USDA Blog

As we enjoy the holiday season, it is a great time to celebrate all that American agriculture has accomplished, and to look ahead to a productive new year. Our farmers, ranchers and growers make incredible contributions each day to the health and strength of this country. Thanks to their...

U.S. broiler meat exports to Sub-Saharan Africa have increased 24 percent since 2010 and 460 percent since 2001. The U.S. is the largest supplier of China’s turkey meat imports, totaling nearly 90 percent of all imports. Turkey meat imports to China in 2011 will increase 70 percent over 2010.

Hawaii Exports International (HEI) of Honolulu has successfully introduced its award-winning Kona and Ka’u coffees to the Canadian market with the support of USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) office in Canada, the FAS-funded Western U.S. Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA), and the...

For more than 65 years, the Oxford Farming Conference has built up a reputation as the most important of its kind in the UK and Europe. And this year, USDA Chief Economist Dr. Joseph Glauber will speak on the outlook for agriculture in light of the major global, climate and resource challenges...

Today, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced critical investments in our nation’s infrastructure. Specifically, 46 transportation projects in 33 states and Puerto Rico will receive funding that will help support local communities and drive a nation-wide economic recovery. These grants are...

We’re getting down to the wire. Congress has until December 31, to pass the Payroll Tax Cut or 160 million Americans will see their taxes go up on January 1 st and the typical middle class family will see a tax hike of about $1,000 in 2012. This isn’t a time for politics. This payroll tax cut is...

Cross posted from the Department of Labor blog: Agricultural businesses large and small rely on seasonal workers. When U.S. workers are not available, employers can utilize the H-2A program to hire temporary foreign workers to perform certain types of agricultural work. Our Office of Foreign Labor...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) constantly battles false and misleading information about its rules and regulations. No better example exists than the myth that EPA proposed to “regulate” dust on farm fields. Simply not true! EPA is not now, nor has it ever proposed regulating dust. The...

Last week, President Obama traveled to the small town of Osawatomie, Kansas, where President Teddy Roosevelt once called for building an America where everyone gets a fair chance, a square deal, and an equal opportunity to succeed. One hundred years later, we are again at a make or break moment for...

The U.S. soy industry, represented by the American Soybean Association, the U.S. Soybean Export Council, and the United Soybean Board, recently used USDA Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development Program funding to provide valuable technical training to the Chinese swine sector. The...