest users of remote sensing in the Federal Government. The Board coordinates remote sensing activities at USDA and chairs the Department’s Remote Sensing Coordination Committee. The Board also hosts the Department’s Chief Meteorologist, who serves as the principle spokesperson on weather and climate issues, chairs a departmental weather and climate coordinating committee, and serves as president of the World Meteorological Organization’s Commission for Agricultural Meteorology. The World Wide Web address for the World Agricultural Outlook Board is http://www.usda.gov/oce/waob/index.htm
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The Office of Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis is responsible for coordinating, reviewing, and approving all risk assessments and cost-benefit analyses of mitigation measures associated with major regulations of the Department. Major regulations are economically significant (with an impact of at least $100 million each year) and have a primary purpose of addressing issues of human health, human safety, or the environment. The Office provides direction to USDA agencies on appropriate methods for these analyses and serves as a focal point on matters relating to risk assessment in interagency reviews. The World Wide Web address for the Office of Risk Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis is http://www.usda.gov/oce/oracba/index.htm
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The coordinator of agricultural labor affairs is responsible for coordinating USDA’s agricultural labor policy. Areas of concern include immigration, the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program, worker protection standards for pesticide use, farm labor supply, and agricultural employment issues. The World Wide Web address for this office is http://www.usda.gov/oce/oce/labor-affairs/affairs.htm
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OCE’s director of sustainable development works to integrate the principals of sustainable development into the Department’s policies and programs, ensuring that economic, social, and environmental considerations are balanced in decisionmaking. The director also directs and coordinates the Department’s domestic and international policies and programs in sustainable development, including sustainable agriculture, forestry, and rural communities. The World Wide Web address for this office is http://www.usda.gov/oce/sd/index.htm. The World Wide Web address for sustainable development activities at USDA is http://www.usda.gov/sustainable/
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The Global Change Program Office functions as the departmentwide coordinator of agriculture, rural, and forestry-related global change program and policy issues. The Office is responsible for coordinating activities with other Federal agencies, interacting with the legislative branch on climate and other global change issues affecting agriculture and forestry, and representing USDA on U.S. delegations to international climate change discussions. The Office ensures that USDA is a source of objective, analytical assessments of the effects of global change and proposed mitigation strategies, and has a coordinated research program to address the multidisciplinary dimensions of global change. The World Wide Web address for the Global Change Program Office is http://www.usda.gov/oce/gcpo/index.htm
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The Office of Energy Policy and New Uses provides leadership for development of departmental energy policy and coordination of departmental energy programs and strategies. The Office provides economic analysis on energy policy issues, coordinates USDA energy-related activities within and outside the Department, and studies the feasibility of new uses of agricultural products. The World Wide Web address for the Office of Energy Policy and New Uses is http://www.usda.gov/oce/oepnu/index.htm
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