farms

Sietsma Farms in central Michigan sends more than a million turkeys a year to the dinner table.

That’s a lot of Thanksgiving feasts.

Spinach Salad with Sliced Egg, Warm Bacon Dressing and Crumbled Clemson Blue Cheese
Tilapia Filet with a Shrimp Mornay Sauce
Sweet Potato au Gratin with Goat Cheese and Apples
Rainbow Swiss Chard
Apple Cobbler with Fresh Whipped Cream

In addition to being delicious, there is one thing each of these menu items has in common – they were all made from locally provided ingredients from South Carolina and were highlight of the 2009 Agribusiness Summit hosted by the Palmetto Institute.

My first three weeks interning for USDA have been extremely interesting and enjoyable.  A native of Austin, Texas, I grew up spending most weekends on my grandparents’ farm, the same farm where we currently raise Texas Longhorn cattle. Instead of returning to Austin after the baseball season, I came to Washington, DC to take advantage of this great opportunity to learn about both agriculture and the government while also making a difference.

Do you want to make healthier food choices, but aren’t sure where to start?

USDA has three new on-line tools and sites that can get you going:

Remember when your favorite dish unexpectedly appeared on the menu at your school cafeteria? It was the same feeling of excitement today at the USDA Cafeteria. White House Chef Sam Kass mixed up Honey Crisp Apple Salad (with or without chicken) for USDA employees and visitors as Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan continues the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food roll-out week.

Secretary Vilsack spoke this morning at the Future Farmers of America State Presidents' meeting. He had the opportunity to meet with FFA's national and state leaders, and took a few minutes to congratulate them on their election to leadership posts in an organization of more than 500,000 active members.

Yesterday, Secretary Tom Vilsack began the day with a speech to the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) annual convention. Vilsack discussed the partnership and connection between the Natural Resources Cconservation Service, UDSA and the SWCS, and thanked the members for their hard work as boots on the ground implementing conservation practices across the country. He noted the importance of showing landowners the economic as well as environmental benefits, and encouraging the audience to be proactive in educating clients about how USDA and conservation can work for them. Vilsack also announced $18.4 million in Conservation Innovation Grants to fund 55 projects in 34 states and the Caribbean Area.