Seal of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Agriculture" class="extiw" title="w:United States Department of Agriculture">United States Department of Agriculture</a>.
<p>The USDA seal was created in 1895. It was adapted for use as a general identifier in 1980, but those usages were replaced with the USDA Logo in 1996.  The seal has been withdrawn from use as a departmental identifier, though it is still used on legal materials and other internal uses. 
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The seal is defined as:<blockquote><p>Two and three-eights inches in diameter (azure), a shock of corn (or), upon a base (vert) an American plough proper.  All within a double annulet (argent), outer roped, inner beaded, charged with the inscription: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, and at the base, a scroll bearing the legend: "1862.AGRICULTURE IS THE FOUNDATION OF MANUFACTURE AND COMMERCE. 1889." (or). A diapered background of 44 stars (argent) for the States of the Union.</p></blockquote>
<p>The dates on the scroll represent the year the Department was founded by act of Congress (1862), and the year the Department was made an Executive Office headed by a Secretary of cabinet rank (1889). The 44 stars represent the states in the Union in 1889.
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See <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nal.usda.gov/speccoll/collect/history/seal.htm">here</a> and <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ocio.usda.gov/directives/doc/DR5160-001.htm">here</a> for more information.
<ul><li><b>Original: </b> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Agriculture" class="extiw" title="w:United States Department of Agriculture">United States Department of Agriculture</a></li></ul><p>The original uploader was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Minesweeper" class="extiw" title="wikipedia:User:Minesweeper">Minesweeper</a> at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/" class="extiw" title="wikipedia:">English Wikipedia</a>.
Later versions were uploaded by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Zscout370" class="extiw" title="en:User:Zscout370">Zscout370</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Orchid_Righteous" class="extiw" title="en:User:Orchid Righteous">Orchid Righteous</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Berkut" class="extiw" title="en:User:Berkut">Berkut</a> at <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org">en.wikipedia</a>.
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The original seal was designed by A. H. Baldwin, a USDA artist.  This version was done by the USDA.
<p>29 April 2003 (original upload date)
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The seal was originally unveiled on June 21, 1895.
<p>Transferred from <span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org">en.wikipedia</a></span> to Commons.
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The original source is <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nal.usda.gov/speccoll/collect/history/lrgseal.htm">here</a> (direct image URL <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://www.nal.usda.gov/speccoll/collect/history/gifs/dpt_agr.gif">[1]</a>).