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Last week, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released the National Hemp Report, which contains the results of the 2021 Hemp Acreage and Production Survey. The hemp survey collected information on total planted and harvested area, yield, production, and value of hemp in the United States. NASS collected data for hemp grown in the open and under protection (in a greenhouse, for example). The survey collected information for all hemp use, including hemp flower (or floral hemp), which was valued at $687.4 million in 2021. Production totaled roughly 20 million pounds and utilized production totaled nearly 16 million pounds.

The Ohio Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Eradication Program in Ohio started participating in USDA’s People's Garden initiative to grow fresh produce for those in need within our local community. One of our tree climbers started the garden at the Bethel office and formed a partnership with the Kitchen of Hope; a local food kitchen that has prepared food for hungry people since 2012. Although our garden was closed due to the pandemic in 2020, we have grown 729 pounds of fresh produce for the Kitchen of Hope since 2018.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently welcomed seven new U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions, food industry leaders that have committed to reducing food loss and waste in their U.S. operations by 50 percent by 2030.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one person dies every 36 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease. That’s about 25% of America’s mortality rate. Heart disease costs the United States about $363 billion each year from 2016 to 2017 – almost $1 billion per day.

As a fifth-generation farmer, I know how important it is to have access to reliable market data and how little time producers have to search for this information. Thanks to the new USDA Market News Mobile App, accessing this information just got easier.

While millions watch NFL players battle it out in the Super Bowl, the real MVPs on Sunday will be chicken wings—more than 1 billion will be consumed before, during and after the game! Whether you bake, roast, fry or order in your chicken wings, don’t forget the four food safety steps that night.

Food loss and waste is estimated to be roughly one third of the food intended for human consumption in the United States. When food is discarded, all inputs used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, and storing discarded food are also wasted. Food loss and waste also exacerbates the climate change crisis with its significant greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint. Production, transportation, and handling of food generate significant Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions and when food ends up in landfills, it generates methane, an even more potent greenhouse gas.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact everyone, many Americans grapple with food insecurity. This past year, in fact, over 29 million adults and 12 million children struggled to afford food, while more than 1 in 5 Black and Latino adults and children reported food insecurity.

USDA is collaborating with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the Closer to Zero (C2Z) initiative. C2Z provides a crucial framework for the work that must be done to reduce heavy metal content in foods, but particularly in foods consumed by infants and children, our most vulnerable group.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is committed to providing equitable access to food to all Americans, but racial disparities in food security still exist. With the rate of food and nutrition insecurity higher among Black, Hispanic, and Native American populations, the data bears this out.