Skip to main content
Skip to main content

USDA Blog


Showing: 71 - 80 of 454 Results
Applied Filters

Too Hot for Coffee! Warming Temperatures in Puerto Rico Present a Challenge to Coffee Growers

May 04, 2017 William A. Gould, USDA Caribbean Climate Hub Director and Isabel K. Parés-Ramos, USDA Caribbean Climate Hub Coordinator

Climate projections indicate Puerto Rico may be warmer and drier, likely impacting one of the Island's most iconic crops. This could result in less-favorable growing conditions in the coming decades for coffee. A new study by the USDA Caribbean Climate Hub shows that if greenhouse gas emissions and...

Climate

Reforestation Tool to Help Determine Where to Plant Tree Seedlings

April 28, 2017 Holly R. Prendeville, Coordinator, USDA Northwest Climate Hub

After timber harvest or a forest fire, reforestation is essential for a productive working landscape and healthy ecosystem. When replanting you need to decide where you will get tree seeds or seedlings. To help you and other forest land managers, reforestation scientists at the USDA Forest Service...

Climate

Climate Hubs and 4-H: Partnering with Tomorrow's Leaders to Sustain Agriculture Today

March 28, 2017 David Brown, USDA Southern Plains Climate Hub and Clay Pope, Southern Plains Hub Coordinator

Agriculture in the United States faces significant challenges in the years ahead, perhaps none greater than the projection of approximately 9 billion people worldwide to feed by mid-century. Meeting this challenge will require an estimated increase in agricultural production of more than 70%. This...

Climate Conservation

A Farewell Message from Secretary Tom Vilsack to Employees

January 13, 2017 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sent the following message to all USDA employees: I want to take this opportunity on my final day at USDA to express my profound gratitude to the people who work at USDA. Every day, nearly 90,000 people leave their families and the comfort of their home to do...

Conservation USDA Results Initiatives Energy Food and Nutrition Health and Safety Forestry Trade Animals Plants Rural Research and Science Technology

U.S. Sweet Potato Production Swells

January 05, 2017 Jennifer Bond, Economic Research Service

Chances are that if you order a side of fries at a restaurant, you need to specify whether you’re asking for white potatoes or sweet potatoes. Food trends that support the consumption of more healthful, colorful and unique foods have helped to encourage sales of sweet potatoes in the form of fries...

Trade

USDA Reaches Out to Growing Asian American and Pacific Islander Population

December 22, 2016 Janet Nuzum, USDA Senior Advisor and Director of Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration

Did you know that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) make up the fastest growing population group in the United States? Increasing over four times as rapidly as the overall U.S. population, AAPIs are projected to more than double by 2060, from 20 million today to 50 million. A recent...

Trade

An Insider's Journey to Improving Food Security and Literacy in Tanzania

December 21, 2016 Krissy Young, Foreign Agricultural Service Public Affairs

USDA’s McGovern–Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program helps reduce hunger and improve literacy and primary education in low-income, food-deficit countries around the world. Today, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) works hand-in-hand with non-profit charitable...

Initiatives Food and Nutrition Trade

A Tale of a Fish from Two Countries

December 05, 2016 Craig A. Morris, Deputy Administrator of the AMS Livestock, Poultry, and Seed Program

How can fish in a grocery store be labeled as both “Alaskan” and “Product of China” on the same package? The answer is that although much of the seafood sold in the United States is labeled with a foreign country of origin, some of that same seafood was actually caught in U.S. waters. Under the...

Trade

Helping Farmers Adapt to Extreme Weather and a Changing Climate

November 28, 2016 Dan Dostie, NRCS Project Liaison, USDA Northeast Climate Hub

Changes in climate and more extreme weather are already increasing challenges for agriculture and natural resource managers nationally and globally. Many of these challenges are expected to continue into the future. A new USDA report Adaptation Resources for Agriculture: Responding to Climate...

Climate

Growth and Opportunity in the Organic Sector

November 10, 2016 Elanor Starmer, Agricultural Marketing Service Administrator

Since USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) implemented the organic regulations in 2002, the U.S. organic sector has tripled in size to over 22,000 certified organic operations with over $43 billion in U.S. retail sales. Demand for organic products is expected to continue growing. This strong...

Food and Nutrition Farming Trade