USDA Blog

Anyone who has shopped at a farmers market can appreciate the freshness of the food, the interaction with farmers, and the opportunity to learn how the food was produced. As an economist with the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), I’m also interested in what local food systems look like in the...

Written by Kayla Harless, People’s Garden Intern Almost everyone who gardens grows tomato plants. We are passionate about our tomatoes and savor that ripe, fresh fruit. However, several diseases love our tomato plants just as much as we do. The People’s Garden Workshop topic this week was tomato...

Written by Beth Grabau, Public Affairs Specialist, Iowa State FSA The Woodbury and Monona Count Farm Service Agency Service Centers in Iowa welcomed an unexpected guest on Tuesday as Christie Vilsack — wife of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack — stopped by for a visit. “It was a real privilege to...

By Bobby M. Goode, Tennessee State Director Access to high speed Internet connections grows more important every day. For businesses in Rural America it can be the difference between success and layoffs. Now a 60-year old telephone co-op and USDA Rural Development (RD) have teamed up to construct...

By Virginia Manuel, Maine Rural Development State Director Diabetes, obesity, alcoholism and cancer are health problems that all of America faces, but a study showed that incidents of these problems are higher among Native Americans. The Aroostook Band of Micmacs are taking action to change those...

By Under Secretary Kevin Concannon, Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services It is so important to ensure children get enough to eat, especially during summer months when school is out and access to school meals is unavailable. And that’s why bridging the summer food gap is a high priority at USDA.

By Lori Duff, ARRA Public Affairs Specialist VT/NH Construction is just beginning on the new Food Venture Center 2, a non-profit kitchen incubator for specialty food producers in Hardwick, Vermont – and Wednesday nearly 50 people, including Sen. Patrick Leahy and USDA Rural Development VT/NH State...

Written by Rick Borchelt Butterflies are a great barometer of the health of our environment – because they spend part of their lives as caterpillars eating leaves and other vegetation, and part as adults visiting flowers and other food sources, they can be exposed to many contaminants that give us...

Where does your food come from and how does it get to your plate? For many Americans this is a question that is becoming more and more difficult to answer as they become further removed from the farm and less connected to agriculture. The hard work that goes into producing our nation’s food supply...

By Amanda Eamich, USDA Director of Web Communications Cross-Posted from the White House Open Government Blog The moment of truth has come. In March, the First Lady challenged the talented and kid-savvy innovators across the country to build games and tools that inspire and empower kids and their...