USDA Strategic Plan
United States Department of AgricultureUSDA Strategic PlanFY 2018 – 2022
ContentsSTRATEGIC GOAL 1:Ensure USDA Programs Are Delivered Effciently, Effectively,With Integrity and a Focus on Customer Service .5STRATEGIC GOAL 2:Maximize the Ability of American Agricultural Producers ToProsper by Feeding and Clothing the World.15STRATEGIC GOAL 3:Promote American Agricultural Products and Exports .25STRATEGIC GOAL 4:Facilitate Rural Prosperity and Economic Development .33STRATEGIC GOAL 5:Strengthen the Stewardship of Private Lands ThroughTechnology and Research.39STRATEGIC GOAL 6:Ensure Productive and Sustainable Use of OurNational Forest System Lands .45STRATEGIC GOAL 7:Provide All Americans Access to a Safe, Nutritious,and Secure Food Supply .531
Message From the SecretaryIt’s my honor to serve witheach and every one of youhere at USDA. Our missionto “do right and feedeveryone” is no easy task,but together as one USDAfamily we can accomplishso much.I am outlining our FY2018-2022 Strategic Plan,made up of seven strategic goals, which willguide us as we work to support American farmers,ranchers, foresters, producers, and consumers inthe years to come. This Plan serves as a roadmapfor everything the USDA family and I will doto remain accountable to each other and to thepeople who rely on us across the country.First and foremost, we will work to prioritizecustomer service every day for our customers – theAmerican taxpayers. Our customers expect – andhave every right to demand – their Governmentto conduct the people’s business effciently,effectively, and with the utmost integrity.We will promote the ability of America’sagricultural sector to produce and sell the food andfber that feeds and clothes the world and to reapthe earned reward of their labor. By promotingAmerican agricultural products, we will workto remove obstacles and give farmers, ranchers,foresters, and producers every opportunity toprosper and thrive.2Here at USDA, we will facilitate rural prosperitythrough the expansion of rural businessopportunities, access to capital, improvedinfrastructure, and support for workforcedevelopment.We will also work to preserve the land.Stewardship is not optional for farmers andranchers. American agriculture’s bounty comesdirectly from the natural resources used to producefood and fber. Today, America’s natural resourcessustain more than 320 million Americans andcountless others around the globe. We will work tomanage the natural resources entrusted directly tothe Department – including our National Forests –with a sharp focus on the sustainable use of theseresources.Last but not least, USDA will continue to ensurethat all Americans have access to a safe and securefood supply.Our FY2018-2022 Strategic Plan will guide thework of all of us at USDA in the coming years toensure our efforts best serve the American public.So, let’s roll up our sleeves and continue to “doright and feed everyone.”Sincerely,Sonny PerdueSecretary
Mission StatementProvide leadership on agriculture, food, natural resources, rural infrastructure,nutrition, and related issues through fact-based, data-driven, and customer-focuseddecisions.Vision StatementDo right and feed everyoneCore ValuesWe expect and require complete honesty and integrity in all we do.We make commitments with care and live up to them.We own up to problems and are always responsive.We provide service to our customers on time, every time.We guard, conserve, and preserve USDA resources the taxpayers have entrusted to us.Stakeholder EngagementUSDA regularly consults with external stakeholders, including Congress, USDA’scustomers, partners, landowners, policy experts, and industry and consumer groupsregarding our programs’ effectiveness. Recent examples include the Interagency TaskForce on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity Roundtables and the Back to Our RootsListening Tour. These consultations have been used to validate the strategic goals,objectives, and performance measures outlined in the plan.3
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Strategic Goal 1:StrategicGoal 1Ensure USDA Programs Are Delivered Effciently, Effectively,With Integrity and a Focus on Customer ServiceThe Department will modernize andconsolidate Information Technology(IT) infrastructure and services, as wellas strengthen management and oversightof procurement, property, and fnancesto ensure our resources are deployed aseffectively and effciently as possible.We will create a safe and modern spacewithin which employees can work and feelempowered to fnd innovative solutionsto serve our customers’ needs, and willpromote accountability and professionaldevelopment. USDA will leverage thestrength and talent of our employees andreduce regulatory and administrativeburdens to allow agencies to focus on ourcustomers. Improved customer service andemployee engagement will create a moreeffective and accessible