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"Whether improving domestic and international access to food, promoting nutrition and safety of our food supply, conserving our natural resources, advancing agricultural exports, or developing the rural economy, USDA helps Americans to lead better lives. I know that I’m not alone in the pride I take in rural America, American agriculture and what USDA employees do to make a difference in the lives of Americans every day. I’m pleased to share with you this yearlong reflection on the results achieved over the course of this Administration, and I hope you enjoy it too." -- Secretary Vilsack Last week, USDA was pleased to kick off a year-long storytelling project to highlight nearly eight years of USDA investments in projects nationwide to build a robust and diverse rural economy and expand opportunities for the people who call rural America home. Throughout 2016, tune in each month for a new focus, beginning in January with a celebration of the American farmers and ranchers who work tirelessly to ensure that our food supply is safe, plentiful and nutritious. Take a look at how historic investments from the Obama Administration and USDA have supported our nation’s producers, yielding positive #USDAResults for the American farmer, and for the American people: medium.com/usda-results.
Each month, USDA will release a new chapter of the story at medium.com/usda-results. We encourage you to check out January’s chapter, Celebrating America’s Farmers and Ranchers: Supporting the Producers Who Ensure a Safe, Affordable, Nutritious American Food Supply, and follow along throughout 2016. New Dietary Guidelines Support Healthy Choices for All Americans Today, we are delighted to announce the release of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. We know that a lifetime of healthy eating helps to prevent chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes. The Dietary Guidelines provides a clear path for the general public, as well as policy makers and health professionals and others who reach the public, to help Americans make healthy choices, informed by a thoughtful, critical, and transparent review of the scientific evidence on nutrition. Oregon Organic Farmer Unlocks Soil Health Secrets and Boosts Production For agricultural producers, it’s an age-old question: How do you grow the largest, healthiest, most-profitable crops possible? Oregon organic farmer Chris Roehm says the secret is in the soil. Co-owner and operator of Square Peg Farm in Forest Grove, Roehm is among a growing number of producers, both conventional and organic, who are realizing the benefits of improving the health and function of their soil through working with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). China’s Impacts of Slowing Growth on Trade and Agriculture in the U.S. International trade is a major factor in the American agricultural economy. A key player is China. In fact China’s impact on slowing growth on trade and agriculture is a session topic during the 2016 United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Outlook Forum. Rangeland Restoration Benefits Cattle and Prairie Chicken Cattle and lesser prairie-chickens both need healthy rangeland to thrive. Through voluntary conservation efforts, farmers and ranchers in the southern Great Plains can restore habitat for this iconic bird while strengthening working lands. USDA Northeast Climate Hub Integrates Farmer Panel into Operational Discussions As the autumn leaves in the Northeast were just beginning to blanket the ground in late October, the USDA Northeast Climate Hub held its first annual –university network hosted– Partner Operational Discussions. The group convened in Annapolis, Maryland where working meetings were held at both the Chesapeake Bay Program and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Field Office on October 26th and 27th, 2015. Schools across the country spend nearly $1 billion on chicken every year. That’s a lot of buying power. School Food FOCUS challenged us to think about the changes we can make to our food system if districts leveraged this buying power to create a demand for chicken that is better on the plate and for the environment. Lessons from USDA’s Farmers Market Help Local Food Businesses The USDA Farmers Market, next to the Department’s headquarters and steps from the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is a “living laboratory” for identifying and testing strategies to help support local and regional food systems.
Extreme weather across the nation, highlighting USDA results, and honoring a long time farm advocate.
