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All over the country, rural communities are finding innovative ways to improve quality of life and build viable food systems that support the health and economic needs of their people. This week’s farmer feature is doing just that, farming a 1-acre lot in Warrenton North Carolina. Reggie Stevenson is one of three small-scale producers in Warren County working with the Chopped Produce Initiative to deliver fresh-cut vegetables to school districts during fall and winter months. With support from USDA’s Farm to School Program, the Chopped Produce Initiative, a project of Working Landscapes, provides locally grown, fresh produce to kids in the community, while at the same time boosting the local agricultural economy, contributing to the revitalization of downtown Warrenton. We’re thanking our nation’s farmers and ranchers for all they’ve done by highlighting a few of the most moving and motivating stories of the year. Follow along as we continue to feature farmer and rancher stories as well as track some of our favorite digital content from 2015. Use #highfive to see just what we’ve been up to in the last 12 months, and stay tuned as we look forward to a 2016 that promises to be better than ever.
High Five Series: Rural America is Home for the Holidays Oh, there’s nooooo place like hooooome for the holidays… Every time I hear that song I get an extra spring in my step knowing that I work for an organization that helped more than 160,000 families afford to buy, rent, or repair their homes this year. That’s 160,000 families in rural America that are home for the Holidays. Five Invasive Pests: You Can Help Stop Their Spread USDA APHIS is deeply involved with mitigating invasive pest issues, along with State and local governments. Invasive pests cost the U.S. an estimated $120 billion each year in damages to our environment, agriculture, and native species. The five invasive species described here are a few of the damaging invasive pests of concern to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. You can help detect these pests and take actions to reduce their spread. Five Years of Working Toward a Healthy, Hunger-Free Generation This time of year, it often feels like time is flying by. As we take time to step back and reflect on the past, we often think, “My, my, where did the time go?” or “It feels like just yesterday…” or “How could it be almost 2016 already?” Many of us at USDA are feeling a bit nostalgic too, wondering: “Could it really be half a decade since the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) passed!?” Building the Bench for Agriculture in 2015 and Beyond No matter where you’re from, no matter what you look like, no matter your background, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is here for you. It has been an exciting year at USDA, filled with growth and opportunity. This year, I have traveled the country and the world to meet with farmers, ranchers and agriculture leaders who love the land and want to help the next generation succeed. High Five: NIFA-Funded Research Improves Agriculture The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) invests in agricultural sciences that turn research into action by taking groundbreaking discoveries from laboratories to farms, communities, and classrooms. Scientific advances that result from NIFA-funded research – more than $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2015 – enhance the competitiveness of American agriculture, ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply, improve the nutrition and health of communities, sustain the environment and natural resources, and bolster the economy. 2015: A Banner Year for School Meals and the Health of our Nation’s Schoolchildren It’s been another outstanding year for healthier school meals programs and the millions of American students that benefit from them. Today, more than 97 percent of schools nationwide report they are meeting the updated school meal standards, which are based on pediatricians’ and nutritionists’ recommendations.
Will the New Year Bring New People into Farming? Broadcast Date: Thursday, December 31, 2015 Officials at USDA are hoping the new year will bring new people into farming. (Gary Crawford and Dep. Sec'y Krysta Harden) 2016 Could Be a Crucial Year for Child Nutrition Programs Broadcast Date: Thursday, December 31, 2015 The next twelve months could see a lot of debate about the government's efforts to improve the health and nutrition levels of children. (Gary Crawford, President Barack Obama and Sec'y Tom Vilsack)
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