USDA Blog

Vast acreage of dry lands may evoke images of a desolate, scorched desert that is uninhabitable to humans. But the arid and semi-arid dry lands of about half of both the United States’ and the world’s land surfaces actually are complex ecosystems made up variously of grasses, shrubs, agriculture...

Today, I am proud to announce the launch of the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) new digital AgResearch magazine. AgResearch is a monthly product designed to highlight short features on the scientific research discoveries occurring at the 90-plus ARS research laboratories across the Nation and...

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. April, the springboard to warm, sunny weather, is National Minority Health Month—a good time to focus on the sun, vitamin D...

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from the USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. How would you like to learn more about your personal health while contributing to science as a volunteer in a human...

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from the USDA's rich science and research portfolio. Are you an organic grain farmer or thinking of becoming one? Or maybe you’re wondering about strategies for improving...

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...

Uncontrolled bleeding is the main cause of preventable death in people who experience traumatic injury. This can happen in 5 to 10 minutes if severe blood loss from the injury site isn’t slowed or stopped. Now, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in New Orleans, Louisiana, have helped...

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. In the depths of winter, planting grass seed isn’t at the top of one’s to-do list. But soon, spring will arrive and...

When you hear “surf’s up,” the last thing you might think of is a desert shrub called “guayule” (pronounced “why-oo-lee”). But technology that began with a partnership between USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and a small Arizona-based company, Yulex Corporation, recently put wetsuits made...

“Whoa! Do you have bees in there?” is not something the Secret Service asks every day, even of scientists when they come to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which sits next to the White House West Wing and houses most of the staff offices. It was just a month ago that agronomist Eton...