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Choosing the Best of ERS's 2013 Popular Charts of Note

December 23, 2013 Mary Bohman, Administrator, Economic Research Service

Did you know… …that small family farms account for most U.S. farms and for a majority of farm assets? …that nonmetro areas declined in population--perhaps for the first time--in 2011-12? …or that the inflation-adjusted value of SNAP benefits declined from 2009 to 2011?

Trade

NEWSFLASH -- Santa's Reindeer Issued Permit from USDA to Enter the U.S.

December 23, 2013 Dr. Peter Merrill, APHIS Director of Animal Imports

BREAKING NEWS out of Washington DC as the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today issued a movement permit to Mr. S. Claus of the North Pole, a broker with Worldwide Gifts, Unlimited. The permit will allow reindeer to enter and exit the United States...

Animals Plants

Secretary's Column: A New Farm Bill to Carry On America's Record Agricultural Trade

December 20, 2013 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

Over the course of 2013, we’ve seen yet another banner year for U.S. agricultural exports. Exports of U.S. farm and ranch products reached a record $140.9 billion in 2013 and supported about a million U.S. jobs. In fact, compared to the previous five-year period from 2004-2008, U.S. agricultural...

USDA Results Conservation Trade

Organic 101: Organic Trade Basics

December 20, 2013 Miles McEvoy, Deputy Administrator of the National Organic Program

This is the fourteenth installment of the Organic 101 series that explores different aspects of the USDA organic regulations. Are you a certified organic operation looking to increase your market presence? USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) recently published two fact sheets that explain...

Food and Nutrition Trade

Expanding the American Brand

December 19, 2013 Anne L. Alonzo, Agricultural Marketing Service Administrator

The American brand of agriculture is surging in popularity worldwide. The last four years represent the strongest in history for agricultural trade, with U.S. agricultural exports exceeding $478 billion. This international success is critical to achieving one of USDA’s core missions – fostering...

Trade

Helping Small Businesses Make a Trade Impact

December 19, 2013 Erin Tindell, Foreign Agricultural Service Public Affairs Specialist

Recently, USDA announced that U.S. agricultural exports for fiscal year 2013 finished at another record level, continuing the strongest five-year period for such exports in our nation’s history. Much of this success is due to small businesses, which Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack noted are the...

Trade

Teaching the World to Eat Pecans

December 18, 2013 Kent Politsch, Chief, FSA Public Affairs

Do they like pecan pie in Turkey? If they don’t now, they will soon if Randy Hudson has anything to say about it. Hudson, his wife Mary Jo and their family operate Hudson Pecan Company in Ocilla, Ga. Currently, they have their hopes focused on Turkey as a potential new market. This past June, Scott...

Food and Nutrition Trade

A One-Stop Shop for Organics, with Lots in Store

December 18, 2013 Mark Lipson, USDA Organic Policy Advisor

As an organic farmer, I know how frustrating it can be to search the internet for information that might help my operation. It might be there somewhere but finding it takes precious time, especially if I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for. Now, USDA has solved part of that problem with a...

Conservation USDA Results Food and Nutrition Farming Trade

What does Maple Syrup Have in Common with an Invasive Insect?

December 17, 2013 Rhonda Santos, APHIS Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program

Today is National Maple Syrup Day! So, what does maple syrup have in common with an invasive insect? Well, if the insect is the Asian longhorned beetle, then they both can come from maple trees. Obviously, we want the maple syrup and not the invasive beetle. But who cares? And why should anyone care...

Animals Plants

Science that Sells

December 17, 2013 Ruihong Guo, Deputy Administrator, AMS Science and Technology Program

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. Agriculture is key to any nation’s success. American farmers continue to be more innovative and productive, providing...

Research and Science Trade