USDA History Collection

Transferred to the National Agricultural Library in 1997, the materials known as the USDA History Collection were gathered over a period of several decades by the former Agricultural and Rural History Section of the USDA's Economic Research Service. The collection was created as a practical research tool to assist the work of historians, economists, and others interested in the history of the USDA.

The files within the collection measure about 660 linear feet. The material covers agricultural history and the activities of the USDA from about 1900 to the 1990s. There are also materials relating to the work of the Department back to its founding in 1862, as well as letters, diaries, ledgers and other historical manuscripts dating from 1785 to the early twentieth century.

Types of material include correspondence, memoranda, speeches, administrative and biographical records; annual reports, directories, newsletters, clippings and press releases, papers of individuals, oral histories and interviews, and photographs. Several thousand books and printed reports that accompanied the historical files have been integrated into the general collection of NAL.

USDA History Collection: Legislative Histories

Twenty six (26) record center cartons, approximately 26 linear feet, of legislative histories and committee reports tracing U.S. House of Representatives and Senate activity on public laws, were received as part of the USDA History Collection. The dates of the documents range from 1963-1981. Materials that pertain to the USDA include farm bill histories and cost of production reports for milk, hogs, and various crops.

Because NAL is not responsible for collecting materials relating to the activities of Congress and due to the availability of these documents elsewhere, NAL Special Collections recorded the contents of this component of the USDA History Collection, then deaccessioned the material. These legislative histories are accessible through the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Library of Congress's service, THOMAS.

The National Archives and Records Administration holds the records of Congress in its Center for Legislative Archives. Contact information for this Center is: Center for Legislative Archives, National Archives and Records Administration 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20408 Phone: 202-501-5350 Fax: 202-219-2176.

Finding aids and other resources can be found online at the following locations:

Information about the records of Congress can be accessed through this website: http://www.archives.gov/records_of_congress/index.html.

US Senate Committee Resource Guides are found here: http://www.archives.gov/records_of_congress/committee_resource_guides/senate/senate.html.

The Records of the US Senate finding aid can be searched from this link: http://www.archives.gov/records_of_congress/senate_guide/table_of_contents_short.html.

US House of Representatives Resource Guides are not yet available online, but can be found at the repository.

The Records of the US House of Representatives finding aid can be searched from this link: http://www.archives.gov/records_of_congress/house_guide/table_of_contents_short.html.

The Library of Congress's service, THOMAS, can be searched for legislative information and Congressional publications from this link: http://thomas.loc.gov. Public laws and Bill Summaries can be searched back to the 93rd Congress (1973-1974). Committee reports are only available back to the 104th Congress (1995-1996).

The National Agricultural Law Center contains legislative information on a variety of agriculture topics, but only goes back to 1995.

Inventory of Legislative Histories and Committee Reports Deaccessioned from the USDA History Collection

The USDA History Collection

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The National Agricultural Library Special Collections 10301 Baltimore Avenue Beltsville, MD 20705 301-504-5876 speccoll@nal.usda.gov November 8, 2001