USDA Blog

Growing up in Beautancus, North Carolina, U.S. Department of Agriculture Equity Commission Member Shorlette Ammons learned first-hand the impact of farming and food systems in rural communities. From a large line of farmworkers, cooks, and storytellers, Ammons leans on her experience and background...

After suffering severe winter losses beginning in 2007, the honey bee population is making a comeback. Still, losses are high, which means beekeepers have to spend a lot of time and money replacing their bees.

There are many different approaches and practices when it comes to farming, but one thing is constant - to run your farm as a business, you need to be able to sell your product. To sell their product, a farmer or rancher needs to be visible to buyers and buyers need to have an easy way to reach...

Allison Malone grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. When she left her childhood home to attend the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a historically Black university, her goal was to pursue a career in agricultural engineering. Through perseverance and with financial support from the U.S. Department of...

Scientists from the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are working shoulder-to-shoulder with food producers to help them feed the world’s growing population. One of their most effective tools is integrating ecological, economic and social principles to help farming systems move toward greater...

As the warm weather approaches, so do days spent outside firing up the grill with friends and family. The month of May kicked off grilling season and whether you are shopping in the grocery store, or doing an online pickup order, there is one easy way to be assured that you’re getting what you paid...

Uncle Jerry’s Farm, LLC.’s humble beginnings stretch back to 2015, when a health-conscious consumer, Debora Coleman, decided to devote a small patch of her land on the outskirts of Jackson, Mississippi, to the growing shiitake mushrooms. She shared the yield with friends and family members...

Today is World Food Safety Day, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has launched a sweeping new initiative known as the Salmonella Grand Challenge. The project brings together an elite group of ARS, university and food industry scientists from different...

Foodborne illness impacts every community around the world, and preventing these illnesses is essential to global health. On this World Food Safety Day, the United Nations aims to spread the message that food standards save lives.

The Codex Alimentarius, or just Codex for short, is an international set of food standards that protect public health by ensuring food safety and promoting fair trade practices. It is produced by an international commission that formulates voluntary international standards, codes of practice, and...