March 2020

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 21 as the International Day of Forest in 2012. Since then, the USDA Forest Service and its partners worldwide commemorate the day by showcasing the vast wildlife supported by forests from around the world. The theme for 2020 is ‘Forest and Biodiversity’.

We’re fortunate to have robust food, fiber, fuel, and ag-related industries in America. Our food is safe, nutritious, and plentiful. Our fiber helps clothe people around the world. And we’re using value-added agricultural products to fuel machinery. However, agriculture is at a crossroads with the convergence of a growing global population, a changing climate, and limited natural resources. Fortunately, USDA science agencies work every day to develop new knowledge, technologies, and applications that help our farmers and ranchers work smarter, not harder.

In this blog, we feature Dr. Neena Anandaraman, Veterinary Science Policy Advisor with USDA’s Office of the Chief Scientist. Dr. Anandaraman’s work focuses on zoonotic infectious diseases (those that can be transmitted between humans and animals), antimicrobial resistance, and biosecurity. Her work provides science-based advice to senior leadership to help inform their policy decisions.

Good news rang in Washington State when I joined representatives from Mason Public Utility District (PUD) 3 at the start of USDA’s Broadband ReConnect Workshop in Seattle to celebrate a $2.4 million investment to bring high-speed broadband to 250 households and businesses in rural Mason County.

When the USDA Food and Nutrition Service released new school meal flexibilities in November 2017, Kristin Hilleman, a Food & Nutrition Services Director in southern California, breathed a big sigh of relief.

Windbreaks and other agroforestry practices provide a wide range of agricultural production and conservation benefits, helping farmers and furthering the goals of U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Perdue’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda (PDF, 196 KB). Windbreaks are designed to increase crop yields, reduce erosion, and improve soil health while also providing other conservation benefits like wildlife habitat.

“If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.”

I was reminded of this powerful proverb while preparing for our ReConnect program announcement. As a former teacher, education and its long-reaching benefits are dear to my heart. While joining Deputy Under Secretary Donald “DJ” LaVoy at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky, to announce over $55.3 million in ReConnect funding, I thought of the impact this funding would have on the education of our fellow Kentuckians.

Commitment to Habitat Renewal

USDA Offers Tribal Students Career-Track Scholarships in Agriculture

Federal Register Notice: Food Distribution Demonstration Project