USDA Blog

The view of teepees and campers across the countryside, the enticing aroma of food and the distant beat of the drums were all part of the North American Indian Days celebration. I was in Browning – home of the Blackfeet Nation to listen and learn about agriculture in Indian Country. On the Blackfeet...

The Feds Feed Families (FFF) drive is a great opportunity for all of us to give something to those who are less fortunate. I accepted the challenge and went out Saturday morning and did some shopping and loaded up 285 pounds of food. It was actually quite fun to think about what someone might like...

Recently, USDA- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) scientists at the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) tested two new scare devices developed by private companies that include species recognition technologies─the Sonic Dissuader® and the Goose Guardian. The devices focus on...

[Editor's note: a version of this article was originally published in the Food Safety and Inspection Service's Small Plant News. This post covers Rural Development loan programs available to small plants; an upcoming post will cover Rural Development grant programs.] If you are a small packinghouse...

Cross posted from the Let's Move! blog: As part of Let’s Move!, First Lady Michelle Obama has challenged community and faith leaders to combat hunger. One of her goals for Let’s Move Faith and Communities is to encourage these trusted leaders to start 1,000 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sites...

America has one of the safest and most abundant food supplies in the world. But even in this country, too many people get sick from the food they eat. This year, one in six Americans will get food poisoning – that’s 48 million people. 128,000 will end up in the hospital. And 3,000 will die. These...

Our June Feds Feed Families totals are in, and I would like to give my USDA colleagues across the country a discreet, virtual high-five. Today, Secretary Vilsack announced that USDA donated just over 100,000 pounds of food to the Feds Feed Families food drive during the month of June. What a great...

As we reflect on this important month that celebrates our nation’s 235th anniversary, I thought I’d share a story about how Farm Service Agency (FSA) in California is helping people achieve and celebrate their own version of the American Dream. This morning, I visited with a Liberian immigrant...

Born and raised in New England I can’t claim to know the finer details and intricacies of the delicious and competitive world of barbeque. So when I came to Tennessee to highlight economic development opportunities at Cumberland University’s Cumberland Culinary Center I was pleased to see first-hand...

Forests absorb carbon like a giant sponge into what scientists call a carbon sink. This fact is well known throughout the scientific community. However, what scientists weren’t sure of until now is the amount of carbon forests can store. For years scientists knew a large amount of carbon was somehow...