For the purpose of encouraging and promoting the marketing of agricultural commodities of the United States and assisting American farmers, processors, distributors, and exporters to adjust their operations and practices to meet world conditions, the Secretary of Agriculture shall acquire information regarding the competition and demand for United States agricultural commodities, the marketing and distribution of such commodities in foreign countries and shall be responsible for the interpretation and dissemination of such information in the United States and shall make investigations abroad regarding the factors affecting and influencing the export of United States agricultural commodities, and shall conduct abroad any other activities including the demonstration of standards of quality for American agricultural commodities for which the Department of Agriculture now has or in the future may have such standards, as he deems necessary. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as prohibiting the Department of Agriculture from conducting abroad any activity for which authority now exists.
(Aug. 28, 1954, ch. 1041, title VI, §601, 68 Stat. 908; Pub. L. 95–501, title III, §301(3), Oct. 21, 1978, 92 Stat. 1688.)
1978—Pub. L. 95–501 substituted "agricultural commodities" for "agricultural products" in four places and substituted "such commodities" for "said products".
Pub. L. 101–624, title XV, §1545, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 3695, directed Secretary of Agriculture to develop appropriate methodology for determining world price of livestock and livestock products, to gather and analyze appropriate price and cost of production information concerning such products in foreign countries for purpose of price discovery and to aid in sale of livestock and livestock products in foreign export markets, and to periodically publish such information, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 104–127, title II, §273, Apr. 4, 1996, 110 Stat. 976.
Pub. L. 95–501, title VI, §601, Oct. 21, 1978, 92 Stat. 1691, which required Secretary of Agriculture to implement provisions of Pub. L. 95–501 as expeditiously as possible, was omitted and a new section 601 of Pub. L. 95–501 added as part of the complete revision of Pub. L. 95–501 by Pub. L. 101–624, title XV, §1531, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 3668. See chapter 87 (§5601 et seq.) of this title.