7 U.S.C. § 2272

(a) Establishment of program The Secretary of Agriculture (hereafter referred to in this section as the “Secretary”) may establish a program to use volunteers in carrying out the programs of the Department of Agriculture. (b) Acceptance of personnel The Secretary may accept, subject to regulations issued by the Office of Personnel Management, voluntary service for the Department of Agriculture for such purpose if the service: (1) is to be without compensation; and (2) will not be used to displace any employee of the Department of Agriculture including the local, county, and State committees established under section 590h(b) of title 16 . (c) Federal employee status Any individual who provides voluntary service under this section shall not be considered a Federal employee, except for purposes of chapter 81 of title 5 (relating to compensation for injury), and sections 2671 through 2680 of title 28 (relating to tort claims).