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Turning Up the Heat – Fires Test Performance of Tall Wood Buildings

August 03, 2017 Rebecca Wallace, Forest Products Laboratory, U.S. Forest Service

Wood buildings provide an array of economic and environmental benefits to their communities, and interest in capitalizing on those benefits by constructing mid to high-rise buildings using cross-laminated timber (CLT) is growing.

Forestry

Technology Transfer Report Shows Broad Reach of USDA’s “Made in America” Research

August 02, 2017 Dr. Ann Bartuska, USDA Acting Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics

Why is the U.S. Department of Agriculture involved with developing an anti-cancer drug? It’s all part of our work to conduct “Made in America” research that produces new technology and creates business opportunities and jobs.

Research and Science

Researchers Tap Papaya-Loving Algae to Make “Home-Grown” Biodiesel for Hawaii

August 01, 2017 Jan Suszkiw, Public Affairs Specialist, Agricultural Research Service

Think algae is just slimy green pond scum? Well, think again! Thanks to advances in science and technology, these microscopic plant-like organisms are now star players in biologically-based approaches to producing fuel for transportation and other energy needs.

Research and Science

USDA Celebrates World Breastfeeding Week, Awards Programs That Support WIC Moms

July 31, 2017 Sarah Widor, Director, Supplemental Food Programs Division, Food and Nutrition Service

USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, popularly known as WIC, is once again celebrating World Breastfeeding Week, August 1-7. This year’s theme is Sustaining Breastfeeding Together, emphasizing the importance of family and community support for breastfeeding...

Food and Nutrition

In Conversation with #WomeninAg: Anne Hazlett

July 28, 2017 Anne Hazlett, Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development

Every month, USDA shares the story of a woman in agriculture who is leading the industry and helping other women succeed along the way. This month, we hear from Anne Hazlett, Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development.

Initiatives

Conservation Couple: From Bay Area Business Owners to Award-Winning, First Gen Ranchers

July 27, 2017 Michelle Banks, NRCS

Byrhonda Lyons of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service contributed this blog on USDA’s work in conservation partnerships. When Mike and Kathy Landini packed their belongings into friends’ trucks and left Concord, Calif., for Elk Creek, Calif., they had no idea what their new life would bring. They...

Conservation

Diverse Family Farms Are Important to U.S. Agriculture

July 20, 2017 Bob Hoppe, Economic Research Service

Family farms remain an essential feature of agriculture in the United States. Family farms make up 99 percent of America’s 2.1 million farms and 89 percent of agricultural production. Most farms in the United States are small: 90 percent are small family farms that operate nearly half of America’s...

Farming Research and Science

Coming Together for Healthy People and Places in Metro Denver

July 18, 2017 Dana Coelho, Rocky Mountain Region, U.S. Forest Service

The Metro Denver Area – seven counties along Colorado’s Front Range – is full of nature and people, and growing rapidly. Consistently ranked as one of the fastest growing regions in the nation, Metro Denver is home to just over 3 million people. By 2020 the region’s population should crown 3.3...

Forestry

Big Data Yields Big Opportunities in Agriculture

July 17, 2017 Stephanie Pearl, Science Communicator, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

(NIFA is accepting proposals for conferences to identify opportunities and bottlenecks in generating, managing, and integrating data within the food and agricultural system. NIFA will also consider research proposals that apply or enhance big data activities and efforts. Applications submitted to...

Technology Research and Science

How Cold Climate Communities Eat and Heat Locally

July 12, 2017 Joyce El Kouarti, U.S. Forest Service Office of Communication

Alaska’s Southeast Island School District operates four bioenergy-heated greenhouses in Thorne Bay, Kasaan, Naukati Bay, and Coffman Cove. Each greenhouse provides fresh produce to the school cafeteria and surrounding communities, jobs for district students, and an opportunity for teachers to bring...

Forestry Energy