 The 1946 Act also provided USDA the authority to inspect, certify and identify the class, quality and condition of agricultural products.Daniel Elmer Salmon (1850-1914) who had supervised the veterinary disease experiment station for the USDA the previous year, became the first director of the Bureau of Animal Industry.The original intent of the BAI was to study animal diseases that had been causing problems with domestic and global livestock, so Salmon was an excellent choice.