usda science

This month, nearly 200,000 K-12 students from across Philadelphia head back to school, filling classrooms and lunchrooms across the city with excitement for the new year ahead.

The Southern Region of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, is home to nearly 144,000 farming operations that produce a variety of commodities. Agriculture is deeply rooted in the region and has shaped it into an area known for its warm hospitality and delicious comfort food. What better embodies Southern hospitality than a freshly baked slice of pie?

Last month I attended the Northeast Regional Equity Convening hosted by the USDA and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture on July 18, 2024. This was a unique opportunity to interact with fresh voices and discuss charged and meaningful topics like urban agriculture and nutrition sovereignty.

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s (NASS) Great Lakes Region encompasses Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio – three states with a significant impact on U.S. agriculture and a healthy crop of young producers.

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. In Oklahoma, the market value of agricultural sales reached $8.5 billion, 2% of total U.S. agricultural sales.

The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris are underway and athletes from around the world are competing for medals in individual events ranging from archery to wrestling and team events from artistic swimming to water polo. Becoming an Olympian requires more than natural ability, it takes proper coaching, endless practice, perseverance, and, of course, good nutrition. A common thread that connects top-notch athletes from around the globe is eating a healthy balance of foods.

From the big skies of Montana to the peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the white sand deserts of New Mexico, the diverse terrain of the Mountain Region presents unique challenges and great opportunities for the region’s 125,938 farms covering a vast 191.7 million acres of land.

Did you know, the United States is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of corn in the world? In 2022, corn and soybeans accounted for more than half of the U.S. crop cash receipts—totaling $148.5 billion. This is in no small part thanks to the Heartland Region states of Illinois and Missouri.

When people think about Wisconsin agriculture, they immediately think of Wisconsin as a leader in dairy farms and cheese production. As of December 31, 2022, Wisconsin had 6,216 dairy farms, and in 2022 Wisconsin produced just over 5.2 billion pounds of cheese.

When I sat down to speak with Mari Gomez, Chief of Staff at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), my first question was, “tell me about your career journey, including any roles you had before USDA.”