During some of the darkest days of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln wondered why agriculture, such a vital industry to the well being of the nation, was represented in the federal government by only a clerk.
At his prompting, Congress created the U.S. Department of Agriculture and 150 years ago today, the USDA was born.
The USDA now handles a wide variety of rural issues and is the primary conduit for a rural voice in the federal government. The USDA has a significant presence in Genesee County through its office on Liberty Street.
Local USDA staff celebrated the anniversary -- as USDA offices all over the nation did -- with cake, cookies and punch.
Photo submitted by David M. Klafehn.
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