Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Reference Guide : USDA ARS

<!DOCTYPE HTML> <html> <head> <title>Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Reference Guide : USDA ARS</title> <meta http-equiv='Content-Type:text/html; charset=UTF-8' /> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge" />  <meta name="description" /> <meta name="keywords" content="" /> <meta key="ID" value="190471" />   <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/3.3.7/css/bootstrap.min.css"> <script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.2.1/jquery.min.js"></script> <script src="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/3.3.7/js/bootstrap.min.js"></script> <meta name='bbsect' content='Main'> <meta name='modestem' content='00a00b00c00d'> <meta name='modestem1' content='00a'> <meta name='modestem2' content='00b'> <meta name='modestem3' content='00c'> <meta name='modestem4' content='00d'> <meta name='site_code' content='00-00-00-00'> <meta name="WT.ModeCode" content="00-00-00-00">  <meta charset="utf-8" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /> <title>Research : USDA ARS</title>   <link rel="stylesheet" href="/USWDS/css/styleguide.css"> <link href="/css/ARSbranding.css?t=20241128" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> <script type="text/javascript" src="/Jquery/ARSbranding.js"></script> <link media="print" href="/css/print.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> <script type="text/javascript" src="//s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=arsociowb"></script> </head> <body class="layout-demo" role="banner"> <a class="usa-skipnav" href="#main-content">Skip to main content</a> <header class="usa-header usa-header-basic" role="banner">  <div class="usa-banner"> <div class="usa-accordion"> <header class="usa-banner-header"> <div class="usa-grid usa-banner-inner"> <img src="/USWDS/img/favicons/favicon-57.png" alt="U.S. flag"> <p>An official website of the United States government</p> <button class="usa-accordion-button usa-banner-button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="gov-banner"> <span class="usa-banner-button-text">Here's how you know</span> </button> </div> </header> <div class="usa-banner-content usa-grid usa-accordion-content" id="gov-banner"> <div class="usa-banner-guidance-gov usa-width-one-half"> <img class="usa-banner-icon usa-media_block-img" src="/USWDS/img/icon-dot-gov.svg" alt="Dot gov"> <div class="usa-media_block-body"> <p> <strong>Official websites use .gov</strong> <br> A <strong>.gov</strong> website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. </p> </div> </div> <div class="usa-banner-guidance-ssl usa-width-one-half"> <img class="usa-banner-icon usa-media_block-img" src="/USWDS/img/icon-https.svg" alt="SSL"> <div class="usa-media_block-body"> <p> <strong>Secure .gov websites use HTTPS</strong> <br> A <strong>lock</strong> ( <span class="icon-lock"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="52" height="64" viewBox="0 0 52 64" class="usa-banner__lock-image" role="img" aria-labelledby="banner-lock-title banner-lock-description"><title id="banner-lock-title">Lock</title><desc id="banner-lock-description">A locked padlock</desc><path fill="#000000" fill-rule="evenodd" d="M26 0c10.493 0 19 8.507 19 19v9h3a4 4 0 0 1 4 4v28a4 4 0 0 1-4 4H4a4 4 0 0 1-4-4V32a4 4 0 0 1 4-4h3v-9C7 8.507 15.507 0 26 0zm0 8c-5.979 0-10.843 4.77-10.996 10.712L15 19v9h22v-9c0-6.075-4.925-11-11-11z"></path></svg></span> ) or <strong>https://</strong> means you鈥檝e safely connected to the .gov website. 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href="/"><b>ARS Home</b></a></li> <li><a title="About ARS" href="/about-ars/"><b>About ARS</b></a></li> <li><a title="Contact Us" href="/contact-us/?modeCode=00-00-00-00"><b>Contact Us</b></a></li> </ul> </div>  </nav> </div> </header> <div class="usa-overlay"></div> <main class="usa-grid usa-section usa-content usa-layout-docs" id="main-content"> <div> <a href="/">ARS Home</a> 禄 <a href="/oc/">Office of Communications</a> 禄 <a href="/oc/foia/">Foia</a> 禄 Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Reference Guide  <div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style addthis_32x32_style" id="Social-Share-Icons"> <a class="addthis_button_twitter"></a> <a class="addthis_button_linkedin"></a> <a class="addthis_button_facebook"></a> <a class="addthis_button_email"></a> <a class="addthis_button_print"></a> <a class="addthis_button_compact"></a> </div>  </div> <div style="clear:both;"> <hr /> </div> <aside class="usa-width-one-fourth usa-layout-docs-sidenav"> <ul class="usa-sidenav-list"> <li><a href="http://www.justice.gov/oip/amended-foia-redlined-2010.pdf" >Text of Freedom of Information Act</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.dm.usda.gov/foia/" >USDA FOIA website</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.usdoj.gov/opcl/privstat.htm" >Text of Privacy Act</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-A/part-1" >USDA Privacy Act regulations, see Subpart G</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.afm.ars.usda.gov/ppweb/PDF/116-0.pdf" >FOIA and PA policies and procedures for REE personnel</a></li> <li><a href="/is/foia/foiaform.htm" >REE FOIA Request Form</a></li> <h4>REE Privacy Act systems of records for </h4> <li><a href="/is/foia/arspasorn.pdf" >Agricultural Research Service (ARS)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/oc/foia/nifapasorn.pdf" >National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) </a></li> <li><a