Blog del USDA

The White House has called upon all federal agencies to “keep it simple” when it comes to writing. Here at USDA, we are committed to communicating clearly so that we can provide you with the most useful information possible. As Secretary Tom Vilsack has said, “Using plain writing is indispensable to...

Today, in Chicago, I joined Secretary Vilsack as he met with leaders from Boeing, United Airlines and Honeywell, to talk about support for the development of biofuels to power our jets. In the United States alone, passenger and cargo airlines spend about $50 billion on fuel each year. If just a...

Today we honor Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision and legacy by helping others in need. USDA employees from across the country will observe this day through service projects in their communities, working to fulfill Dr. King’s belief that "everybody can be great because everybody can serve." As we take...

“Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drum major for righteousness . . .We all have the drum major instinct.” Excerpt from The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Drum Major Instinct" sermon...

Employees of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) work every day to help private landowners improve environmental quality on their properties. So when staff at the NRCS East Remote Sensing Lab (ERSL) in Greensboro, N.C. noticed a stream near their building had become a dumping ground...

Last week, I announced a Blueprint for Stronger Service at USDA. It is our effort to make sure that in this era of reduced budgets, the folks who live, work and raise their families in rural America don’t see reduced services from the Department. Over the past three years, USDA has made significant...

Okay, Times Square, you had your big New Year’s Eve bash. Now it’s time to usher in the Asian Lunar New Year—the Year of the Dragon—which starts on January 23. Many Asian Americans and their friends are looking forward to enjoying traditional foods, gifts, and parades during this holiday of great...

How does a former dancer and theater technician end up in a career in forestry? Meet Mark Twery, a supervisory research forester on the Northern Research Station in Burlington, Vt., who is not only all of the above, but loves his unique job that incorporates forestry with dance.

Everyone wants to have a full bank account --- including bank accounts that hold seeds. The U.S. Forest Service recently held a workshop with the Dominican Republic Ministry of Environmental and Natural Resources in Dry Branch, Ga., focusing on ways to increase the capacity to develop and maintain a...

With the literal rise of wind energy facilities across the country in recent years, migratory bats have been affected and can die in the huge turbines designed to catch the wind—and, unintentionally, winged creatures that fly at night. The new interactive tool referred to as the Bat Occupancy...