EPA

Agriculture and food system development were featured agenda topics at the recent New Partners for Smart Growth Conference, an annual conference sponsored by the Local Government Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department of Transportation, the Centers for Disease Control and...

Three years ago this fall, Secretary Vilsack and I launched the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative (KYF2). Since then, we’ve seen interest and participation in local and regional food systems grow beyond anything we expected: whether I’m meeting with buffalo ranchers from the Great Plains...

As Americans joined family and friends to celebrate America’s independence, tens of millions took to our highways and Interstates – and I know that gas prices were on the minds of many. President Obama understands the impact gas prices can have for families, and he is committed to an “all of the...

One hundred fifty years ago – just two months after the creation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture – President Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, a historic measure that created the land-grant university system. Twenty-eight years later, Congress enacted a second Morrill Act to establish African...

Preventing fertilizer from rushing into a nearby bayou is not rocket science, but it does take a dedicated farmer and Pete Hunter of Stovall Farms is one of those dedicated Mississippi farmers. Last month Pete spoke with the Mississippi River/ Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force when they...

Hundreds of people, over the web or in person, learned about the financing and technology of anaerobic digester systems, the subject of a pair of webinars recently hosted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A broad spectrum of individuals participated including academics, farmers, and...

Mention to folks that federal agencies work well together and you may receive reactions of disbelief. Sometimes the federal employees, themselves, don’t believe it. But there was a roomful of believers at a recent USDA Rural Roundtable held in Ogden, Iowa. I held more than 40 roundtables across...

Memories of a good home cooked meal…. Mom’s in the kitchen…Dad’s snatching tidbits when Mom’s back is turned….wonderful aromas wafting from the kitchen. As the family joins together for dinner, the table is laden with scrumptious food, and Mom brings the crowning jewel to the table… a beautiful...

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...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) constantly battles false and misleading information about its rules and regulations. No better example exists than the myth that EPA proposed to “regulate” dust on farm fields. Simply not true! EPA is not now, nor has it ever proposed regulating dust. The...