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'Soil and Air' - Where Crops Meet the Environment

May 31, 2016 Ellen Buckley, Program Analyst, and Marlen Eve, National Program Leader, Agricultural Research Service

You probably know that climate change affects how we grow food, but you might not know that how food is grown also affects our climate. This interplay is at the heart of an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) project called “Soil and Air,” a concerted effort to feed the Earth’s 7.5 billion people...

Research and Science

A Huge Undertaking with Tremendous Benefit - USDA's Integral Role in the National Beef Quality Audit

May 26, 2016 Craig A. Morris, Deputy Administrator, AMS Livestock, Poultry and Seed Program

About once every five years since 1991, the National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) brings together producers, consumers, academia, and government in a collaborative research and data collection exercise that spans the entire U.S. beef industry. Funded by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (the beef checkoff...

Food and Nutrition

Summer Meal Programs Fight Hunger with Nutritious Food and Innovation

May 04, 2016 Tony Craddock, Program Analyst, Food and Nutrition Service

The following guest blog discusses the importance of USDA Summer Meals Programs, which provide children with healthy food during the summer, when the school meals they depend on disappear. Childhood memories shared by the writer demonstrate how critical healthy meals are to the growth and...

Food and Nutrition

Rabies and Vampire Bats

May 04, 2016 Gail Keirn, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA, APHIS

All this month we will be taking a look at what a changing climate means to Agriculture. For APHIS, changes in environmental conditions will increase the likelihood of shifts in the distribution and nature of current domestic diseases, invasive species and agricultural pests. These changes will...

Animals Plants

The Little-Known Threat to Wild Turkeys

April 04, 2016 Mike Bodenchuk, Texas State Director, APHIS Wildlife Services

Spring brings new life to the fields and forests and wild turkeys are one of the most interesting spectacles this time of year. Male turkeys gobble and strut to attract the attention of hen turkeys. Hens, in turn, go off and lay their eggs- one egg each day until the clutch is complete and the hens...

Animals Plants

USDA Helps Military Veterans Answer the Question, "What's Next?"

March 30, 2016 Brenda Carlson, Public Affairs Specialist, Farm Service Agency

Each year, nearly 200,000 servicemen and women separate from active duty in the United States military. According to the Department of Defense, this results in approximately 1,300 new veterans and their families returning to civilian life every single day, numbers that are expected to increase in...

Conservation

New State of the Art Food Bank Opens in West Texas

March 21, 2016 Rodney Ellison, Food and Nutrition Service Southwest Regional Office, Public Affairs Specialist

March is National Nutrition Month. Throughout the month, USDA will be highlighting results of our efforts to improve access to safe, healthy food for all Americans and supporting the health of our next generation. West Texans fighting food insecurity have a new resource to combat hunger. The West...

Food and Nutrition

A High Five for Innovative Conservation Projects

March 07, 2016 Michelle Banks, Natural Resources Conservation Service

“The Conservation Innovation Grant program has an impressive track record of fostering innovative conservation tools and strategies,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack as he announced $20 million in new funding for the program. “Successes in the program can translate into new opportunities for...

Conservation

Innovative Irrigation Saves Water, Boosts Yields in Ogallala Aquifer Region

February 24, 2016 Quenna Terry, Natural Resources Conservation Service

In the Ogallala Aquifer region, each drop of water counts. A group of forward-thinking farmers in Texas are finding innovative ways to irrigate their crops to use water more efficiently. These farmers are working with the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District in the panhandle to study use...

Conservation

Broadband Access in South Texas

February 18, 2016 Brandon McBride, Administrator, Rural Utilities Service

For over 15 years, Valley Telephone Cooperative, Inc. provided its customers in the southernmost part of Texas with broadband service. Neighboring communities, however, lacked access to high-speed Internet. That changed seven years ago this week when Congress passed and President Obama signed the...

Rural
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