Research And Science

It’s National Pollinators Week! As an annual celebration supporting pollinators and pollinator health, we want to highlight USDA’s ongoing investments in pollinator health, crop production, and conservation. USDA’s investments help ensure the continued health of pollinators and their contribution to agriculture, food systems and ecosystems.

April showers bring May flowers and for USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), this means the release of 2021 floriculture data. Look for more flora in this data bouquet; NASS expanded the floriculture program to cover all 50 states and more than 30 new crops.

According to rangeland experts, wildfires in the western Great Basin region scorched more than 14,600 square miles in just 10 years—nearly the land mass of Maryland and Delaware combined.

As we celebrate this Earth Day, we want to share a few examples of USDA’s commitment to climate-smart research and scientific investments.

Earth Day is a global movement empowering people to create real change in the world to help our environment and natural resources. I recently visited two Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) laboratories to see the actions they are taking to stop invasive insects and protect crops and trees.

As we celebrate our planet this Earth Day, we highlight ongoing research being conducted at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) exploring how a seaweed species could potentially reduce methane emissions in livestock production.

In today’s world, keeping up with the latest news and research can feel like a full-time job. Fortunately, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) has launched a new Charts of Note Mobile App designed to deliver digital snapshots of research straight to your mobile device.

Today marks 110 years since the sinking of what was thought to be an unsinkable ship. Recognized every year on April 15, Titanic Remembrance Day honors the more than 1,500 people who lost their lives in the early hours of that day.

Scientists studying the spread of coronavirus in white-tailed deer have detected the presence of the omicron variant, confirming for researchers that animals should continue being monitored for the virus.

The Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement, with funding by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant program, conducted a study on “Lessons from COVID-19: Positioning Regional Food Supply Chains for Future Pandemics, Natural Disasters and Human-made Crises.”