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I recently had the pleasure accompanying Deputy Administrator for Special Nutrition Audrey Rowe and Yvette Jackson, Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator on a visit to Duval Elementary-Middle School in Lincoln County, West Virginia. Known for wide open spaces and a laid back lifestyle, Lincoln County...

It was all hands on deck at the 3 rd Annual Faith, Families & Schools Conference held in Cromwell, Connecticut. I was extremely pleased to see many of my state colleagues working together in such an important effort. I participated as the keynote speaker and was introduced by George A. Coleman...

On October 4, fellow USDA Food and Nutrition Service staffer Julie Mikkelson and I attended the Minnesota Vikings annual Taste of the NFL bash at Minneapolis’ Mall of America. This enormously popular charity event funds feeding efforts operated by Second Harvest Heartland, the Upper Midwest’s...

“Fuel, fuel; Up, Up” and “Let’s Play 60!” were the cheers of the day at Dealey Montessori Vanguard and International Academy in Dallas on September 21. School cheerleaders and Rowdy, the Dallas Cowboys mascot, led the school-wide pep rally to kick off the school’s Fuel Up to Play 60 program.

Every time we close out a fiscal year and report on the outcomes our grants have supported, I am always astounded by the vast scope of work accomplished by the thousands of grantees who have received awards from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). During our annual awards ceremony...

Earthworms can generate tons of nutrient rich droppings, or “casts,” per acre each year on agricultural lands and gardens. And they’re such industrious little diggers that they can literally turn over the entire top six inches of a field in as few as 10 years.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) partnered with the Office of Personnel Management to participate in the Feds, Farmers, and Friends Feed Families (F5), a food drive. This food drive benefited local food banks identified by state and area/local USDA offices.

I just participated in a wonderful school nutrition conference in Athens, GA that ran from September 28-30. It was Georgia’s annual School Nutrition Directors’ Conference, and I found it to be very well organized and packed with important information.

The potato is the world’s fourth largest food crop and is the largest vegetable crop in the United States. The crop originated in the Andes Mountains in South America, and in the ensuing 7,000 years, has spread across the globe. Potatoes have played an important role in saving populations of people...

Farming for the Eldridge family began in the late 1800’s when Hoover Eldridge’s grandfather settled in the eastern portion of Stewart County, Tenn. Through the years the farming operation has consisted of producing crops such as corn, soybeans and tobacco, as well as a variety of livestock such as...