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Going Green: Green Roofs and Rain Barrels

July 05, 2012 Elizabeth Wright, USDA People’s Garden Intern

In my first interview I talked about the design and construction of the People’s Garden shed located at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the importance of using reclaimed materials. The shed also includes a variety of environmentally-friendly features such as a green roof and rain barrel...

Conservation Initiatives

History and Research Converge in American Chestnut Reintroduction

July 05, 2012 Jane Hodgins, Public Affairs, U.S. Forest Service/Northern Research Station

You may start out wanting to talk to Leila Pinchot about a Forest Service icon, but the great granddaughter of Gifford Pinchot has much more to say about the future of another legend, the American chestnut. One of the seminal figures in world conservation, Gifford Pinchot founded and served as the...

Conservation Forestry

Opening Doors for Small and Mid-Sized Farmers in National Retail Markets

July 05, 2012 Bruce Summers, Associate Deputy Administrator, AMS Fruit and Vegetable Programs

When buying produce, many consumers note food safety as one of the most important things they consider. Consumers prefer produce backed by trustworthy verified and certified processes. As a result, more retail and foodservice sectors are requiring growers to undergo food safety audits. In an effort...

Health and Safety

Building a home, a community, friendships…and values with USDA RD Self-Help Program

July 05, 2012 Dianna Jennings, special projects coordinator, Arizona Rural Development State Office

“Even decades from now, after we die, our son will remember what we did to give him a home,” said Moises Fonseca in the comfortable living room of his new home. His six-year old son, also named Moises, smiled shyly at his dad.

USDA Results Food and Nutrition Rural

Social Media Moment Number One: Redesigning USDA

December 30, 2011 Amanda Eamich, Director of Web Communications

If you've been following our favorite Social Media Moments of 2011, you can see we had a lot to choose from. Top on our list isn't necessarily a social media moment, but is an important moment in our focus on providing better service through web communication. The redesign of USDA.gov in April 2011...

Technology

Secretary's Column: A New Year For Agriculture

December 30, 2011 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

As we enjoy the holiday season, it is a great time to celebrate all that American agriculture has accomplished, and to look ahead to a productive new year. Our farmers, ranchers and growers make incredible contributions each day to the health and strength of this country. Thanks to their...

USDA Results

Football Turf a Source of Protein?

December 30, 2011 Craig Morris, Deputy Administrator, AMS Livestock and Seed Program

When a Kansas State University football player plants his opponent’s face into the turf, the result may be a better-tasting blend of artificial grass. Turf is not a part of the USDA’s MyPlate recommendations, but defensive ends playing in the Wildcats’ stadium can skip their pre-game soy latte and...

Research and Science

International Market Analysis Just a Mouse Click Away

December 29, 2011 Michael Sheats, Director of the Poultry Market News and Analysis Division

U.S. broiler meat exports to Sub-Saharan Africa have increased 24 percent since 2010 and 460 percent since 2001. The U.S. is the largest supplier of China’s turkey meat imports, totaling nearly 90 percent of all imports. Turkey meat imports to China in 2011 will increase 70 percent over 2010.

Trade

With Social Media, Your News Becomes Our News

December 29, 2011 Rebecca Frank, New Media Content Specialist, Office of Communications

Here in the Office of Communications at USDA, we work hard every day to get news and information out the digital door and into the hands of our diverse stakeholders. This steady flow of information takes the form of press releases, tweets, photos, videos, blogs and more. With the growing popularity...

Technology

U.S., China Plant Seeds for Stable Global Growth

December 28, 2011 Dr. Paul Zankowski, Commissioner of the AMS Plant Variety Protection Office

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) recently hosted two examiners from China who were on hand to learn the U.S. system for examining new plant variety applications. AMS’s Plant Variety Protection Office and the American Seed Trade Association invited Yang Yang and Lingo Gao from China’s...

Animals Plants