June 2011

Cross posted from the Let's Move! blog:

Today marks day two in the first ever National Summer Food Service Program Week, a weeklong awareness campaign to promote USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and other programs nationwide to feed low income kids.

Lots of things are happening around the country this week to help feed more hungry children this summer.  For example today is National Hunger Awareness Day – as designated by the U.S. Senate in a bipartisan resolution. This is very fitting, given that at least 17 million children in the United States face a higher risk of hunger in the summer. Also today Agriculture Secretary Vilsack joined Jeff Bridges, Share Our Strength founder Bill Shore, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and others to launch Virginia’s No Kid Hungry Campaign at Barcroft Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia.

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.

New research featured in the April/May 2011 issue of Science Findings, a monthly publication of the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Station, can assist efforts aimed at conserving potentially imperiled populations of the North American red fox. “When most people think of the red fox, they envision the ones that thrive in low-elevation, human-dominated landscapes,” said lead author Keith Aubry. “But there are other extremely elusive and rarely seen populations that live only in isolated alpine and subalpine areas in the mountains of the Western United States.”

June is homeownership month -- an opportunity for us to highlight the important role housing plays in creating jobs, maintaining viable rural communities and contributing to the economy. Since the start of the current fiscal year, which began last October 1, USDA Rural Development has financed approximately 80,000 home loans for rural residents.

Working to protect American agriculture is no small task. On any given day the people at the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) work vigorously to protect livestock, fruits, vegetables and other commodities from pests and diseases. During the spring of 2011, I served as a legislative intern for APHIS’ Office of Legislative and Public Affairs (LPA). Working in LPA, I helped APHIS’ efforts to safeguard the health and viability of America’s agriculture and natural resources by ensuring effective communication with Congress, the States, industry and stakeholders.

USDA South Dakota Rural Development State Director Elsie Meeks took a tour of the flood control preparations underway in Pierre and Ft. Pierre, last Thursday.  A number of homes are threatened, including those financed by government agencies, including USDA.

Residents are preparing for the worst as the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers  increase water flow from the Oahe Dam from 85,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) to 150,000 CFS.   Flooding is imminent in the communities because of rising water levels on the Missouri River.

We are excited to announce the first ever National Summer Food Service Program Week! Today marks day one of a week-long celebration to raise awareness and make sure that no child goes hungry this summer. You may have heard of National School Lunch and School Breakfast Weeks and wondered why we didn’t have a week dedicated to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Well, we wondered the same thing and we’re excited to start a new tradition this year!

The SFSP is an important part of our nation’s hunger safety-net. Unfortunately, more than 8 million households with children were food insecure at our last calculation in 2009 and we know that a child’s risk of going hungry goes up during the summer months. That’s where SFSP comes in. The SFSP is a federally funded program designed to feed kids and teens healthy meals during the summer. It operates through partnerships between the USDA, State Agencies, and local governments and organizations. The program helps to feed kids at sites all over the country from schools and recreation centers, to camps and community organizations.

If someone told you there were simple things you could do to keep fish from dying and protect our waters, you’d want to know more, right?

Well, if you’re a boater or angler in the Great Lakes region, there’s a lot you can do to stop the spread of a fish disease called viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS). VHS kills freshwater and marine fish, including some species of bass, trout and perch.

The good news is you can help fight the disease by remembering to clean boats and fishing equipment. It’s also important not to transfer bait, water and mud from one waterway to another.

Semira Crank is proud to be part of a growing number of young Navajo women breaking barriers to become scientists and engineers. Her story began in the small southeastern Utah community of Montezuma Creek in what is referred to as the “Utah Strip” portion of the Navajo Nation Reservation.

June is National Homeownership Month, and this year's theme is "Rural Housing, Rural Jobs" to recognize the housing sector's significant role in creating jobs, maintaining viable rural communities and contributing to the economy.

Nations like Liberia have much to gain, as high-level officials from the United States and 37 Sub-Saharan African countries gather in Lusaka, Zambia, for the June 9-10 African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum.  Not only is Liberia eligible for AGOA trade preferences, allowing it to export a host of agricultural products to the United States duty-free, but it could receive more than $87 million in U.S. assistance in fiscal year 2011 to strengthen economic growth, which includes its agricultural sector. U.S. trade capacity building and technical assistance places Liberia in a better position than most to take advantage of AGOA trade preferences.