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A Consequence of Our Citizenship

November 08, 2019 USDA

It can be challenging for veterans to find their voice this time of year. That’s understandable. Within an extraordinary community who once wore, or continues to wear the uniform of our country, and their families who stand strong at home, Veterans Day opens a personal window that profoundly touches...

Initiatives

The Psychology of Food Waste: An Interview with Brian Roe and Laura Moreno

September 09, 2019 Jimmy Nguyen, Program Analyst, USDA Food and Nutrition Service

What’s the psychology behind food waste and what can we do to change our behavior? This interview features insights from Brian Roe, Professor and Faculty Lead at The Ohio State University’s Food Waste Collaborative and Laura Moreno, who received her Ph.D. studying food waste at the University of...

Initiatives

From Internship to Public Service Career: A HACU Success Story

August 12, 2019 Elizabeth Yepes, International Trade Specialist at USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and Chair, USDA’s Hispanic American Cultural Effort (HACE)

I never thought I could ever work in the U.S. government. One day, when I was applying for my U.S. citizenship at a local Hispanic nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., I saw a flyer about the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities’ (HACU) National Internship Program (HNIP). This...

Initiatives

Drought In The World’s Largest Temperate Rainforest?

July 17, 2019 Aurora Cutler and Erik Johnson, Office of Sustainability and Climate, USDA Forest Service

Extreme drought in a rainforest might seem like an oxymoron, but it isn’t. Since early 2018, the southern portion of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, has experienced moderate to extreme drought. This has wide-ranging consequences on drinking...

Forestry Initiatives

In Conversation with #WomeninAg: Sandra “Sandy” Watts

March 20, 2019 Tomasina Brown, Special Assistant, USDA Office of Communications

USDA is proud to share stories of women in agriculture who are leading the industry and helping other women succeed along the way. In this blog, we feature Sandra “Sandy” Watts, USDA Forest Service Region 3 Deputy Regional Forester in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Initiatives

A Banner Year for Education: 5 Grants Supporting Ag Education at All Levels, from Classrooms to Farms and the Table

December 09, 2015 Scott Elliot, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

USDA scientists work 365 days to provide safe and sustainable food, water, and natural resources in the face of a changing climate and uncertain energy sources. To recognize the contribution that agricultural science and research makes in our daily lives, this week’s “Banner Year” series features...

Initiatives

Job Corps Students, Alumnae 'Pay it Forward,' Helping Each Other Learn Leadership Skills

December 08, 2015 Michaela Hall and Jane Knowlton, U.S. Forest Service

Preparing for a career involves many steps, plus individual motivation as well as help from those who’ve gone before you. That’s what a group of 60 Harpers Ferry Job Corps students explored recently during a recent training session related to job preparedness for the U.S. Forest Service. Their...

Initiatives Forestry

Library Garden Provides 'Rest Stop' for Monarch Butterflies

December 04, 2015 Ellen Starr, Biologist, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Illinois

The pollinator garden at our library in Princeton, Ill. is a popular rest stop for monarch butterflies on their cross-continental journey. My agency, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), worked with local partners and businesses to create a 2,400-square-foot pollinator garden as a...

Conservation Initiatives

From Boots to Roots: Helping Women and Hispanic Vets Earn Ag, STEM Degrees

December 02, 2015 Scott Elliott, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

A professor in the Lone Star State is counting on two underrepresented groups to play a major role in the future of agriculture. Ken Mix, assistant professor of agriculture at Texas State University (TSU), is the project director of a new program called “Boots to Roots,” a program that helps female...

Initiatives

Mutually Beneficial Cooperation: The Three Sisters

November 30, 2015 Sam Rikkers, Acting Administrator, Rural Business Service, USDA Rural Development

USDA celebrates National Native American Heritage Month in November with a blog series focused on USDA’s support of Tribal Nations and highlighting a number of our efforts throughout Indian Country and Alaska. Follow along on the USDA blog . For centuries, Native Americans have cultivated the soil...

Initiatives Rural