LPS is a team of close to 1,000 Federal and an additional 1,000 State employees who operate under Federal oversight by cooperative agreements the Program has with all 50 States. This work is carried out through seven different LPS Divisions outlined below. LPS administers a wide range of the Agency's programs related to the livestock, meat, poultry, egg, fish, grain and seed industries as well as regulatory and support functions that extend to other commodities as well. The programs include retail country of origin and method of production labeling programs, quality grading services, testing services, domestic and export auditing and accreditation services, mandatory and voluntary market news reporting services, economic and statistical analysis services, research and promotion program oversight, grant programs, and food product specification development and acceptance services for Federal food and nutrition assistance programs including the National School Lunch Program.

Provides a wide range of economic, scientific, statistical, mathematical, and market analytic expertise in support of both Federal Government and industry stakeholders. This team’s high profile work products include the economic analyses used to determine when support of certain commodity markets such as the egg, livestock, poultry, and seafood markets, is warranted as well as issuing public-facing publications such as The Economic Landscape, a monthly overview of key production, price, and trade factors that is used to inform both internal and external stakeholders.

Ensures that covered fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, fish and shellfish sold at retail are labeled by their country of origin and, for fish and shellfish, by their method of production. This Division regularly audits for program compliance at the Nation’s more than 37,000 covered grocery stores and those firms who supply them.

Develops and maintains the specifications for the meat, poultry, egg and fish products purchased by USDA for distribution through the various Federal food and nutrition assistance programs such as The National School Lunch Program. As the Division name implies, a unique and special focus is placed on food safety. The safety of foods purchased by AMS for the various Federal food and nutrition assistance programs served is critical to not only protecting recipients, but to protecting these programs of significant and National importance.

Collects and disseminates price and volume information that aids producers, consumers, and distributors in the sale and purchase of livestock, meat, poultry, eggs, wool, grain, feedstuffs, bioenergy, and their related products nationally and internationally. Information is either collected centrally through mandatory reporting programs from the nation’s largest livestock and meat processors under specific Federal law or on a voluntary basis by Market Reporters stationed throughout the Nation. One report is our

Weekly Livestock, Poultry, & Grain Market Highlights – PDF

Develops and maintains the Federal standards for egg, meat and poultry quality and nomenclature as well as participates in the development of national and international standards setting organizations with the objective of facilitating the marketing of U.S. agricultural products. This Division also provides on a voluntary, user-fee basis a number of grading, certification, and verification services used by industry to market their products domestically and abroad. Familiar retail symbols such as “USDA Verified Tender” beef, “USDA Grade A” eggs, “USDA Choice” lamb, and “USDA Process Verified” poultry, all are a product of this Division’s services.

Oversees the industry-funded beef, egg, lamb, pork, sorghum and soybean research and promotion programs, commonly referred to as checkoff programs, that serve to enhance demand and develop new uses for those commodities. It also administers three grant programs – The Wool Trust, The National Sheep Industry Improvement Center, and the Sheep Production and Marketing Grant Program.

Both enforces the Federal Seed Act, which is a truth in labeling law regulating the interstate shipment of agricultural seeds, as well as provides a wide variety of services aimed at facilitating the domestic and international agricultural seed trade. High profile services include issuing Federal Seed Analysis Certificates that state official test results required by many export markets as well administration of the OECD Seed Schemes program and field and laboratory accreditation programs to assure accuracy of testing results coming from private and State labs.