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The U.S. Drought Monitor: A Resource for Farmers, Ranchers and Foresters

April 19, 2018 Mark Brusberg, Chief Meteorologist, Office of the Chief Economist, World Agricultural Outlook Board and Rachel Steele, USDA National Climate Hubs Coordinator

Even before the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s, agricultural producers have recognized the economic and emotional devastation that drought can cause. Recently, the focus has shifted from dealing with drought as an unexpected hazard, to more proactive planning for the inevitability of drought. One of...

Climate

Where Your Front Door Meets the Forest

April 18, 2018 Kaari Carpenter, Fire and Aviation Management, USDA Forest Service

More and more communities are now near or within forests. In fact the area where unoccupied land and human development meet has a name and it’s called the Wildland Urban Interface, or WUI.

Forestry

4-H Youth is 'Making a Difference' One Community Food Pantry at a Time

April 18, 2018 Scott Elliott, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Sometimes, to make a difference, you just have to take matters into your own hands. That’s exactly what 4-H’er Mackenzie Hinson did in Mount Olive, North Carolina. As a result, thousands of area residents worry less about finding healthy food to eat.

Research and Science

Feral Swine Eradication in Havasu National Wildlife Refuge: Protecting Endangered Species from Feral Swine Damage

April 17, 2018 Jeanine Neskey, Extension Specialist, USDA, APHIS

Havasu National Wildlife Refuge was established by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941, as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. The refuge encompasses 37,515 acres of riverine, riparian, wetland, and desert upland habitats protecting one of the last remaining natural...

Animals

Building Healthy and Vibrant Rural Communities Now and for Generations to Come

April 17, 2018 Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett

This was a speech originally read by USDA’s Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett at the National Rx Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta, Georgia.

Initiatives

Tribal Members Trained and Hired to Hunt for Resources of Cultural Value

April 13, 2018 Estelle J. Bowman, Office of Tribal Relations, USDA Forest Service

White Mountain Apache tribal member Gregg Henry hiked along the southwest landscape of the Tonto National Forest in Arizona with the specific intention to identify and record sacred places.

Forestry

The Best Bridal Shower Favor: Food Safety

April 11, 2018 Janice López-Muñoz, BS, MSIH, Food Safety Education Staff, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA

Planning the perfect bridal shower can be stressful. Endless days and nights searching for the perfect games, favors and food can cause some things to fall through the cracks. Safe food handling shouldn’t be one of those things. Good planning always helps ease the mind, so follow our food safety...

Health and Safety

When Disasters Hit, Help Is as Close as Your USDA Service Center

April 10, 2018 Steve Peterson, Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency

When a disaster strikes, farmers and ranchers don’t want a process, they want help.

Disaster

Digging Deep into ARS Assets for Better Cookies and Cakes

April 10, 2018 Dennis O’Brien, Public Affairs Specialist, Agricultural Research Service

With a name like Fhb1, this particular gene is unlikely to ever become a household name. But it has the potential to combat a fungal disease that has been plaguing wheat farmers for years. Wheat scab can cripple a farmer’s yield and cost millions of dollars in crop losses.

Research and Science

Climbing Trees – How I Met My Beetle Family and Gave Back to the Community

April 09, 2018 Marvin Enoe, Supervisory Tree Climber, Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program

April may be Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month, but I live it year-round. I spend my days with a team of fellow tree climbers, looking for signs of Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) damage in the treetops of Bethel, Ohio. This is where ALB damage is most evident – oftentimes not visible...

Animals