USDA Blog

Early in October 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was faced once again with New World screwworm, which had been eradicated from the United States more than three decades ago. Infestation of this flesh-eating parasite was confirmed in deer from the National Key Deer Refuge in the...

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. As a boy, Steven Cannon helped his grandfather in the garden grafting fruit trees, all the while developing an interest in...

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.

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 profile. It seems that even Paradise on Earth requires a bit of pest control once in a while. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)...

Every 36 seconds, a person dies from heart disease in the United States. Heart disease is the leading cause of the death in America, and in 2017, Black Americans were 20 percent more likely to die from heart disease than non-Hispanic whites. Several medical conditions and lifestyle choices...

They say that variety is the spice of life. Well, you can’t get much more variety than in the plant world. Genetic variation exists for many traits in all crops. For example, although most carrots on grocers’ shelves are orange, carrots can also be white, yellow, green, or purple. Most potatoes are...

Hello, I’m Dr. Karen James-Preston. I’m work for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, as Director of the Veterinary Services’ National Center for Import and Export, Animal Products. My staff and I work every day to make sure animal products are safely imported into the United...

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to see first hand how the Forest Service Job Corps Program changes lives. The motto of the Centennial Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center (JCCCC) is "Creating brighter futures one individual at a time" and this motto is applicable to all 28 JCCCCs. My day at...

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist Sheri Spiegal received an exciting award recognizing her pioneering work integrating social science and biophysical science with stakeholder engagement to help animal producers and crop farmers improve the redistribution of manure nutrients from farms...

USDA scientists have discovered that the spotted lanternfly, an invasive threat to fruit crops and many trees, may have an Achilles heel – an attraction to vibration.