USDA Blog

As a heat wave consumes much of the country, especially here in Washington, DC, winter seems a long way off—unless you’re a farmer. For the 2.2 million farms that grow our nation’s food, fiber, and fuel, it’s likely a good time to be thinking ahead to the upcoming harvest and preparing for the...

Written by Adam Czech USDA Minnesota Public Affairs Specialist If Tami and Kim Bredeson have their way, Minnesota will be known as more than just the Land of 10,000 Lakes. It also will be recognized for its wineries and vineyards. The Bredeson’s own Carlos Creek Winery in Alexandria, Minn. During a...

By Jill Lee, National Institute of Food and Agriculture Jim Hafer’s passion for teaching is second only to his savvy in leveraging opportunity. He noticed many retirements at the local power plant and coal mines and saw opportunity for his agriculture students at Chief Dull Knife College in Lame...

By Tanya Brown, Farm Service Agency To the untrained eye, a trip through Jim Duke’s Herbal Village in Fulton, Md., looks like a homestead for weeds and other unwanted vegetation. But for a group of master gardeners from the People’s Garden initiative, it was a journey through the land of healing....

By Anita Regmi, USDA Research, Education, and Economics This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from the USDA's rich science and research portfolio. Living and traveling through rural South Asia and Sub-Saharan...

By Bill Menner and Janie Dunning, USDA Rural Development State Directors of Iowa and Missouri Bringing broadband to rural communities is about more than guaranteeing your daughter has 24/7 access to Twitter, or giving your son unlimited opportunities to play video games.

By James Miller, Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Earlier today I announced, on behalf of Secretary Tom Vilsack, an opportunity for landowners to enroll environmentally sensitive land into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP is administered by the USDA Farm Service...

By Lisa Pino, Deputy Administrator for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program The Latino community faces dual challenges when it comes to nutrition since hunger and obesity can often co-exist. Hispanics in the U.S. have higher rates of both food insecurity and obesity. The USDA Food and...

Submitted by: Colleen Callahan, Illinois State Director, USDA Rural Development Question: Why do you go to a hospital? A: To visit someone who is sick B. To get a diagnostic test C. To see a specialist D. To have surgery E. To meet your trainer for your workout F. All of the above

Written by Kayla Harless, People’s Garden Intern Today, Dr. Karen Rane presented a workshop in the People’s Garden about diseases of the flower garden. As a plant pathologist and diagnostician, she provided us with lots of fascinating insight. Dr. David Clement, a fellow plant pathologist, joined...