href="/is/foia/nass_pasorn.pdf" >National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)</a></li> <h4>FOIA regulations for </h4> <li><a href="https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2013-title7-vol1/pdf/CFR-2013-title7-vol1-subtitleA.pdf" >USDA: 7 CFR Part 1</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2001-11-19/pdf/01-28835.pdf" >ARS: 7 CFR Part 510</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2001-11-19/pdf/01-28837.pdf" >NIFA (CSREES): 7 CFR Part 3404</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2001-11-19/pdf/01-28836.pdf" >ERS: 7 CFR Part 3701</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2001-11-19/pdf/01-28838.pdf" >NASS: 7 CFR Part 3601</a></li> <h4>Related Topics</h4> <li><a href="/Services/docs.htm?docid=1398" class="usa-current">Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Reference Guide</a></li> </ul> </aside>  <div class="usa-width-three-fourths usa-layout-docs-main_content" > <table border="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td class="pageHeading">Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Reference Guide</td> </tr> <tr> <td> <img src="/images/headline_bar.gif" alt="headline bar" width="100%" /> </td> </tr> </table>    <p>FOIA services for USDA's <a href="http://www.ree.usda.gov/">Research, Education, and Economics (REE</a>) agencies:</p> <ul> <li>Agricultural Research Service (ARS)</li> <li>National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)</li> <li>National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)</li> <li>Economic Research Service (ERS)</li> </ul> <p>This website is a reference guide that outlines specific procedures for making a FOIA request to the REE agencies. ARS is responsible for administering the FOIA for all four REE agencies.</p> <p>The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides that any person has the right to request access to Federal documents and other information. Agencies of the Federal Government are required to disclose documents after receiving a FOIA request for them, unless those documents are protected from disclosure by one of nine exemptions of the FOIA.</p> <p>The REE agencies are committed to achieving the President's goal of openness and transparency in government. It is our policy to review agency records in light of this presumption of openness by fully responding to FOIA requests in a timely and efficient manner and disclosing the records to the fullest extent possible.</p> <p>A comprehensive public resource for government-wide FOIA information and data can be found at <a href="http://www.foia.gov/">FOIA.Gov</a>.</p> <p><strong>Contents:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="/oc/foia/foia-reference-guide-how-to-access-non-foia-records/">How to access non-FOIA records</a></li> <li><a href="/oc/foia/foia-reference-guide-how-to-make-a-foia-request/">How to make a FOIA request</a></li> <li><a href="/oc/foia/foia-reference-guide-foia-library/">FOIA Library</a> <ul> <li><a href="/oc/foia/foia-reference-guide-foia-library#FRR">Proactive Disclosures</a></li> <li>USDA Administration of the FOIA<a href="/oc/foia/foia-reference-guide-foia-library/"></a>: <ul> <li><a href="/oc/foia/foia-reference-guide-foia-library#annualreport">USDA Annual Report/Chief FOIA Officer Report </a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="/oc/foia/foia-reference-guide-foia-service-center/">FOIA Service Center / FOIA Public Liaison</a></li> <li><a href="/oc/foia/foia-reference-guide-privacy-act/">Privacy Act</a></li> </ul> <p>聽</p> <div style="width: 960px; background-color: #defee3; padding: 5px;"> <blockquote> <p>"Nothing could be more irrational than to give the people power and to withhold from them information, without which power is abused. A people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives. A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy, or perhaps both." <strong>-James Madison 聽</strong></p> </blockquote> </div> <p>聽</p> <p>We Welcome Your Feedback:</p> <p>The REE FOIA Office is committed to processing FOIA requests in a timely and efficient manner. To provide comments on your experience as well as suggestions for improvements, please submit an email to the REE FOIA Officers - <a href="mailto:reefoia@ars.usda.gov">REEFOIA@ars.usda.gov</a>.</p>    </div>   <script async id="_fed_an_ua_tag" src="https://dap.digitalgov.gov/Universal-Federated-Analytics-Min.js?agency=USDA&subagency=ARS"></script>       <script src="/ARSUserFiles/Utility/WebTrends/webtrends.load_ars.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <noscript> <div> <img alt="DCSIMG" id="DCSIMG" width="1" height="1" src="https://statse.webtrendslive.com/dcs2229fyq5yxf5j5aw1zdupi_2f9o/njs.gif?dcsuri=/nojavascript&WT.js=No&WT.tv=10.4.23&dcssip=www.ars.usda.gov" /> </div> </noscript>  <script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-27627304-6']); _gaq.push(['_setDomainName', 'usda.gov']); _gaq.push(['_setAllowLinker', true]); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); _gaq.push(['b._setAccount', 'UA-27627304-1']); _gaq.push(['b._setDomainName', 'usda.gov']); _gaq.push(['b._setAllowLinker', true]); _gaq.push(['b._trackPageview']); (function () { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 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Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Reference Guide : USDA ARS