USDA Blog

Years ago, I spent my days watching pecan roots change the color of solutions from clear to red as they reduced iron for uptake. It may not sound exciting, but that was the topic of my 2010 undergraduate research internship at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Children’s Nutrition Research...

I don’t know about you, but when the temperature drops, I find myself thinking of warmer climates. One location that experiences tropical weather year-round is Hawaii. But Hawaii’s warm temperatures aren’t the only thing that will have you dreaming of the Aloha State. The island’s agriculture comes...

Recently, the Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting (SSWSF) Program published new 30-year hydroclimatic normal values or “normals” for snowpack and precipitation at western U.S. monitoring stations. This information serves as a benchmark for assessing water supply conditions and is used by...

Through a unique collaboration with USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, food leftovers from six district schools in Prince William County, Virginia, are now being sorted, bagged, and collected before being mixed with organic yard waste and processed into compost at the...

Carbon dioxide emissions from the aviation sector constitute 2.5 percent of global emissions. One way to reduce this carbon footprint is to replace conventional aviation fuel (obtained by refining crude oil) with aviation fuel derived from sustainably produced biomass feedstocks.

At USDA, economics is a helping science. Two recent contributions of USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) highlight how economic research help USDA form policies.

For nearly 25 years, USDA’s National Agricultural Library (NAL) has donated thousands of books on agriculture and Native American culture to Tribal College libraries across the United States. The books are selected from NAL’s collection reserves and from the Library of Congress Surplus Books Program...

At USDA we use a feedback loop of 1) surveillance and monitoring 2) research, and 3) education and outreach to find science-based answers to challenging questions such as those posed by AR.

Red maple leaves, cool brisk breeze, geese flying south and cinnamon spice aroma filling the house…little reminders that we’re in the midst of Fall. But fresh crisp apples may be the best of all.

Bats aren’t just hanging around here for the boo’s. They play an irreplaceable role in our ecosystems.