Market Facilitation Program—Interim Report

Submitting OIG:

Report Description:

The objective of our ongoing audit is to evaluate FSA’s administration of MFP—this report provides interim results related to FSA’s demographic data collection policies.

Date Issued:

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Agency Reviewed / Investigated:

Department of Agriculture

Submitting OIG-Specific Report Number:

03601-0003-31 (1)

Component, if applicable:

Farm Service Agency

Location(s):

Agency-Wide

Type of Report:

Audit

Number of Recommendations:

View Document:

Attachment	Size
03601-0003-31(1)_FR_508_FOIA_signed.pdf	6.28 MB

Related Open Recommendations

Recommendation Number	Recommendation Status	Significant Recommendation	Additional Details
1	Open	Yes	Market Facilitation Program - Interim Report
Immediately discontinue the policy and practice of having employees determine producer race, ethnicity, and gender through visual assessment.
2	Open	Yes	Market Facilitation Program - Interim Report
Update all relevant forms, handbooks, and notices to implement the requirements of the Departmental regulation for collecting only producer-provided race, ethnicity, and gender information and to allow producers the option of not providing that information.
3	Open	Yes	Market Facilitation Program - Interim Report
Update the customer management data system used to collect race, ethnicity, and gender to document if producers decided to not provide their demographic information.
4	Open	Yes	Market Facilitation Program - Interim Report
Once all demographic information collection forms are updated, use the appropriate form to update producer records in FSA’s customer management data system.
5	Open	Yes	Market Facilitation Program - Interim Report
Evaluate the improperly collected data and determine how to manage it appropriately.

Recommendation Number

Recommendation Status

Significant Recommendation

Additional Details

Open

Yes

Market Facilitation Program - Interim Report

Immediately discontinue the policy and practice of having employees determine producer race, ethnicity, and gender through visual assessment.

Open

Yes

Market Facilitation Program - Interim Report

Update all relevant forms, handbooks, and notices to implement the requirements of the Departmental regulation for collecting only producer-provided race, ethnicity, and gender information and to allow producers the option of not providing that information.