USDA Blog

By Richard A. Machek, Florida State Director, USDA Rural Development I recently returned from a groundbreaking ceremony that was 10 years in the making. Like many of Florida’s rural cities and towns, the City of Marianna has faced years of reduced revenues and a shrinking business district. Looking...

By Amy Maxwell, State Public Affairs Specialist, South Carolina Three People’s Gardens at USDA Service Centers within South Carolina’s Edisto Watershed are encouraging community involvement and are providing fresh produce to those in need.

By Katherine Belcher USDA Kentucky Public Information Coordinator When the Agriculture Department issued a challenge for its employees to establish People’s Gardens at USDA facilities around the world, the staff of the Service Center in West Liberty, Ky., wasted no time in putting one together.

President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative came to Nebraska on July 12, when 200 attendees gathered in Grand Island for a listening session. They were joined by Dave White, Chief of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and senior representatives of the U.S. Departments...

Last month we were proud to announce awards for the Value-Added Producer Grants program. Managed by USDA’s Rural Development, this program has had nearly a decade of success in helping producers capture more value for their agricultural products by producing, processing, or marketing their product...

Written by Rayne Pegg, Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service The Secretary of Agriculture has officially declared August 1-7 2010 as National Farmers Market Week. National Farmers Market Week is an opportunity to celebrate the thriving farmers markets in your community. It’s a time to...

By Amanda Eamich, Director of Web Communications The Apps for Healthy Kids polls are open with 95 games and apps waiting for you to test and play. We’re thrilled with your interest thus far with almost 5,000 votes cast in the first week.

Written by Jonathan Adelstein, Administrator, Rural Utilities Services Remote learning, teaching, and service delivery are becoming a way of life, and nowhere is that truer than in rural regions. Digital networks and new technologies are emerging to bring more cost-effective and high quality...

Written by Allison Bitzer, The Susquehanna Photographic At a recent event, USDA Rural Development awarded $99,000 to York, Pennsylvania’s future Shared Kitchen Incubator at market. The project is YorKitchen, a commercial kitchen space that will be available for small culinary and agricultural...

Written by Kelly Edwards Wisconsin USDA Public Information Coordinator Today too few rural citizens are able to take advantage of the opportunities broadband provides. With broadband becoming increasingly critical for economic growth and information accessibility needs, rural counties and cities are...