USDA Blog

For some Americans, making ends meet is a struggle even in a strong economy. These households at times have difficulty meeting their food needs and can’t always afford enough food to get them through the month, or the week. During economic downturns, these situations become more common and more...

I had the pleasure of joining USDA Under Secretary Tonsager, Senator Kent Conrad, Senator Byron Dorgan and Congressman Earl Pomeroy in the ground-breaking of a new regional medical center in Jamestown, North Dakota. This project is a direct result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)...

On Thursday Under Secretary for Ru ral Development Dallas Tonsager participated in Trade Talk during the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) convention in Kansas City.

Today USDA’s first “Turkey Tweets” campaign takes flight. Every day until Friday, Nov. 27, the Food Safety and Inspection Service will send out a fresh turkey tip via Twitter, the popular instant messaging service. The tips help you prepare a successful and safe holiday meal.

It’s a source of pride to me that South Dakota is benefitting from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that President Obama signed into law in February. As an example, the South Dakota Municipal League is breaking ground on a lot in the Teton Island Addition in Fort Pierre for new...

This morning, I was privileged to represent USDA at a Military Families Summit hosted at the University of Maryland and organized with us by the Department of Defense Military Community and Family Policy program. More than 300 leaders who provide support to military families – including the office...

My first three weeks interning for USDA have been extremely interesting and enjoyable. A native of Austin, Texas, I grew up spending most weekends on my grandparents’ farm, the same farm where we currently raise Texas Longhorn cattle. Instead of returning to Austin after the baseball season, I came...

I had the opportunity this week to participate in a roundtable discussion and tour of the St. Paul Schools’ Nutrition Services center. Joining me were local school foodservice professionals and members of the farming, distribution and non-profit community who are working to expand Farm-to-School...

Cuando la mayoría de los americanos piensan en café, piensan en Sur America o Hawaii. Lo que no saben es que Puerto Rico tiene una larga tradición en la producción de café de alta calidad. Un donativo otorgado al dueño de una hacienda de café por USDA Rural Development bajo el programa de Energía...

When most Americans think of coffee, they think of South America or Hawaii. What they may not know is that Puerto Rico has a long and significant relationship with coffee. Funds provided to a coffee plantation owner by USDA Rural Development through the Rural Energy for America (REAP) program are...