secretary

Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan visited the Capital Area Food Bank in northeast Washington this morning, to help highlight the President's United We Serve initiative and encourage Americans to serve their communities.

She also spoke directly to USDA employees, who are encouraged to participate in the Feds Feed Families program through August by bringing food to work:

Secretary Vilsack prepared a message this month describing the purpose and mission of the Peoples' Garden at USDA headquarters in Washington, DC.

Here's the first part of the message. Check it out, and be sure to visit the Peoples' Garden web page and Twitter feed.

From: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack
Re: The Peoples' Garden
July 2009

As you may have seen, it's been a busy week on the Rural Tour. Secretary Vilsack visited Wisconsin last Thursday, Virginia on Saturday, and yesterday met with three other members of the Obama cabinet in St. John's Parish, Louisiana to discuss a broad range of issues facing rural America.

When President Obama announced United We Serve, a summer service initiative to encourage all Americans to reach out in service to their neighbors and communities, he was very clear that the government acting alone can’t pull America through these hard economic times.

Secretary Vilsack just announced an additional $274 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for conservation and restoration projects in our nation's forests. The money will mean more American jobs, better trails and scenery in the forests, and new work to maintain these national treasures. The announcement also brings the total figure for ARRA funds dedicated to National Forests to more than $936 million.

Earlier this week, Secretary Vilsack rolled up his sleeves as part of the Obama administration's United We Serve summer service initiative by visiting the St. Agatha Family Empowerment Center in Chicago. Excited youngsters left a nearby playground and lined up as Secretary Vilsack helped serve lunches at the Center as part of the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program.

Secretary Vilsack visited Virginia today with Energy Secretary Steven Chu to discuss the many ways in which saving energy, developing green jobs and pursuing new biofuel alternatives will help to revitalize rural America.

During yesterday’s Facebook chat with Secretary Vilsack, it became obvious that there is a lot of interest in supporting beginning farmers and ranchers. USDA knows beginning farmers face unique challenges, such as high startup costs and a lack of available land for purchase or rent. These issues are important to you, and they are important to us as well.