USDA for all ourstakeholders.Objective 1.1:Modernize Information TechnologyInfrastructure, Facilities, and SupportServices to Improve the CustomerExperienceThe vast breadth of USDA’s mission enablesus to impact each and every American citizen.Providing our employees and customers withmodern, agile, effcient, and easy-to-usetechnology, spaces, and services is always ourcore focus. Every time a family sits down to eator someone walks into a USDA feld offce,visits a National Forest, or plants a seed, thatperson is relying on more than 100,000 USDAemployees to do their jobs well. In order to makethat happen, we must leverage technology tostreamline communication and use data to identifyopportunities for effciencies in our services.Successful management of USDA’s building,administrative, and IT infrastructure requires apractice of regular assessment and improvement.USDA recognizes and champions the need for afully integrated, cost-effcient, and streamlinedadministrative infrastructure, and we will continueto use lessons learned, employee and stakeholderengagement, and best business practices inmodernization efforts. USDA will continue tobe dedicated to data-driven, enterprise solutionsthrough collaborative governance and humancapital management strategies.5
StrategicGoal 1StrategiesModernize and Consolidate IT Infrastructure andServices: USDA will enhance the internal andexternal customer experience by modernizingand improving the security of IT infrastructureand services. This may be achieved throughconsolidation in some cases, while in other cases,specialized systems or services may be moreeffcient in achieving USDA agencies’ diversemissions. Through these efforts, IT leadershipin each USDA Mission Area will be positionedto more directly focus on their Mission Area’ssystems, data collection and analysis, and riskmanagement. USDA will: (1) Strengthen strategicIT governance by having a single USDA ChiefInformation Offcer (CIO) and one AssistantCIO for each mission area, who will focus onimproving IT for their mission specifc services andprograms. This will reduce the number of CIOswithin USDA from 22 down to one CIO and 9assistant CIOs. (2) Consolidate end-user servicesand data centers from 39 USDA data centers to asingle data center and a back-up. This move willprovide a cost-effective, high-quality Departmentwide helpdesk and reduce cybersecurityvulnerabilities. (3) Enable a strategic approachto data management and introduce data-drivencapabilities by implementing executive dashboardsolutions with USDA-wide data. And (4) improvethe USDA customer experience by establishing aneffective framework to serve customers in-personand online and creating online service portalsthat are easy to use, include additional self-servicecapabilities, and integrate data for commoncustomers. This strategy is also supported byUSDA’s FY 2018-2019 Agency Priority Goals. TheDepartment will highlight the IT modernizationwork as one of the Goals to ensure achievement ofthis strategy.Modernize Facilities Management: USDAwill take a holistic approach to facilitiesmodernization to ensure employees are bestpositioned to serve the public and deliver themission. We will evaluate space allocation and6building modernization through a phased andprioritized approach, ensuring the health, safety,and continued performance excellence of ouremployees, while making responsible use of thetaxpayer dollar.Improve Support Services: Effective USDAmission delivery requires sound support services atthe enterprise level. USDA will be consolidatingmission support delivery at the Mission Arealevel to improve the delivery of support servicesincluding IT, procurement, human resources,and fnancial operations. Reduced redundanciesand a focus on ensuring strategic and enterpriseapproaches to mission support services by creatingmission area business centers will increaseeffciency, reduce costs, improve the customerexperience, and lead to better data-driven decisionmaking. Consolidating mission support servicesfrees up agencies to focus on delivering betterservice to our customers.Continuity of USDA programs: USDA programsmust be delivered under all conditions. Althoughthe Nation faces a wide array of hazards, threats,emergencies, and disruptions created by naturalor man-made events, USDA will ensure thecontinuation of agriculture-related programsand sustain these through the identifcation ofessential functions. These essential functions arethe prioritized activities directly related to USDA’smission that the Department must executethroughout disruptions. Continuity plans andelements will be integrated in all USDA activitiesto ensure viable delivery platform and programscontinue to exist irrespective of circumstance tosustain USDA’s global agricultural leadership.OutcomesThrough our strategies, we will improve customerand employee satisfaction with technologydependent USDA services. A unifed networkthat meets the connectivity needs of a widelygeographically distributed and mobile workforcewill improve collaboration and data sharingacross USDA. The network will enable agencies
