USDA Blog

This post is part of a Microloan Success feature series on the USDA blog. Check back every Tuesday and Thursday as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s Farm Service Agency. When Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack hosted a town hall meeting in San Antonio, Texas, in January 2013, he shared...

When studying abroad in France and Spain, Sarah Woutat developed a love for organic farming after working on farms in both countries. The love was so strong, she retired from her New York City life working for an environmental publishing business and returned to farming. After an apprenticeship at...

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) ensures that America’s meat, poultry, and processed egg products are safe and wholesome. Educating the public on proper food handling practices is a core agency mission as well. It’s even more important when one considers the impact safe food handling...

When school lets out, millions of children look forward to camps, pools, and blockbuster movies. However, many children will also experience hunger. When school is in session, low-income students receive free or reduced-price school meals that help families stretch their food budget. When the school...

About 20 minutes south of downtown Gainesville, Fla. lies 1,060 acres of fresh water marsh, home to bobcat, wood duck, muskrat, bald eagle, sandhill crane and other wildlife species. This public land features six and a half miles of trails, which weave through Florida’s unique wetland landscape. But...

Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our children. To reinforce that value, USDA is constantly working to ensure that kids are only being served safe, high quality meals. That’s why we launched Produce Safety University (PSU) in 2010, to address the food safety issues related...

Earlier today, Secretary Vilsack published an op-ed in Indian Country Today discussing USDA’s efforts to improve access to capital for Tribal citizens. You can read the original op-ed here . Last week, I spoke to several hundred tribal leaders at the National Congress of American Indians Tribal...

Recently, the New York Times published an article claiming that job vacancies in the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) are leading to more food recalls. That's not true. The fact is, vacancies within the agency do not mean there are less inspectors on the job in our nation's meat plants...

I recently had the opportunity to speak at the dedication ceremony for the Harvard Forest Wood Energy Project, an exciting venture partially supported by the U.S. Forest Service Northeastern Area. This woody-biomass heating system will support 50,000 square feet of the central campus buildings and...

It’s not every day that I get the opportunity to hang out with a group of cool elementary school students. Which is why I was so excited for the chance to spend a few hours at J.C. Nalle Elementary School in Southeast Washington, D.C. You see, it was “Fresh Feature Friday” and D.C. Central Kitchen...