Skip to main content
Skip to main content

USDA Blog


Showing: 1 - 10 of 57 Results
Applied Filters

USDA Reaches Out to Growing Asian American and Pacific Islander Population

December 22, 2016 Janet Nuzum, USDA Senior Advisor and Director of Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration

Did you know that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) make up the fastest growing population group in the United States? Increasing over four times as rapidly as the overall U.S. population, AAPIs are projected to more than double by 2060, from 20 million today to 50 million. A recent...

Trade

An Insider's Journey to Improving Food Security and Literacy in Tanzania

December 21, 2016 Krissy Young, Foreign Agricultural Service Public Affairs

USDA’s McGovern–Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program helps reduce hunger and improve literacy and primary education in low-income, food-deficit countries around the world. Today, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) works hand-in-hand with non-profit charitable...

Initiatives Food and Nutrition Trade

A Tale of a Fish from Two Countries

December 05, 2016 Craig A. Morris, Deputy Administrator of the AMS Livestock, Poultry, and Seed Program

How can fish in a grocery store be labeled as both “Alaskan” and “Product of China” on the same package? The answer is that although much of the seafood sold in the United States is labeled with a foreign country of origin, some of that same seafood was actually caught in U.S. waters. Under the...

Trade

Research in Energy Security Helps Lead to Food Security in West Africa

November 28, 2016 Desiree Thomas, International Program Specialist, Foreign Agricultural Service

Research shows the majority of people in Africa depend on biomass to meet their energy needs, with approximately 80 percent relying on wood energy. Such high dependency makes families vulnerable to unexpected and sudden changes, including extreme weather and socio-political events. Researching and...

Energy Food and Nutrition

100 Strong: Rural Impact County Challenge Achieves Goal

November 22, 2016 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

In April, the White House Rural Council partnered with the National Association of Counties to announce the Rural Impact County Challenge, a call for at least 100 counties to pledge to create opportunity for children in rural areas. On October 25, we achieved this goal. These 100 community leaders...

Energy Rural

Growth and Opportunity in the Organic Sector

November 10, 2016 Elanor Starmer, Agricultural Marketing Service Administrator

Since USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) implemented the organic regulations in 2002, the U.S. organic sector has tripled in size to over 22,000 certified organic operations with over $43 billion in U.S. retail sales. Demand for organic products is expected to continue growing. This strong...

Food and Nutrition Farming Trade

Meeting the China E-Commerce Challenge

October 27, 2016 Alexis Taylor, Deputy Under Secretary of Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services

In the United States, farming and technology go hand-in-hand in production agriculture. Technology helps improve productivity, efficiency and safety. Now, we’re discovering new ways that technology and digital strategies can offer similar benefits when marketing U.S. farm and food products overseas...

Trade

Celebrating 80 Years of Partnership

October 26, 2016 Brandon McBride, Rural Utilities Service Administrator

This is a special year for rural electric cooperative utilities. Eighty years ago, Congress passed and President Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act of 1936. The REA brought electricity to rural America, ultimately making the United States the source of the world’s food, fuel and fiber...

Energy Rural

REAPing America's Clean Energy Future

October 25, 2016 Sam Rikkers, Administrator for Rural Business and Cooperative Service

USDA Rural Development’s Rural Energy for America Program, commonly referred to as ‘REAP’, provides financial resources for rural agricultural producers and small businesses to help them improve their bottom line. REAP provides loan guarantees and small grants to support these producers and owners...

Energy Rural

U.S. and Mexico Collaborate on Organic Monitoring and Enforcement

October 19, 2016 Elanor Starmer, Agricultural Marketing Service Administrator

As consumer demand for organic products continues to grow around the world, the USDA Organic Seal has become a leading global standard. USDA provides support for the vibrant organic sector, representing a retail market of over $43 billion in the United States alone. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing...

Trade