October 2010

It started as a three-quarter ton chunk of ice taken out of Mendenhall Lake on the Tongass National Forest in Juneau, Alaska.

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from the USDA's rich science and research portfolio.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), will take a technological leap forward in 2011 by using Apple’s new iPad as the data entry device to collect survey responses. This is an exciting step forward from the old pencil to paper method, still in use today. The iPad, coupled with NASS’s unique approach to computer assisted personal interviewing (CAPI), will revolutionize the NASS survey process and will open the door for future innovative opportunities.

The famous chef and food writer James Beard once said, “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”  From our potluck dinners to an after-church brunch, food is the tangible connection between us and our communities.  Studies have shown the positive impact family dinners have on the individuals who take part in them.

We’re just finishing a trio of new videos introducing programs within the Rural Development mission area that can be used to support local and regional food systems.

Prairieland Dairy of Hallam, Nebraska had a vision: they wanted to expand their operation to meet growing demand for sustainable, source-verified products.  In their mind, Nebraskans needed fresh, wholesome milk products produced in their own backyard.  With the help of USDA’s Rural Development office and a Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan, Prairieland was able to secure a $650,000 loan through a community bank, and today they are marketing products made with “local, farm-fresh Nebraska milk.”

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Midwest Regional Office collected 4100 pounds of food to support the Feds, Farmers and Friends Feed Families Initiative. We decided to make it fun event and include some of our partners and rename the Food Drive the Yellow Brick Road Food Drive, a spinoff of the Wizard of Oz.  We successfully recruited help and support from the Girl Scouts, CITGO Petroleum and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.   With the support of our partners and our managers, the MWRO team was victorious in defeating that “Wicked Witch” of hunger.

In April of 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama visited a small school located in the Anacostia section of the District of Columbia, and challenged that school to meet the HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC).

Thanks the efforts of community members and financing from USDA Rural Development and Agstar Rural Capital Network, a project nine years in the making will soon be a reality in Hutchinson, Minn.

It was my privilege to celebrate National School Lunch Week in Byram, MS, the greater Jackson area, to recognize Byram Middle School for meeting the Gold level of the HealthierUS School Challenge.  I was glad that Deuce McAllister, retired running back for the New Orleans Saints and Ole Miss, was also there to talk to the students about the importance of good nutrition and physical fitness as part of Fuel Up to Play 60.  Deuce and I both agree that it is so important that our children are healthy and active, that they not go hungry, and that they have access to nutritious meals.

St. Johns is a small community in Apache County, Arizona, close to the New Mexico border. Originally called El Vadito—little river crossing—St. Johns has found water to be an issue for their growth and development lately.

From New England through the south and across the upper Midwest to the Rockies and Pacific Northwest, many people anticipate that this weekend will be a showcase for a vast array of brilliant fall colors.