USDA Blog

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. Nothing gives us a better insight into the U.S. farm economy than USDA’s annual Agricultural Resource Management Survey...

Education used to be about the “Three Rs” – reading, (w)riting, and (a)rithmetic. It still is, but more letters have worked their way in: S, T, E, and M. Since 2001 educators have begun to focus more of their attention on the teaching of STEM – an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and...

Saturday, October 23, 2010 -- This morning dawned a beautiful, crisp, autumn day here in the District of Columbia. As the sun climbed above the horizon, over 500 volunteers gathered to build a playground at the Hyde Leadership Charter School in northeast DC. Among the volunteers were Secretary and...

Georgia native Topeka Ham found a new calling serving the American public through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) after 26 years in the South Carolina Air National Guard.

At USDA, we use a One Health approach that embraces the idea that problems arising at the intersection of the health of humans, animals, and the environment can be solved only through a coordinated multidisciplinary approach. This approach embraces the idea that a disease problem impacting the...

On January 9, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack put forth USDA’s “ Blueprint for Stronger Service” which focuses on streamlining operations and cutting costs throughout the Department. The “Blueprint for Stronger Service” calls for USDA to close 259 domestic offices, facilities and laboratories, as...

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...

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. In the 1920s, U.S. Navy recruiting posters exhorted young men to “Join the Navy and see the world!” If USDA’s...

Renowned chef Art Smith was the official guest speaker for U.S. Department of Agriculture’s observance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month. Openly Gay, and formally the personal chef to Oprah Winfrey, Chef Art has made numerous TV appearances, and is one of the most popular...

In February, I had the opportunity to visit USDA’s National Centers for Animal Health in Ames, Iowa. This campus hosts employees from both APHIS and ARS, who work together with tremendous collaboration. ARS employees conduct research on diseases of economic importance to the U.S. livestock and...