to increase bandwidth based on demand, forexample, during peak reporting periods to meetmission needs. By moving to Department-wideend-user enterprise services, USDA will reducecosts, improve cybersecurity operations and boostemployee and customer confdence in USDA’sability to secure their information, and enhanceemployee IT capabilities integral to servingthe public. Furthermore, by centralizing IToperational services, individual agencies will befreed up to focus on modernizing and improvingprogrammatic business processes that directlyinterface with customers.We will maximize utilization of space to provideemployees with modernized, safe, collaborativework areas that support their ability to deliver theUSDA mission. USDA will consider both theintegrity, safety, and layout of the physical spacewhere employees work, as well as the cost impactof their geographical location, to provide a fullview of our mission delivery capabilities.Evidence BuildingUSDA relies on an extensive range of industrystandard performance and operational metricsto ensure customer satisfaction and operationaleffectiveness in the areas of informationtechnology operations, data management,cybersecurity, space management, andprocurement. In addition to creating newenterprise IT services, USDA will establishnew standards based on specifc metrics thatmeasure USDA-wide performance. USDA willcollaborate with other Federal agencies, theOffce of Management and Budget (OMB), andthe General Services Administration (GSA)to review and assess leading practices that meetor exceed established administrative effciencyand performance goals in multiple areas,including: help-desk problem resolution; perunit and per ticket cost-savings; space allocationand utilization; overall customer satisfaction;modernized collaborative work spaces; and ITdevices per employee.Objective 1.2:Maintain a High-Performing WorkforceThrough Employee Engagement andEmpowermentStrategicGoal 1Each USDA employee contributes directlyto our mission success. To maintain a highperforming, customer-centric workforce, USDAwill continue to foster a work environment thatmaximizes employee performance. Researchindicates that the level of employee engagementis a key predictor of organizational productivityand proftability. An employee’s performance isdirectly tied to his or her level of engagementand empowerment. Engaged and empoweredemployees are more dedicated, persistent, andpassionate about their jobs and service delivery,and are more willing to invest personally tosupport the mission. A measure used across theFederal Government to demonstrate employeeengagement is the Best Places to Work rankings,which are based on the Federal EmployeeViewpoint Survey (FEVS) results. The rankingsare a measure provided by the Partnership forPublic Service, a non-proft organization. USDA’sgoal is to remain in the Top 10 Best Places toWork in the Federal Government for largeagencies.StrategiesEnsure Effective Performance Management:Performance plans for every employee arelinked to USDA’s mission so each employeecan personally connect how his or her workcontributes to USDA’s strategic goals. Employeeengagement is incorporated into the performanceplans of all executives, managers, and supervisors.Executives will continue to be expected tochampion employee engagement activities,and Performance Review Boards will rely onperformance review results in the annual ratingprocess. We will also ensure that poor performanceis quickly addressed and that high-performingemployees are recognized and rewarded.7
StrategicGoal 1Leverage Training and Employee DevelopmentOpportunities: All USDA employees willcontinue to be encouraged to work with theirsupervisors on an Individual DevelopmentPlan (IDP) that is updated annually. The IDPrepresents a commitment that leaders make toemployee growth and development. Employeeengagement will continue to be central to theway we do business at USDA, solidifed throughrequired training for supervisors on best practicesto enhance the connection employees have totheir mission and responsibilities. Our personaldevelopment training programs will foster anenvironment of support for continual learningwhich will drive an improved workplace andmission delivery.Foster Collaboration Between Managersand Employees: The key to our success withengaging and empowering employees is effectivecollaboration between managers and employeesthrough multi-directional communication andinformation sharing. Tools that have provenbenefcial to improving connections betweenemployees and managers, such as town hallmeetings, listening sessions, brown bag lunchevents, and informal visits between leadershipand employees will be highlighted and replicatedacross headquarters and feld offces. USDA