November 2010

Earlier this month, José Otero-García, USDA Rural Development State Director for Puerto Rico held a kick-off campaign activity in the Puerto Rico State Office. The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the only authorized solicitation of Federal employees in their workplaces on behalf of approved charitable organizations.

Earlier this month, I joined colleagues from several USDA agencies in Knoxville, Tennessee to discuss biomass production and renewable energy opportunities with producers.  The event was sponsored by the Farm Foundation.

We hope you enjoyed our countdown to the Thanksgiving holiday, and turkey roasting tips! Now that the holiday is behind us, it’s time to think about what to do with the copious amounts of leftovers taking up room in our refrigerators.

La lista de ingredientes fue suficiente para hacer mi boca agua: “Champlain Orchards,” syrup de cidra de manzana, mantequilla local, crema batida y la estrella del evento – puree de calabaza de Vermont. Chaplain Orchards localizada en el precioso Valle de Lake Champlain en Vermont está horneando su primer pastel de calabaza del año, a tiempo para el Día de Acción de Gracias.

This list of ingredients was enough to get my mouth watering: Champlain Orchards’ apple cider syrup, local butter and heavy cream, and the star of the show - Vermont pumpkin puree. Champlain Orchards in the beautiful Lake Champlain Valley of Vermont is making its first pumpkin pies this year, just in time for Thanksgiving.

The USDA Forest Service recently reached a milestone of protecting more than 2 million acres of private forests threatened by development.  The Forest Service’s Northeastern Area helped the agency reach the milestone when the state of Ohio purchased a 15,000-acre property as the new Vinton Furnace State Experimental Forest approximately 90 miles south of Columbus.

La familia Yorgey ya estaba cansada de mudarse de una vivienda para otra y de gastar su dinero en los pagos de la renta. Ellos tenian el sueño de tener un hogar permanente de su propiedad para vivir con su familia, la cual se ha expandido. Pero esa idea estaba muy lejos de convertirse en realidad. Gracias a un nuevo programa de la agencia de Desarollo Rural del USDA y de un programa en sociedad con el Southeast Wisconsin Housing Corporation (SEWHC), su sueño se ha convertido en realidad.

The Yorgey family was tired of moving from place to place and watching their money constantly going towards rent payments. They wanted to be able to have a permanent place of their own for their growing family to live. But, the idea of that actually coming true seemed like a distant dream. Thanks to a new USDA Rural Development and Southeast Wisconsin Housing Corporation (SEWHC) partnership program, their dream has now become a reality.

Several months ago, I was selected to participate in a meat processing project that took me from Great Falls, Montana to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.   I went under the auspices of the Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs (CNFA) – an organization supported by USAID – to offer advice on the methods and benefits of meat processing technology, as well as basic food safety skills.   Early on in my visit, I came to understand the rich history and culture of this nation, which leant a heavy influence over their methods and approaches toward meat processing – the ax and chopping-block method of cutting meat stuck out as a preferred taste for Georgians.  This is not a criticism, rather a tip-of-the-hat to their cultural awareness.

Esta publicación es parte de la serie Martes de la Ciencia que es parte de los blogs del USDA. Visitanos cada semana ya que compartiremos  historias y noticias que son parte del rico  portafolio de ciencia e investigación dle USDA