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NIFA Impacts: Saving the Ogallala Aquifer, Supporting Farmers

May 01, 2020 James P. Dobrowolski, PhD, National Program Leader, Division of Environmental Systems, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), U.S. Department of Agriculture

The Ogallala Aquifer is one of the world’s largest fresh groundwater resources. It underlies 175,000 square miles in eight states. Starting as hundreds of feet of silt, clay, and gravel eroded from the Rocky Mountains and laid down by streams millions of years ago, rainfall during this time produced...

Research and Science

Racing for alternatives in the age of antibiotic resistance

November 18, 2016 Dr. Stephanie Pearl, Science Communicator, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture

“ This week is World Antibiotic Awareness week and ‘Get Smart About Antibiotics’ week. Learn more about how USDA works to ensure antibiotics remain effective to treat both people and animals when necessary and the alternatives available to traditional antibiotics.” For billions of years, microbes...

Research and Science

A Giant Crop-Scanner Is Turning Heads in Arizona

October 11, 2016 Dennis O'Brien, Public Affairs Specialist, Agricultural Research Service

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. With its 30-ton frame and 50-foot-high catwalk, the newest scanner for measuring crop plants in Maricopa, Arizona, can be...

Energy Research and Science

Growing Rural Economies and Opportunities through Social Media

October 07, 2016 Janise Zygmont, Program Manager, Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program

From Facebook to Snapchat, rural businesses are exploring how to use social media to improve their customer’s experience and expand their customer base. Over the last eight years, USDA and the Obama Administration have partnered with rural communities to build more opportunities that support rural...

USDA Results Food and Nutrition Farming

Wheat Blast, Bangladesh, and Biosecurity: NIFA-Funded Research Works for Global Food Security

May 03, 2016 Dr. Martin Draper, National Program Leader for Plant Pathology, National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Division of Plant Systems-Protection

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. An epidemic of wheat blast is underway in Bangladesh, published reports say, and losses may be substantial in the six...

Food and Nutrition Research and Science

New Study Highlights Redcedar's Impact on Prairie Chickens, Helps Improve Conservation Efforts

April 01, 2016 Jon Ungerer, Natural Resources Conservation Service

A new study offers the first empirical data proving that female lesser prairie-chickens avoid grasslands when trees are present. The study, highlighted in a Science to Solutions report by the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative (LPCI), underscores the importance of removing woody invasive plants like...

Conservation

Food Safety 101 Webinar Series: Bringing Food Safety To Your Kitchen

September 03, 2014 Amelia Kermis, MPH CHES, Food Safety Education Staff, Food Safety Inspection Service, USDA

Food poisoning is a serious public health threat. CDC estimates that approximately 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) could suffer from food poisoning illness this year, resulting in roughly 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. This September, to celebrate Food Safety Education Month, the...

Health and Safety

Consortium Uses Innovative Research to Tap Key Groundwater Source for Rural Region

February 11, 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 USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. As a major underground water source, the Ogallala Aquifer plays a key role in the economic vitality of vast stretches of the...

Conservation Research and Science

Cochran Fellow Influences Food Security in Mozambique

November 08, 2013 Brian Guse, Foreign Agricultural Service, Director of Trade & Scientific Exchanges Division

Promoting food security and agricultural development around the world is a key part of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) mission. One way FAS does this is by providing educational opportunities to emerging leaders from developing countries through programs such as the Cochran Fellowship Program...

Food and Nutrition Trade

From an Idaho Youth Loan to National Youth Leader

August 26, 2013 Candy Moore, Idaho Public Affairs/Outreach Coordinator

Shane Kerner applied for her first USDA Farm Service Agency Rural Youth Loan at age 14. Now, at age 20, she not only reached adulthood, but financial independence to grow what was once a 4-H project into a thriving cattle operation. “I never thought I would get as far as I am today with my cattle,”...

Animals Plants
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