2011

Last week, I was in South Carolina to see some of the work being done by USDA’s scientists at the U. S. Vegetable Laboratory, where researchers strive to improve vegetable yields and quality. Any chef will tell you great meals begin with high quality ingredients, and nutritionists will add that a colorful meal is a nutrient-dense meal.  On my way to the lab, I stopped at a place that is focused on that good food equation, especially using locally sourced produce: The Culinary Institute of Charleston at Trident Technical College.

Secretary Vilsack believes there is no more fundamental function of government than protecting consumers, and there is no mission more important to USDA than ensuring the safety of our food.

Junto con nuestros colegas del Servicio de Alimentos y Nutrición de USDA, el Centro de Organizaciones de Fe y Comunitarias de USDA ha estado trabajando de cerca con los pastores en Miami, Florida para ampliar las oportunidades de proporcionar alimentos a aquellos con necesidad.  El 24 de marzo, uno de nuestros socios, la Coalición de Fe de Familias y Niños en el sur de Florida, tendrá una sesión de entrenamiento sobre el Programa de Servicio de Alimentos de Verano para proporcionar comidas gratuitas a las congregaciones que sirvan como sitios de alimentación de verano.

Together with our colleagues at USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, USDA’s Partnership Center has been working closely with pastors in Miami, Florida to expand opportunities to provide food to hungry people.  On March 24, one of our partners, the Family and Children Faith Coalition in South Florida, is hosting a training session on the Summer Food Service Program to provide free meals for congregations that host summer feeding sites.

I visited Long Beach, Calif., yesterday to talk about the importance of trade. It’s clear to me that if we are to build an economy that works for future generations, we must help our businesses continue to grow, innovate and out-compete the rest of the world. Continuing to see farm export growth will be a key indication that our nation’s economy is moving in the right direction.

Cross posted from the Let's Move! blog:

Most Olympians will tell you that going for the “gold” is never an easy road.  They will also tell you that it is an achievement that requires dedication and hard work, but the rewards are well worth the effort. Those rewards are even greater when the outcome improves the health and well-being of children.

The United States has a long history of helping those in need and USDA has played a large role in these efforts over the years. The U.S. government’s food assistance programs were born in a time of conflict. Food aid played a crucial role in the reconstruction of Europe after World War II. Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Acting Under Secretary Michael Scuse reflected on America’s food aid legacy and renewed efforts to combat world hunger during a speech today at the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) Nutrition and Development Conference.

Each summer, children wait for the last bell of the school year.  Summer is an exciting time for children to enjoy playtime with friends, a week at camp, a family vacation, or time at the pool.  But for many children who receive free and reduced-price meals at school, summer can mean hunger.  Just as learning does not end when school lets out, neither does a child's need for good nutrition. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides free, nutritious meals and snacks to help children in low-income areas get the nutrition they need to learn, play, and grow, throughout the summer months when they are out of school.

Celebrations always seem bigger in Texas. And the one on February 25, at Brawner Intermediate School in Granbury, Texas, was no exception.  The event  recognized the school’s invaluable partnership with dairy farmers, the Fuel Up to Play 60 program and USDA, who teamed to make an unprecedented pledge to improve health and fitness of kids across the country.  The school’s efforts are an integral component of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative and just one example of the public-private partnerships that are critical to solving the challenges we face.

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

During this week – National Agriculture Week—agriculture groups all across the country are coming together to recognize and promote agriculture’s numerous contributions to society. National Agriculture Week also gives the farm community an opportunity to reach out to students and educators to reinforce the importance of agricultural education in the classroom.  To that end, new classroom lesson plans that meet National Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources standards along with outreach kits are available to teachers and students.