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Written by Ed Curlett, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Are Japanese beetles eating your roses? Ever hear of the Mediterranean fruit fly? Is the Emerald Ash Borer infesting your backyard tree? All of these insects are plant pests from another part of the world, and they can harm you, your...

Written by Brittini Hawkins, NRCS Public Affairs Intern Who knew manual labor could be so rewarding? Last week all the NRCS interns went on a student educational tour to Windy Hill Farm on the Corsica River in Centreville, Maryland. The interns worked with the owners, Matt Miller and Beth Wehrle, to...

Around the world, USDA employees continue their commitment to public service as a testament to Abraham Lincoln’s nickname as the “People’s Department.” Yesterday Secretary Tom Vilsack hosted the 62 nd Annual Secretary’s Honors Awards, celebrating employees who went above and beyond the call of duty...

By Brad Fisher, Public Affairs Specialist Right now, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is sharing the agency’s conservation expertise with more than 42,000 scouts at the National Boy Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. Scout jamborees are always jammed with excitement, but this...

As a heat wave consumes much of the country, especially here in Washington, DC, winter seems a long way off—unless you’re a farmer. For the 2.2 million farms that grow our nation’s food, fiber, and fuel, it’s likely a good time to be thinking ahead to the upcoming harvest and preparing for the...

By James Miller, Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Earlier today I announced, on behalf of Secretary Tom Vilsack, an opportunity for landowners to enroll environmentally sensitive land into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP is administered by the USDA Farm Service...

President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative came to Nebraska on July 12, when 200 attendees gathered in Grand Island for a listening session. They were joined by Dave White, Chief of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and senior representatives of the U.S. Departments...

By Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture Yesterday, I had the amazing opportunity to survey the northern Everglades, a vast watershed of incredible beauty. USDA prides itself on protecting natural resources across our nation and the Fisheating Creek Wetlands Reserve...

By Robert Westover, USDA Forest Service Office of Communcations Working to implement and respond to the USDA strategic plan, the Forest Service’s National Roadmap for Responding to Climate Change sets priorities for responding to a changing climate. USDA’s strategic plan was announced in mid-June...

By Ron Morton, Assistant State Public Affairs Specialist, Athens, Georgia In the 1930s, a rural Georgia wetland was drained to help control the spread of malaria. As the land dried, water-loving wildlife like the endangered wood stork had to find a new home or perish. Eventually, the land became dry...