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Just Like a Peach, Without the Fuzz

August 21, 2014 USDA Rural Development Pennsylvania State Director Thomas Williams

They looked like apples to the twenty-seven children who were waiting patiently in line for lunch as part of the USDA Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) at Old Plank Estates in Butler, PA. But in fact, Freedom Farms, a local farmers market, brought a bushel of fresh picked nectarines for the...

Food and Nutrition Farming Rural

Bringing the Promise of Healthy School Meals to More Children This Fall

July 15, 2014 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Education Secretary Arne Duncan

Cross-posted from the Huffington Post: The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 enabled the U.S Department of Agriculture to make historic changes to the meals served in our nation's schools. Breakfasts, lunches, and snacks sold during the school day are now more nutritious than ever, with less fat...

Food and Nutrition

USDA Helps Develop Next Generation of Ag Scientists

April 15, 2014 Ann Perry, USDA Agricultural Research Service Information Staff

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from the USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. During the month of April we will take a closer look at USDA’s Groundbreaking Research for a Revitalized Rural America...

Research and Science

Where Do Kids Eat When School is out in Summer? FNS Partners with the Department of Education to Find Solutions

April 11, 2014 Audrey Rowe, Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA

As we approach the summer season, USDA is vigorously preparing to fill the nutrition gap faced by millions of kids across the country. While 21 million of our sons and daughters receive free and reduced-priced lunches during the school year, only a small percentage participate in the summer meals...

Food and Nutrition

Enhancing the Local School Wellness Environment

January 14, 2014 Dr. Janey Thornton, Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services

Local school wellness policies are an important tool for parents, local educational agencies, and school districts to promote student wellness, prevent and reduce childhood obesity, and provide assurance that school meal guidelines meet federal standards. They help communicate nutrition guidelines...

Food and Nutrition

Forest Service Employee Helps Georgia School Achieve National Green Ribbon Status

August 06, 2013 Max Silvera, Southeast Region, and Jane Knowlton, Office of Communication, U.S. Forest Service

In Acworth, Ga., children at Ford Elementary School live almost every child’s dream – outdoor classrooms and science labs in a butterfly garden. The school was selected as one of 64 U.S. Department of Education’s National Green Ribbon Schools for 2013. The department’s recognition program honors...

Forestry Research and Science

Forest Service-sponsored GreenSchools! Honored by Education Department

April 22, 2013 Victoria Arthur, Conservation Education, U.S. Forest Service

Twenty schools registered as GreenSchools! through the Project Learning Tree/U.S. Forest Service program are among 64 schools and 14 school districts honored April 22 as by the U.S. Department of Education as a Green Ribbon School. The Education Department gave the awards for the schools’ exemplary...

Conservation Initiatives

USDA in Arizona Partners with the Department of Education to Help Rural Students Obtain College Aid

May 30, 2012 Dianna Jennings, Arizona USDA Public Information Officer

USDA in Arizona has joined the national partnership effort with the Department of Education (ED) to get the word out about federal student aid resources. Arizona Rural Development (RD), Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)—the three USDA agencies that comprise...

Initiatives Rural

Teaming Up to Support Rural Community Colleges

January 04, 2012 John White, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Rural Outreach, U.S. Department of Education

Cross posted from the Department of Education blog: It’s no secret that community colleges are leading the way to achieving the President’s goal for the United States to once again have the highest college attainment rate in the world by 2020. Community colleges are hubs for career-training, re...

Initiatives Rural Technology

A Healthier Future for our Nation’s Children

March 02, 2011 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

Cross posted from the Let's Move! blog: In the President’s recent State of Union Address, he spoke candidly about winning the future. I can’t think of a better way to achieve that than by ensuring our Nation’s children are provided a healthy school environment to learn, grow and thrive.

Initiatives Food and Nutrition
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