willcontinue to implement creative mechanisms tocelebrate employee achievements and innovationin mission delivery through performance trackingand strategies for public recognition.8OutcomesEarning a high ranking in the Top 10 Best Placesto Work in the Federal Government for largeagencies by the Partnership for Public Serviceis not just a number to us. Achieving a highranking will serve to validate the other indicatorswe expect to see from our efforts to continue toengage and empower our workforce. Throughtheir mission delivery, engaged and empoweredemployees will fnd creative solutions tounexpected challenges; they will bring innovationto their customer service delivery; they will displaycuriosity and collaboration across agency andMission Area lines; they will celebrate each other’sthoughts and experiences; and they will serveas ambassadors to recruit and retain a talentedworkforce that will ensure USDA’s continuedfuture success and evolution.Evidence BuildingEmployee engagement and empowerment aredirectly tied to mission delivery, thus USDAwill continue to work with Mission Areas tocelebrate, share, and learn from employee successand innovation. Departmental directives andpolicies will be refned to streamline personnelprocesses and emphasize employee engagementthrough performance management. USDA willcollaborate with other Federal agencies that havehigh levels of employee engagement, and we willreview studies from the public and private sectorto continually improve our support of a highperforming workforce.
Objective 1.3:Reduce the Regulatory Burden andStreamline ProcessesUSDA is committed to creating a culture ofconsistent, effcient service to our customerswhile easing regulatory burdens to make it easierto invest, produce, and build in rural America.USDA regulations will allow for the creationof jobs and economic prosperity while ensuringthe safety of our food supply and protecting andsafeguarding our land, water, and other naturalresources for future generations.On February 24, 2017, President Trump signedExecutive Order (E.O.) 13777 – Enforcing theRegulatory Reform Agenda, which establisheda Federal policy to lower regulatory burdenson the American people by implementing andenforcing regulatory reform. It directed Federalagencies to name a Regulatory Reform Offcer(RRO) and establish a Regulatory Reform TaskForce (RRTF). The RRTF is comprised of seniormanagers representing all the major missions ofthe Department.StrategiesThe RRTF will continue to oversee thesolicitation of input from industry stakeholders,the public, and USDA employees to identifyexisting regulations, orders, guidance documents,and policies that may be outmoded, ineffective,insuffcient, or excessively burdensome, andidentifying new ideas to modify, streamline,expand, or repeal such items. Internally, wewill provide support for managers, clarity foremployees, and enhance focus on customer servicethrough reducing the burden of the ad hoc natureof internal USDA directives on USDA operations.As we move forward, USDA will continue toreview comments to ensure they are considered byagencies as they prepare their regulatory agendas.The Department will review its stock of existingregulations, orders, and related guidancedocuments by asking four questions intended tohelp determine if they are consistent with soundpolicy: StrategicGoal 1How does it affect jobs? Does it eliminatejobs, or inhibit job creation?Does it make sense? Is it outdated,unnecessary, or ineffective?Is it worth it? Does it impose costs thatexceed benefts?Is there a better way? Will it create aninconsistency or interfere with regulatoryreform initiatives, policies, and priorities?Is it duplicative within the FederalGovernment? Is it the role of FederalGovernment rather than State/localgovernment or private sector?OutcomeThe intended outcome is to ease the regulatoryburden on the American people and improveservice delivery to USDA customers, and it willbe measured in terms of compliance with E.O.13771 - Reducing Regulation and ControllingRegulatory Costs. The changes will be refectedin the upcoming regulatory agendas and futurestatements of regulatory priorities.Evidence BuildingUSDA will employ three principles to guide itsregulatory review and reform effort: scientifcrigor, lawfulness, and sound policy. All evidenceused by agencies in support of a regulation willbe based upon sound science, data, information,or methods that are publicly available andsuffciently transparent to meet the standard forreproducibility. USDA’s regulatory review andreform exercise will ensure that the science a
I am outlining our FY2018-2022 Strategic Plan, made up of seven strategic goals, which will guide us as we work to support American farmers, ranchers, foresters, producers, and consumers in the years to come. This Plan serves as a roadmap for everything the USDA family and
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