USDA Blog

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) made many significant investments in small private enterprises in rural America. Shooting Star is a farm in Northern California where that investment is paying dividends. Funds from ARRA, better known as the Recovery Act, made it possible for...

USDA Administrator for Business and Cooperative Programs Judy Canales joined Nebraska Rural Development State Director Maxine Moul and staff earlier this month for Recovery Summer Tour stops in Pawnee City and the future Pawnee City Public Library.

As I have been discussing Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food with producers and local-food advocates across Iowa, one thing has become quite evident: access to capital is a huge barrier. In fact, at a meeting last month to develop an Iowa Food and Farm Plan that will be presented to the state...

What does it take to create a successful farmers market? Just like a potluck, everyone should bring something to the table. A market manager is needed to help coordinate the market place. A selection of vendors offering a variety of regional products is necessary. Also a strong customer base...

The silverspot butterfly ( Speyeria zerene hippolyta) is one of two native Oregon butterfly species listed as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Once found in coastal headlands from northern California to southern Washington, it has disappeared from all but a handful of...

Written by Lisa Wallenda Picard, Food Safety and Inspection Service Last night, USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a recall of frozen ground beef products. Working closely with our partners at California’s Department of Public Health, investigators were able to connect several...

Written by Ed Curlett, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Are Japanese beetles eating your roses? Ever hear of the Mediterranean fruit fly? Is the Emerald Ash Borer infesting your backyard tree? All of these insects are plant pests from another part of the world, and they can harm you, your...

Written By Jessica L. Morrison; USDA Forest Service Conservation Education Intern As a volunteer intern for the Conservation Education department of the Forest Service, I was not expecting much more than to be cooped up in a cubical somewhere; making copies and filing things away into nonexistence...

Written by Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Jim Miller During this year’s International Food Aid and Development Conference (IFADC), food security featured prominently as both a major concern and a primary program focus for current and future USDA projects. Each year the...

Written by Brittini Hawkins, NRCS Public Affairs Intern Who knew manual labor could be so rewarding? Last week all the NRCS interns went on a student educational tour to Windy Hill Farm on the Corsica River in Centreville, Maryland. The interns worked with the owners, Matt Miller and Beth Wehrle, to...