USDA Blog

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture held a cross-departmental discussion focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) literacy with Susan Taylor of the National CARES Mentoring Network. Susan Taylor, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Essence magazine, founded the National...

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. Food chemistry is the study of the chemical processes and interactions that happen within our foods. By examining...

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. Earlier this month, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), released the latest count of farms in the...

As we reflect in celebration of USDA’s 150 th anniversary, it’s easy to take pride in the problem-solving abilities of agricultural scientists since 1862. The challenges in America have been great, including the Dust Bowl, wars, human health threats, and attacks on crops and animals from pests...

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. Developing a rapid, inexpensive biosensor to detect salmonella on vegetables; expanding understanding of the...

On January 9, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack put forth USDA’s “ Blueprint for Stronger Service” which focuses on streamlining operations and cutting costs throughout the Department. The “Blueprint for Stronger Service” calls for USDA to close 259 domestic offices, facilities and laboratories, as...

Did you know that the number of farms in the United States peaked in 1935 at 6,812,350 operations when the average farm size was 154.8 acres? In comparison, the 2007 Census of Agriculture counted 2,204,792 farms with the average farm size of 418 acres. In celebration of 150 years of service to...

As USDA celebrates 150 years of serving American agriculture and rural communities, it is important to remember the enormous contribution of the Cooperative Extension Service, a three-way partnership between USDA and our state and county partners that forms a nationwide network of expertise. These...

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 USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. Understanding the causes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agricultural landscapes is truly a multi-scale challenge...

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. With spring not that far away, the garden catalogues are starting to fly through the mail, but the “must read” of the...