USDA Blog

A couple of weeks ago I joined two exciting events: the National Council of La Raza's (NCLR) Convention, here in our nation's capital, and the White House Connecting for the Common Good Conference in Denver. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack led the NCLR Town Hall on nutrition and spoke of the...

Hello, I’m Dr. Barry Pittman, an Area Emergency Coordinator for Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). I cover the states of Kansas and Missouri, where I do liaison work with local, state and other federal representatives to help ensure we’re prepared to respond when disasters or...

More than 1,300 people gathered at the Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area in Golden Pond, Ky., during the annual Hummingbird Festival, where they learned about the ruby-throated variety and how to help them survive the long migration from the eastern U.S. and southern Canada to Mexico...

The Ohio State Fair is a unique and exciting showcase of Ohio’s agriculture, livestock and natural resources. At the fair, I had the opportunity to visit with members of the Ohio FFA. These young people were impressive and demonstrated a true commitment to agriculture and Rural America. It is these...

In Florida, saving water and reducing nutrient runoff are top priorities for state and federal agencies. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Brooksville Plant Materials Center staff and the faculty at two University of Florida Research and Education Centers are collaborating on...

The announcement this week that the number of farmers markets has grown by 17 percent nationwide comes as no surprise to the USDA’s Market News. As demand for local and regional foods has grown, USDA’s Market News has grown as well by providing coverage of farmers markets and auctions.

Job creation in rural America begins with local leaders, a vision for improving the local economy and then bringing together financing partners to make the vision a reality. I had the honor of joining Congressman Hal Rogers and representatives from Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul’s offices...

Things were cookin’ in Nashville last month, and not just the July weather in this vibrant southern city. At the historic Opryland Hotel, we joined our partners at the School Nutrition Association’s annual convention to show how USDA Foods are increasingly vital to the health of our nation’s...

When it comes time to transition from service in the military to a civilian job, many veterans do not immediately think to look for positions at the USDA. There is an assumption that jobs with USDA are all farm-related – even those in the Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS). In reality, there is a...

Why does land wear out? This great agricultural mystery led generations of farmers to simply move when the land no longer supported agricultural production. That changed in 1905, when a soil scientist unearthed the key to sustained productivity by linking soil erosion and degradation of soil quality...