USDA Blog

Not many people know the names of our small rural Alaska villages, but USDA Rural Development does! We are pleased to share the names of 14 of these communities and the great news they received on July 15 th.

In May, 67 U.S. companies descended on Shanghai for the largest food and beverage show in China—SIAL China. U.S. exports are expanding all over the world, and China recently emerged as the United States’ top export market in 2010, and accounted for 20 percent of U.S. agricultural exports, valued at...

Cross posted from the White House Rural Champions of Change website: After retiring from the University of Texas-Pan American in 2008, Dr. Arriola, like many retirees in America, wanted to continue to be of service to his community. He formed the Texas Valley Communities Foundation, a non-profit...

The Federal Seed Act (FSA) is a truth-in–labeling law that regulates the interstate shipment of agricultural and vegetable seed. The FSA is enforced with the aid of cooperative agreements between the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and each of the fifty state departments of agriculture...

Here in Washington, D.C., and probably where you live too, it is hot! This week’s Check Your Steps blog focuses on a timely food safety step—Chill. You may feel like this guy, but in reality we don’t recommend keeping your food cold with fans, no matter how many you can find. Bacteria grow rapidly...

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. In forests, climate change ramps up stress already occurring from extreme weather events, disease and insect outbreaks...

On July 6 th, I attended an event to kick-off this season’s Summer Food Service Program in Texas and to celebrate the state’s third annual “Mayor’s Challenge” to end child hunger during the summer. The event was held at NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders’ youth camp in Duncanville, Texas.

On July 18, USDA Rural Development State Director Virginia Manuel joined Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office David Kappos for a White House Business Roundtable hosted by local lender Bangor Savings Bank. Participants in...

One in six Americans lives in hunger every day, as millions of Americans struggle to put food on the table for their families. Traditionally, summer is a time when food banks and charities encounter decreases in donations and increases in the need for assistance.

After years of paying rent while wishing he could purchase his own home, 29-year-old Adam Brautigan was finally able to do so with the help of USDA Rural Development. Adam found out about Rural Development’s home loan program from his mother, Mary Kay, who works as a realtor in Pine City, Minnesota...