USDA Blog

It’s been a tough year for members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in Oregon. The drought-blistered landscape of parched earth and wilting crops shows it. Then there’s the underlying damage created by two other forces of nature – menacing wildfires and wild horses.

Most American’s don’t realize that Forest products are a part of daily life. From buildings, bridges, and paper, to energy, chemicals and even jobs, our society depends on trees to provide for us. In recognition of the importance of forest products to our nation, President Obama has proclaimed the...

STEM – the fields of study in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. No one had trouble communicating despite the acronym overload at a STEM Internship Expo hosted recently at Phoenix College in Arizona. Several USDA agencies gathered under the shade of a canopy with tables packed with...

You don’t have to be in a lake or river, on a forest or in a wilderness area to participate in the outdoors. If you live in a city, a fun and interesting outdoor experience can be right in your own backyard. Through the Forest Service’s partnership with the Wilderness Inquiry’s Urban Wilderness...

The fourth annual Feds Feed Families food drive has come to a close and USDA employees helped to bolster local efforts to feed those in need in a big way. USDA employees, farmers, and friends donated 2.77 million pounds of food this summer and the federal-government-wide total was 7.29 million...

With the assistance of a South Dakota USDA Rural Development Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG), the Jackson County-Kadoka Economic Development Corporation is closer to its vision of assisting residents and businesses in achieving their full potential to increase economic security. The grant...

A ceremony Oct. 20 in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., marked the completion of a series of important federal, state, and locally funded trail projects, the official grand opening of the Mammoth Lakes Trail System, and the celebration of the agency partnerships that supported it. The project helped to create...

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. It’s hard to believe that ancient seas once covered a large part of California’s San Joaquin Valley—until you check the...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today made the following statement on the passing of Senator George McGovern: "Simply put, Senator George McGovern spent his life standing up for others. He honorably defended our nation during a time of war. He was a tremendous advocate for his home state of South...

In many parts of the United States, the summer months are a time when food banks and pantries experience a higher demand alongside decreased donations. As part of this past summer’s Feds Feed Families food drive, USDA employees in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, enthusiastically joined in the effort to help...