USDA Blog

“If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.” I was reminded of this powerful proverb while preparing for our ReConnect program announcement. As a former teacher, education and its long-reaching benefits...

Commitment to Habitat Renewal

USDA Offers Tribal Students Career-Track Scholarships in Agriculture

Federal Register Notice: Food Distribution Demonstration Project

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16, 2019 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the opening of the 2020 scholarship application cycle for the USDA 1994 Tribal Scholars Program. The program aims to increase the number of tribal college and university students studying agriculture, food, natural...

In celebration of Women’s History Month, USDA is proudly sharing stories of women leaders in agriculture who are helping girls and other women succeed along the way. In this blog, we feature Dr. Dionne Toombs, the Director of USDA’s Office of the Chief Scientist. As director, Dr. Toombs provides...

The bold and rugged coast of Downeast Maine is home to a rural community of 300, where the people have made a living off the land and sea for generations. The Town of Roque Bluffs contains a state park and boasts some of the most beautiful coastline in Maine - yet it is the people who are its...

Did you know that total farm production nearly tripled between 1948 and 2017? Even as land and labor used in farming declined, innovations in animal and crop genetics, chemicals, equipment and farm organization have enabled continuing growth in farm output. USDA’s Economic Research Service’s...

There was no denying it; the kid liked bugs. But who could have known then that he would preside over the world’s largest organization devoted to the science of entomology?

With the 2020 growing season about to begin for major field crops such as corn and soybeans, we’d like to walk through the surveys and data used during a complete season of field crop estimation. As a way to help you prepare for the 2020 data releases, we’ll explain in a series of articles the...