2011

Like many national forests, Washington’s Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is home to visiting hikers, nature and recreation enthusiasts, fishers, and bird watchers.

Yesterday Isabella Pellet held the grand opening for its new facility in Weidman, just a few minutes outside of Mount Pleasant.

The Request for Application for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) is now available, and applications are due by November 22, 2011.  Projects will be awarded in 2012 and performed between October 2012 and September 2013.  Approximately $19 million is expected to be available.

The program is now entering its fourth year, and has already funded over a hundred projects and provided training, education, outreach, and technical assistance to more than 5,000 beginning farmers or ranchers.   Each year there are many more applicants than awards, so if you are interested in applying be sure to read all of the application criteria carefully and submit a proposal that addresses all of the requirements.  Examples of past successful applications can be found here, and a full list of current projects can be found here.

We know that a healthy nation starts with healthy people.  A good diet helps kids stay active and focused at school.  And staying healthy can increase your productivity on the job.

But sometimes families who want to make healthier eating choices are confused by conflicting messages, or don't have time to do the research.

That’s why, earlier this year, I launched a new, easy to understand food icon, called MyPlate.  It’s a clear and simple visual showing what a healthy meal looks like on your plate.

Urban agriculture and gardening can be an important tool in confronting several key challenges that Americans face: from supporting farm viability in and around urban areas to improving access to healthful, affordable food to realizing the potential of rural-urban linkages.

El rostro de Estados Unidos - y de la agricultura estadounidense - está cambiando. El número de granjas en los Estados Unidos ha crecido un 4 por ciento y según los resultados del censo más reciente del Departamento de Agricultura (“U.S. Department of Agriculture” o USDA por sus siglas en inglés) en los últimos cinco años ha aumentado la diversidad de los operadores de las granjas. El Censo de 2007 registró un aumento de casi 30 por ciento en mujeres identificadas como operadoras principales de granjas. El número de los operadores agrícolas hispanos aumentó en un 10 por ciento, y los recuentos de indígenas de Estados Unidos, asiáticos y los operadores de raza negra aumentaron también. Además, la Oficina del Censo de EE.UU. informa que el número de negocios de propiedad de minorías aumentó un 45 por ciento entre 2002 y 2007.

Para reflejar la diversidad de nuestro sector agropecuario y la comunidad empresarial, el USDA está intensificando sus esfuerzos para complementar continuamente sus siete Comisiones de Asesoramiento Comercial Agrícola (“Agricultural Trade Advisory Committees” o ATACs) con nuevos miembros, especialmente aquellos que representan a minorías, mujeres o personas con discapacidad. Consideramos que las personas con antecedentes y puntos de vista diversos harán el trabajo de estos comités, y por lo tanto el de USDA, más eficaz.

The face of America – and of American agriculture – is changing. The number of farms in the United States has grown 4 percent and the operators of those farms have become more diverse in the past five years, according to results of USDA’s most recent Census of Agriculture.  The 2007 Census counted nearly 30 percent more women as principal farm operators. The count of Hispanic operators grew by 10 percent, and the counts of American Indian, Asian and Black farm operators increased as well.  In addition, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that the number of minority-owned businesses grew more than 45 percent between 2002 and 2007.

To reflect the diversity of our agricultural sector and business community, USDA is stepping up its efforts to continually supplement its seven Agricultural Trade Advisory Committees (ATACs) with new members, especially those who represent minorities, women, or persons with disabilities. We believe that people with different backgrounds and views will make the work of these committees, and thus of USDA, more effective.

How worried should Charlie Brown be? Is there any truth to what some are calling the Great Pumpkin Shortage?

After Hurricane Irene pummeled and soaked the Northeast, the media began reporting that damage to the pumpkin crop portended a general shortage of pumpkins for the Halloween season and beyond. Heavy rains in the spring caused some farmers to plant later than usual, and some areas experienced hot, dry weather during the summer months, further fueling concerns about this year’s harvest.

In April 2009, Secretary Vilsack called for a new era in civil rights and directed the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (OASCR) to help lead a comprehensive effort to improve USDA’s record.  That meant correcting errors, learning from past mistakes, and charting a stronger path for the future where all Americans are treated with dignity and respect by USDA employees.  To make these goals a reality, my staff and employees across USDA have been working extremely hard over the past two and a half years and I am very proud to highlight some of the strides we’ve made.

To begin with, we want to make sure that USDA’s policies, regulations and decisions are inclusive and respect the rights of all the American people.  To make sure USDA agencies are in compliance with civil rights regulations and policies, OASCR conducts reviews to determine the civil rights impact of any new policy, action, rule or decision.  Since 2009, we have doubled the number of reviews conducted, improved the quality by providing training to folks who conduct them, and worked with agencies within USDA to improve their decision in nearly a third of the cases we reviewed.

This week, USDA was recognized at the 3^rd Annual Feds Feed Families Closing Ceremony at the Pentagon.  Employees around the country started over 2,000 food drives that led the department to contribute the most pounds per employee of any federal department or agency: almost 15 pounds per employee for a total of 1,791,393 pounds of food!  USDA was also recognized for bringing in the most donations in the large division category and for donating the most pounds of food during the month of August.  Thanks especially to our People’s Gardens around the country and employees’ innovative gleaning efforts, USDA recorded 1,397,475 pounds of food for the final month of the food drive.

Employees from every mission area and state participated and helped the department exceed the initial call to raise 500,000 pounds of food.  Nearly 100 USDA employees were included on the Office of Personnel Management’s  (OPM) Hall of Fame for making one-time donations of 250 pounds or more.  And many more employees joined together to fill the shelves of food banks and pantries.  This further demonstrates our employees’ dedication to caring and sharing in the communities they serve.