June 2024

The Taos County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC) has been serving the members of Taos County and northern New Mexico for over 35 years. The organization supports the food, land, water and cultures of the people of Northern New Mexico by practicing regenerative agriculture and spreading knowledge of sustainable farming.

For many communities, the SNAP-Education program provides much more than basic nutrition guidance. In Kāneʻohe (in Honolulu), Hawaii, the SNAP-Ed funded Luluku Farms’ Aloha ʻĀina Agri-Cultural Restoration project uses the ʻĀina (land) to preserve traditional crops so the community can achieve self-sustainability, while providing keiki (kids) opportunities to learn about their cultural and traditional practices — as well as nutrition education. The notion of fertile land that Aloha ʻĀina symbolizes promotes community engagement, bolsters cultural preservation, and improves nutrition security by increasing community access to culturally appropriate foods.

Four years ago, Jordan McMahon wasn’t sure if he would go to college. Today, he is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 1890 National Scholar and published researcher. He recently graduated from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio and will be pursuing a master’s degree, eventual Ph.D., and a career in agriculture.

With a long family history of farming in rural communities, Nils Christoffersen, a member of USDA’s Equity Commission Rural Community Economic Development Subcommittee, was inspired to learn about the challenges impacting rural America. Christoffersen’s desire to bring attention to the needs, opportunities, and challenges faced by rural and Tribal communities grew from participating in farming and enjoying the experiences of farm life. This led him to the Equity Commission where he helped develop recommendations that were brought forward to help improve outcomes for USDA customers in rural areas.

From the big skies of Montana to the peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the white sand deserts of New Mexico, the diverse terrain of the Mountain Region presents unique challenges and great opportunities for the region’s 125,938 farms covering a vast 191.7 million acres of land.

Springfield Community Gardens (SCG) in Springfield, Missouri has been successfully operating and growing since 2010 with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2501 Program.

World Food Safety Day is June 7 and USDA is committed to doing our part to collaborate with federal and state partners and engage in vital conversations with food safety experts, consumer organizations, industry, and academia to ensure safe food for all.

The Tri-Faith Unity Garden and Hope Orchard, a USDA People’s Garden in Omaha, Nebraska, is a natural healing space where people of three faiths gather through the Tri-Faith Initiative. This unique interfaith project —including a synagogue, church, and mosque along with the garden— is a space where people can practice their faith while connecting, learning, and growing through the vision of “a world in which differences are honored, similarities are built upon, and everyone belongs.”

This summer 14 students (PDF, 1.4 MB) from agricultural migrant and farmworker backgrounds will take part in paid 10-week internships with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.

Today, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack kicked off National Homeownership Month. Each year, as part of this nationwide celebration, USDA highlights programs that help people in rural and Tribal areas buy, build and repair affordable homes.