USDA Blog

Last week I joined Governor O’Malley and Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Buddy Hance for a cook-out at the Governor’s House in Annapolis, Maryland. What a blast! Along with 300 other guests, I sampled wonderful local foods prepared by 19 farmer-chef teams who were the winners in a state-wide...

Story and Photos by Phil Eggman, USDA Rural Development, Washington State Office Donating a little bit of time can go a long way to making a big difference for people. Just ask the employees of USDA Rural Development in Washington State who, on July 13, donated two hours of their time at the end of...

By Tammi Schone, USDA Rural Development Public Affairs Specialist, South Dakota State Office South Dakota State Director Elsie M. Meeks and Don Harris, Outreach Initiative Team Leader, National Office (Washington, DC) logged over 1,400 miles traveling across the state in mid June, reaching out to...

By Dr. Janey Thornton, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Recently I spent a wonderful day touring California’s Salinas and Pajaro Valleys. My gracious host, Congressman Sam Farr, and I started with the most important meal of the day: breakfast. We visited Rancho...

By Shelly C. Harlander, USDA Rural Development Public Information Coordinator, Syracuse, NY USDA Rural Development agency celebrated National Home Ownership month in June by presenting a ceremonial key to new home-owner Valerie Hunsdon. Ms. Hunsdon, a single parent of one child, accepted the key on...

Anyone who has shopped at a farmers market can appreciate the freshness of the food, the interaction with farmers, and the opportunity to learn how the food was produced. As an economist with the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), I’m also interested in what local food systems look like in the...

Written by Kayla Harless, People’s Garden Intern Almost everyone who gardens grows tomato plants. We are passionate about our tomatoes and savor that ripe, fresh fruit. However, several diseases love our tomato plants just as much as we do. The People’s Garden Workshop topic this week was tomato...

Written by Beth Grabau, Public Affairs Specialist, Iowa State FSA The Woodbury and Monona Count Farm Service Agency Service Centers in Iowa welcomed an unexpected guest on Tuesday as Christie Vilsack — wife of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack — stopped by for a visit. “It was a real privilege to...

By Bobby M. Goode, Tennessee State Director Access to high speed Internet connections grows more important every day. For businesses in Rural America it can be the difference between success and layoffs. Now a 60-year old telephone co-op and USDA Rural Development (RD) have teamed up to construct...

By Virginia Manuel, Maine Rural Development State Director Diabetes, obesity, alcoholism and cancer are health problems that all of America faces, but a study showed that incidents of these problems are higher among Native Americans. The Aroostook Band of Micmacs are taking action to change those...