initiatives

Secretary Vilsack spoke this morning at the Future Farmers of America State Presidents' meeting. He had the opportunity to meet with FFA's national and state leaders, and took a few minutes to congratulate them on their election to leadership posts in an organization of more than 500,000 active members.

Secretary Vilsack prepared a message this month describing the purpose and mission of the Peoples' Garden at USDA headquarters in Washington, DC.

Here's the first part of the message. Check it out, and be sure to visit the Peoples' Garden web page and Twitter feed.

From: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack
Re: The Peoples' Garden
July 2009

Secretary Vilsack just announced an additional $274 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for conservation and restoration projects in our nation's forests. The money will mean more American jobs, better trails and scenery in the forests, and new work to maintain these national treasures. The announcement also brings the total figure for ARRA funds dedicated to National Forests to more than $936 million.

It's an absolutely beautiful day here in Washington, D.C., and we're setting up to put on the third week of Healthy Garden Workshops. If you're not in town, you can still follow the Peoples' Garden on Twitter, or check back later for a full report on the afternoon fun!

The weather is holding through this afternoon, and the lunchtime crowd in the Peoples' Garden is excited and really interested to see what's happening.

Early in the afternoon, the DC Central Kitchen, a student-operated non-profit in the District of Columbia which works to develop and serve organic, nutritious food to people in need, demonstrated the making of their bruschetta -- and they're still serving it outside to great reviews!

Do you want to make your garden the best it can be? Do you want to learn more about how to conserve as much as possible, while cultivating a thriving garden?

If your new veggie garden is brown, rather than green, how about asking a Master Gardener for some help?

Last Friday, USDA employees offered a “Healthy Garden" Workshop to teach area residents and visitors about ways to improve soil health in their gardens. The Workshop series will continue every Friday from noon to 12:30 p.m. through September 25, focusing on a different practical gardening skill each week. The events are held outside USDA headquarters at the ‘People’s Garden’ at the corner of 12th and Jefferson Drive SW, across from the National Mall.

USDA is implementing the $28 billion provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). Give us your feedback and tell us how the Recovery Act is helping in your local communities. All comments will be posted within 24 hours or less.