USDA Blog

This year marks the 100th anniversary of USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum. I was excited to participate in a panel session that reviewed the past 100 years of agricultural trade in the United States and acknowledge the forces that have shaped its evolution during the past century.

Food and service have a special place in Walter Brooks, Jr.’s heart. Today, he runs Brooksmade Gourmet Foods in Atlanta, Georgia, which exports clean-label condiments, sauces and rubs.

USDA recognizes how critical organic agriculture is to our nation’s economy. We also recognize the challenges producers can face transitioning to organic.

Sometimes, even the most successful and experienced entrepreneurs need a little extra help navigating ways to diversify and expand their business model. For dairy products and ingredients company, Tedford/Tellico, Inc. in Knoxville, Tennessee, that was the case in 2022, when its Global Sales...

Agriculture is a key component of Native peoples’ culture and heritage. Today more and more tribal nations are looking to establish and expand access to global markets. For example, Minnesota’s Red Lake, Inc. – wholly owned by the Red Lake Nation – has begun to join USDA’s agribusiness trade...

Retirement – for many – is a time for reconnecting with what you love and who you love. Laura Cristobal-Andersland and David Andersland have spiced up retirement with their seasoning business, Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Sea Salts.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service hosted a delegation of government and private sector representatives from Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay who traveled to the Washington, D.C., area to learn about sustainable, climate-smart agricultural practices being...

For a women-owned business in rural Indiana, working with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) became a life-changing experience. Soccer moms Carol Podolak and Joy Thompkins sold homemade peanut butter as their kids’ team fundraiser to travel from Portage, Indiana to Dallas, Texas for a...

American breweries and craft beer have grown in popularity in recent years. And that interest in these refreshing, artisan beverages is hopping from continent-to-continent thanks in part to collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and the U...

One week on the job can take organic inspectors from a field crop farm to a dairy pasture or food production facility. Inspectors audit organic farms, ranches, and businesses to verify that they follow the USDA organic standards. Travel and flexibility are inherent to inspection work, and many...