Department of Agriculture
- proper noun
- Formal
- The Department of Agriculture provides essential support for farmers across the country.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- US Department of Agriculture
- USDA
And Big Agriculture was, and the head of the Department of Agriculture was in there and they said you can't put this system on a package.
- And Big Agriculture was, and the head of the Department of Agriculture was in there and they said you can't put this system on a package.
Examples
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According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, only 5 percent of that is locally grown.
Blog text (22) -
Under heavy security, the crop estimates for next year's orange crop are being delivered from Miami to the Department of Agriculture in Washington, DC.
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And how can I help the Department of Agriculture today?
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The Department of Agriculture gets those estimates from all over the country.
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I'm with the Department of Agriculture.
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The Department of Agriculture has found no solution for infected, dying crops.
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Stockpiles are now down 48 percent, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Blog text (6) -
...the US Department of Agriculture is checking whether state meat and poultry inspectors are good enough to allow the product to go on sale nationally.
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Food stamps are a program administered by the Department of Agriculture (not HHS as many believe).
Blog text (4) -
Tonight, we have with us Dr. Samantha Stamen, Head Botanist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.
Synonyms
A US government department that helps farmers and manages food programs
A part of the United States government that makes and enforces rules about farming and food
Surface Forms
Morphology
department + of + agriculture
The meaning is directly compositional: 'department' (an organizational unit) + 'of' (linking) + 'agriculture' (farming) yields an institutional body responsible for agriculture. This institutional naming pattern is common across languages and follows standard English grammar, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Department of Agriculture is the name for the government office that looks after 'farming' and food. The word department means a part of the government and agriculture means 'farming', so the name shows it makes rules, runs research, and supports rural areas.