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America’s Summer BBQ: Sizzling from the Southern Plains

August 16, 2024 Wilbert Hundl, Jr., Regional Director of USDA-NASS Southern Plains Region serving Oklahoma and Texas

Oklahoma and Texas form one of the nation’s most abundant agricultural regions. According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, these two states accounted for 8% of total U.S. agricultural sales. The market value of agricultural products from Texas came to $32.2 billion, 6% of U.S. agricultural sales...

Research and Science

USDA Process Verified Program: Transparency from Farm to Market

August 16, 2024 Jennifer Porter, Deputy Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service

When purchasing food, many consumers look for information on where the food came from and how it was produced. No antibiotics, cage-free, and grass-fed are a few marketing claims consumers find on protein-based food packaging. To provide assurance to customers of the validity of these and other...

Farming Health and Safety

E. Kika De La Garza Fellow Brings USDA Awareness to South Florida

August 16, 2024 MD Sharman, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

Dr. Maruthi Sridhar Balaji Bhaskar of Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida, to take action to help his students

Equity Initiatives

Digital Transformation Takes Root at USDA

August 16, 2024 Fátima Terry, Deputy Director, USDA Digital Service

The seeds of digital transformation are taking root as application reviews for our agency’s first Digital Service (DS) Fellows cohort are in progress. By establishing a dedicated fellow team at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), we will be able to improve access to USDA resources and...

Technology

Making an Impact: HEP/CAMP Intern Yasmin Miranda-Mandujano

August 06, 2024 Daniela De Santiago-Zuniga, Intern, Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

Yasmin Miranda-Mandujano is one of 14 students chosen for an internship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) High School Equivalency Program/College Assistance Migrant Program (HEP/CAMP). Yasmin is a sophomore at Madera Community College in California, majoring in business administration.

Equity Initiatives

Elizabeth Lower-Basch: Closing the Gap to Nutrition for Families

August 01, 2024 the Equity Team

Growing up in a diverse community in Manhattan, USDA Equity Commission’s Elizabeth Lower-Basch understood the importance of civil rights, unions, and equity at a young age. Inspired by her upbringing, Lower-Basch went on to earn a master’s degree in public policy and began her career with the U.S...

Equity

How a Tribal Fire Crew Rescued the Real Smokey Bear

December 31, 2019 Sandy Marin, Tribal Relations, USDA Forest Service

This year, we celebrated Smokey Bear’s 75 th birthday as a national fire prevention icon. Many know Smokey’s message: “Only YOU can prevent wildfires,” but fewer people may know that Smokey was a real American black bear rescued, in the spring of 1950, from a raging wildfire in New Mexico.

Forestry

Better Adhesives Mean Stronger, Cheaper Wood Products

December 30, 2019 Diane Banegas, Research and Development, Forest Service

Although engineered wood — such as plywood or particle board — is great for a range of building and manufacturing uses, it has its limitations, especially in outdoor applications. One of the biggest limitations is not the wood, but the adhesive used to glue the wood veneers or particles together...

Forestry

Are Crawfish Counted in the Ag Census in Louisiana?

December 27, 2019 Kathy Broussard, Louisiana State Statistician, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service

Louisiana’s diverse agriculture does in fact include crawfish. While the Census of Agriculture doesn’t count every crawfish harvested, it does capture the value of sales from commercial producers.

Research and Science

Agriculture Grows in the Land of the Midnight Sun

December 27, 2019 Suzan Benz, Alaska State Statistician, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service

The 2017 Census of Agriculture showed farming in Alaska is thriving and growing across many different sectors. Alaska saw increases in the number of farms with cut flowers, hogs, layers, vegetables, bees and honey, bedding plants, food crops grown under cover and more.

Research and Science