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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. Are you an organic grain farmer or thinking of becoming one? Or maybe you’re wondering about strategies for improving...

How do you get tent caterpillars and termites to follow a circle on a piece of paper? Paint the circle with pheromones. This was one of the many cool facts that kids and adults learned perusing the USDA exhibits at the USA Science & Engineering Festival this past weekend. I joined thousands of...

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. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a disease that costs the U.S. pork industry an estimated $664...

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. As part of the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative called Feed the Future, USDA is building...

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. This week marks the 19 th year of World Water Day. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development...

As we reflect in celebration of USDA’s 150 th anniversary, it’s easy to take pride in the problem-solving abilities of agricultural scientists since 1862. The challenges in America have been great, including the Dust Bowl, wars, human health threats, and attacks on crops and animals from pests...

On January 9, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack put forth USDA’s “ Blueprint for Stronger Service” which focuses on streamlining operations and cutting costs throughout the Department. The “Blueprint for Stronger Service” calls for USDA to close 259 domestic offices, facilities and laboratories, as...

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 USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. Understanding the causes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agricultural landscapes is truly a multi-scale challenge...

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. With spring not that far away, the garden catalogues are starting to fly through the mail, but the “must read” of the...

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. In the 1920s, U.S. Navy recruiting posters exhorted young men to “Join the Navy and see the world!” If USDA’s...