2011

Congratulations were in order for fourteen Cache Valley families in Utah who have a place to call their own after building their own homes through the Self Help Program (MSHP) sponsored by USDA Rural Development.   Neighborhood Nonprofit Housing Corporation in Logan runs the program that helps put limited income families in affordable homes through government supported mortgage loans and sweat equity.

Congressman Rob Bishop was the keynote speaker at the ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday, wishing the families the best and thanking them for all they are doing.

Peace Corps volunteers find themselves in a variety of locales covering a wide range of issues related to agriculture, education and health. And when they return, many of them have the opportunity to apply their Peace Corps experience to their professional lives back in the States. USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) boasts a large number of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) working in a variety of program areas from scientific affairs to capacity building. In honor of Peace Corps Month and the 50^th anniversary of the Corps, it is fitting to look at some of the Agency’s RPCVs and how their service in the Peace Corps has benefited their work at USDA.

As Americans struggle to feed their families during these tough economic times, communities are relying on food banks to provide nutritional meals for disadvantaged households. For the northern California community of Mendocino County, residents in need are finding help in the Fort Bragg Food Bank, run by the Mendocino Food and Nutrition Program, a local nonprofit.

Cross posted from the Let's Move! blog:

In February of last year, I spoke at the National Press Club and outlined a vision and path for improving the health and well-being of kids across the nation by enhancing our nutrition assistance programs. I made a commitment that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) would continue to help bridge the nutrition gap when school is out because our efforts to combat hunger and improve nutrition cannot end when the school bell rings on the last day of the school week or year.

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) blog. Check back each week as we showcase the stories and news from the agency’s rich science and research portfolio.

Researchers with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have teamed up with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and private consultants to come up with a way to turn a landfill—nobody’s idea of a beauty spot—into a little touch of green heaven, with greenhouse-gas-reducing benefits to boot.

Staff from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Southwest regional office was pleased to join the national non-profit, Share Our Strength, in Albuquerque, for the launch of their No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in New Mexico.

The No Kid Hungry campaign is a public-private partnership between a diverse coalition of non- profit groups, the Food and Nutrition Service, the state of New Mexico, Share our Strength and the New Mexico Collaboration to End Hunger. In New Mexico, only one-third of eligible children participate in the Summer Food Service Program and only a little over half of children who are eligible eat breakfast at school.

As President Obama challenges Americans to win the future, we at USDA are implementing ways to do so by helping tribal communities across the country out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build our global competition. Starting in rural America, but more specifically within tribal communities, we see an amazing opportunity to improve the economic climate and provide a better tomorrow for today’s youth.

At the 2011 Reservation Economic Summit, I was able to showcase the programs we are employing through USDA’s Rural Development to better the lives of those living in rural America, and to support tribal economic development. As the summit rang in its 25^th anniversary, the conversation was abuzz with ideas on how to spur economic development in Indian Country – and investing in our Nation’s rural infrastructure is a great place to start.

“What’s good for the birds is good for the cows,” says Duane Coombs, ranch manager for Smith Creek Ranch in central Nevada. That’s why Coombs and his neighbor on the other side of the Desatoya Mountain Range are working to restore habitat for the western sage-grouse, a chicken-sized bird that is being considered for endangered species listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Sage-grouse are a keystone species for the sagebrush ecosystem.

USDA no está hablando solamente, sino que también toma medidas para ayudar a los hispanoamericanos. El Departamento puso un pie al frente hoy cuando el Secretario de Agricultura Federal Tom Vilsack y Sandra V. Serrano de la Asociación Hispana de Colegios y Universidades, firmaron un Acuerdo de Entendimiento que creará nuevos programas y otras actividades. Este acuerdo mejorará la educación de los hispanoamericanos para que sigan una carrera relacionada en el campo agrícola.

El acuerdo demuestra el esfuerzo que hace USDA en ayudar a los hispanoamericanos a tener una educación de excelencia mediante la colaboración con la Asociación Hispana de Colegios y Universidades (AHCU) para desarrollar un programa entre USDA y las Instituciones Educativas Hispanas.

USDA isn’t just talking, but taking action to help Hispanic Americans. The department stepped forward today as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Sandra V. Serrano of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will build programs and other activities to help further the education of Hispanic Americans and contribute to the commitment of preparing America’s young people to pursue careers in agriculture.

The agreement highlights USDA’s dedication to helping Hispanic Americans achieve educational excellence by collaborating with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) to develop a USDA and Hispanic-Serving Institutions agenda.