University of Minnesota

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. Just like a smart phone helps users learn, communicate and make important decisions, smart technology—known as precision...

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. At Fort Valley State University (FVSU) the next generation of leaders in agricultural and life sciences are coming face-to...

The following guest blog from a web communications coordinator at the University of Minnesota's Center for Farm Financial Management highlights the FarmAnswers.org information clearinghouse for new and beginning farmers and ranchers. Farm Answers is a vital element of the USDA-wide effort to make it...

More and more farmers are entering the organic market. Just last year, the number of certified operations in the U.S. grew by almost 12 percent - more than double the growth rate of 2014. So how do farmers, ranchers, and food processors make the transition to organic? We talked to one farming family...

For years now, the U.S. Forest Service has been encouraging visitors to our nation’s forests and grasslands, to not only enjoy all there is out there, but to play safe and play clean. One example of this outreach effort is the PlayCleanGo: Stop Invasive Species In Your Tracks campaign. PlayCleanGo...

Small owls, such as western screech and northern saw whet owls, weigh between 3 and 7 ounces, or about the same weight as a small cell phone or a deck of cards. They prefer dark, narrow spaces for nesting and roosting, which is why they are called cavity birds. Their habitat preferences make them...

When I learned I was chosen to lead USDA’s new emergency, multi-agency response framework to combat one of the most serious citrus diseases in the world, I felt both humbled and honored. I relish the opportunity as a scientist to partner with other federal agencies, states, and industry to combat a...

A new manual released by the U.S. Forest Service offers solutions for using the millions of dead and dying urban trees infected by invasive insects in the eastern United States. The free publication, developed by the Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory and the University of Minnesota Duluth...