usda science

Renewable fuels – ethanol, biodiesel, sustainable aviation fuel, and more – are filling gas tanks more than ever, mitigating the effects of petroleum-based fuel on the environment. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a major contributor to that shift.

August is National Breastfeeding Month. Did you know that USDA conducts research to define dietary needs to ensure optimal maternal and child health? A researcher with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is heading international studies to establish nutritional guidelines for vitamins and minerals in human milk.

Imagine this. You are a new farmer who bought a plot of land in your hometown. You’re making important decisions for your operation like what to plant and where. If only you had a tool to identify historical information for what’s been grown on your land and in your area that would allow you to make better informed decisions to set up your new business for success.

Treating and recycling used municipal water for irrigation is not a new concept, but there may be an unforeseen consequence with that practice: Microplastics.

After suffering severe winter losses beginning in 2007, the honey bee population is making a comeback. Still, losses are high, which means beekeepers have to spend a lot of time and money replacing their bees.

Scientists from the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are working shoulder-to-shoulder with food producers to help them feed the world’s growing population. One of their most effective tools is integrating ecological, economic and social principles to help farming systems move toward greater resilience.

Today is World Food Safety Day, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has launched a sweeping new initiative known as the Salmonella Grand Challenge. The project brings together an elite group of ARS, university and food industry scientists from different specialties to fight Salmonella, a foodborne pathogen that sickens over a million Americans each year, sometimes fatally. The challenge complements the work being done by the Food Safety and Inspection Service to develop a more effective strategy to reduce human Salmonella illness linked to poultry.

The U.S. cotton industry contributes 35% of the cotton exported globally.

Dr. Aaron Dossey has taken what began as a Facebook hobby of photographing insects and turned it into a successful research business, thanks in part to funding from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA’s) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.