USDA Blog

Today’s reality is that Federal budgets are declining and agencies must address the change without sacrificing quality service to the American people. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), as part of USDA’s Blueprint for Stronger Service, is committed to making the best use of...

The Forest Service is now accepting applications for the Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program, which encourages the creation of community forests and fosters rural economies. The application deadline is May 15 for submitting applications to the State Forester or equivalent official...

Along Monterey’s Big Sur coast in California, the job of responding to “fire starts” rests on the shoulders of Los Padres National Forest firefighters and their partners at the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade as Monterey County doesn’t have a fire department. When a coastal landowner’s pile burn...

USDA works everyday to help create jobs in rural America – without waiting for others in Washington to act. Last week, as a part of President Obama’s White House Rural Council, we announced efforts to spur economic growth by helping businesses take advantage of the productivity of America’s farmers...

The USDA Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) in Seoul recently launched a Web page to showcase potential opportunities to be created by the soon-to-be-implemented U.S.-Korea Trade Agreement (KORUS). KORUS will take effect on March 15, 2012. The Foreign Agricultural Service recommends that U.S...

After 6 p.m. February 24, USDA’s 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum speaker presentations will be available online. The Forum, which occurs annually, was a celebration of USDA’s 150 th anniversary, featuring eight former Secretaries of Agriculture discussing the future of agriculture with Secretary...

Earlier this month, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced almost 300 Value Added Producer Grant recipients across the Nation. Each one of those recipients has a story, and a dream that, with help from USDA, will become reality. From producing pumpkin puree and gourmet cheese to...

The City of Murdo, South Dakota, is located at the crossroads of Interstate 90 and Highway 83 in the middle of the State. A town with a population of 500 in a county with one person per square mile; Murdo has several new businesses and recreational activities that keeps the town thriving. An all...

We left the cool warehouse with sticky shoes and smelling of spoiled bananas, but also with a warm feeling for having helped the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas ensure healthy, fresh food for their clients. Hundreds of cases of bananas had been donated, but when food bank staff checked the produce...

As America works towards an economy that’s built to last, we must make sure to provide American workers with the skills they need to compete. If we want to build an economy that makes, creates and innovates; if we want to usher in a new era for American manufacturing and American-produced energy...