Initiatives

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is committed to connecting all Americans with healthy, safe, affordable food sources. Towards fulfilling that commitment, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has launched multiple customer experience (CX) initiatives since President Joe Biden issued in December 2021 the Executive Order directing federal agencies to improve the experience for customers accessing government services and benefits.

Jordyn Ash, a sophomore at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, is a USDA 1890 National Scholar studying plant and soil sciences. Ash applied to the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program during her senior year of high school. She recalls guidance counselors providing excellent summaries of different scholarship opportunities, but she decided that the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program offered the best fit for her career aspirations.

Dr. Kalyani Maitra is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University – Fresno, where she teaches and mentors undergraduate and graduate students. Last summer, she also became an E. Kika De La Garza (EKDLG) Science Fellow.

Our nation's lands are vital to providing clean water, fish and wildlife habitat, sustainable wood, minerals, energy, jobs and places for Americans to enjoy the outdoors. USDA’s Forest Service is responsible for managing 193 million acres of grasslands and forests. For rural America to thrive, we recognize we must partner with land managers and landowners.

When Lauren Hawkins graduated from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, she had a job waiting for her. Thanks to her participation in the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program, she was hired right away as an agricultural engineer with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Science (NRCS).

USDA has taken bold action to expand equitable access to our programs and services to improve customer experience (CX) for America’s farmers, ranchers and forest managers since President Joe Biden signed the Executive Order Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government in December 2021.

Kevin Poole, a recent graduate of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU), can remember the exact moment when he first learned about the USDA 1890 National Scholars Program. It was during the spring semester of his junior year of high school. “A school administrator grabbed me at lunch and said she wanted to tell me about this opportunity,” Poole said. “It just kept getting better and better as she told me about the program.”

Happy New Year! At USDA, we are more committed than ever to providing employees and customers with the best experience possible in 2024.

As a fifth-generation farmer, Shari Rogge-Fidler sees the opportunity ahead for the future generation in agriculture and feels excitement for USDA’s engagement in the industry. It’s what encouraged her role in the Equity Commission on the Agriculture Subcommittee.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has implemented several customer experience (CX) improvements since President Joe Biden signed the Executive Order Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government in December 2021. The executive order directed all federal agencies to improve the overall experience for customers accessing government services and benefits.