In addition to the primary logo, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has also the official seal and the flag.
The history of USDA traces back to the middle of the 19th century. In 1852, a convention of American agronomists was held in Washington, D.C., which was attended by 152 representatives from 23 states. At the congress, it was decided to establish the American Agricultural Society, and in May 1862 the highest governmental agricultural authority with the rights of a ministry was established – the Department of Agriculture. The first head of which was Isaac Newton.In its current form, the U.S. Department of Agriculture was established in 1889.
What is USDA?
USDA is an abbreviation standing for the United States Department of Agriculture, a federal department, formed in 1862 and getting its cabinet status in 1889. The department is responsible for all the federal laws, concerning agriculture, farming, and food, as well as forestalling and rural development.
The current USDA logo is a combination of the wordmark in dark blue and a stylized depiction of green fields, which seems a perfectly reasonable choice for the Agriculture Department.
The seal is by far more realistic and includes more details than the regular United States Department of Agriculture logo. The seal designed by A. H. Baldwin was adopted on June 21, 1895 and survived more than 100 years with only subtle modifications.
In the middle, there is a grey shield, inside of which American plough proper and a shock of corn can be seen. The shield is placed inside a blue circle with gold stars encircled with the full name of the organization and its motto.
The flag represents the official seal on the dark blue background. The elements of the seal remain unchanged.
The typeface looks traditional without being dated. The sans serif all-cap font is clear and highly legible.
Most likely, the combination of green and blue on the USDA logo is supposed to represent the green fields under the blue sky.