USDA Blog

At the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Products Laboratory (FPL), researchers sometimes get a little destructive. They bend and break wood samples of all sizes, and even shoot lumber out of a cannon at 100 miles per hour.

If you’re reading this blog, chances are, you enjoy eating ham. After a day of hunting for eggs and chasing the kids around the yard on Easter, it’s time for the family to enjoy that delicious ham they have been waiting for.

Astronauts and polar explorers can grow fresh foods in space and Antarctica. Now, it’s time for rural communities to get into the greenhouse game.

A tune John Fogarty wrote in 1971 echoes among veterans who spent time in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Lyrics reference a calm before a storm that’s “been comin’ for some time.” For many the turbulence continued long after departing Southeast Asia. Public sentiment roiled in a backlash of anti-war...

The Roaring Lion Fire was first noticed on Sunday, July 31, 2016, near Hamilton, Montana. Hamilton is located in Ravalli County and is situated on the eastern fringe of the Bitterroot-Selway Wilderness. The fire was caused by a campfire started by teenage campers. The campfire was not completely...

Each day, USDA employees wake up ready to serve the industry we love – agriculture. As we help farmers, ranchers and foresters move agriculture forward, we remember and recognize the achievements of those who brought us to where we are today. You might think of George Washington Carver or Eli...

Households can have similar food needs, but often have different budgets with which to meet them. These budget differences may help explain observed differences in food spending and diet quality. A new report from USDA’s Economic Research Service digs into this issue using household level data from...

Along the Midcoast of Maine, some people don’t have access to the fruit and vegetables they need for a healthy diet. At the same time, some area farms aren’t able to harvest or sell all of their produce, resulting in wasted food. To remedy this issue, nutrition educators in Maine, supported by...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a proud partner of the th USA Science & Engineering Festival (USASEF). USDA will be among more than 750 of the world's leading professional scientific and engineering societies, universities, government agencies, and high-tech corporations that...

When Cindy Ayers-Elliott, Ph.D., left her career as a CEO and investment banker to become a Mississippi farmer, the last challenge she expected was freezing cold weather – especially snow and freezing temperatures.