USDA taking victory lap in year-long multimedia showcase (Federal Times 1/7) The Department of Agriculture has done a lot in the last seven years and the agency is using the versatility of the Internet to tell its story through a year-long, interactive "chapter book" on Medium. Each month, USDA will release a new long-form post showcasing the agency's achievements through personal stories, photos, videos and more. The project organizers hope "USDA Results" will give citizens a better understanding of what the department does, while also serving as an example of how agencies can highlight the work federal employees do in communities across the nation. USDA secretary to announce energy efficiency loan fund (Associated Press/ Washington Times 1/8) U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is visiting Burlington to announce a multi-million dollar loan fund that will be used to help Vermonters and small businesses improve energy efficiency. He will be joined by Democratic U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy and Gov. Peter Shumlin at the announcement Friday. The USDA program has supported similar projects in Arkansas and North Carolina. The project will be carried out by the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation. Officials say it’s the USDA’s largest Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program investment. 'USDA Results' is year-long effort to communicate department's work (Farm Futures 1/8) USDA is rolling out a new interactive Web page which will house USDA Results, what the department calls a "progressive, year-long, multimedia storytelling effort showcasing the Administration's work on behalf of those living, working and raising families in rural America." Each month in 2016, USDA says it will release a new "chapter" of the story, focused on one aspect of USDA's work, rural and urban, over the past eight years. The first chapter, released this week, is titled "Celebrating America's Farmers and Ranchers: Supporting the Producers Who Ensure a Safe, Affordable, Nutritious American Food Supply." #USDA Celebrates Bob Stallman Appreciation Day (AgWired 1/6) This month marks the last for Bob Stallman, a 16-year veteran at the helm of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). Stallman will be passing the torch during the upcoming 2016 AFBF Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show taking place in Orlando, Florida January 8-13, 2016. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) honored Stallman’s efforts today with a brief ceremony led by Secretary Tom Vilsack. USDA declared today, January 6, 2016, as Bob Stallman Appreciation Day. USDA recognizes retiring AFBF President Bob Stallman (Farm Futures 1/7) USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack proclaimed Wednesday as Bob Stallman Appreciation Day to recognize the retiring American Farm Bureau President's commitment to rural America and agriculture. Stallman announced he would not seek re-election in July. He served as AFBF president for 16 years. "Bob Stallman is well-deserving of recognition for his outstanding contributions to all corners of agriculture and his commitment to strengthen rural America for the hard-working families who call it home. Millions of rural businesses and families were positively impacted by U.S. Department of Agriculture investments in 2015, according to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. He recently released a list of the department’s top achievements in 2015. “Since 2009, USDA has focused significant and targeted investments in America’s rural communities to bring transformative change,” Vilsack said. Rules to make school lunches healthier are working, study finds (CNN 1/4) Ever since new meal standards went into effect in schools across the United States in 2012, experts have worried that the changes would result in fewer students eating school lunches. A new study of a Washington state school district suggests this has not been the case. The meal standards, which are part of the United States Department of Agriculture Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, made sweeping changes to the breakfasts and lunches served at U.S. schools. They put a cap on the number of calories per meal and required that meals contain at least one serving of fruits and vegetables. Orion’s at the helm this week, broadcasting from his studio in Scottsdale, Arizona. He continues his year-end conversation with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Plus, Orion reports from the Arizona National Livestock Show, beginning with a conversation with Mark Killian, Director of Agriculture in Arizona. Then he’s joined by John Hayes, a pioneer of the cattle industry. Later, he talks to Michael Bradley, executive director of the show. Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden today announced a commitment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prioritize $5.6 billion over the next two years within USDA programs and services that serve new and beginning farmers and ranchers. Deputy Secretary Harden also announced a new, tailored web tool designed to connect burgeoning farm entrepreneurs with programs and resources available to help them get started. USDA and NASA explore the frontier of agriculture (High Plains Journal 1/2) It might surprise you to learn the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts a lot of research with the scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This includes plant-related research on the International Space Station that may lead to creative new ways to improve American agriculture, protect the environment and contribute to better human health. Experiments explore such things as how astronauts’ bones and muscles are affected by living in space and what kinds of plants could grow in outer space.
Latest Edition of US Dietary Guidelines Now Out Broadcast Date: Thursday, January 7, 2016 A new round of dietary guidelines for Americans was issued Thursday. (Rod Bain and Health and Human Service Department Secretary Sylvia Burwell) Some Updates From Updated Dietary Guidelines Broadcast Date: Thursday, January 7, 2016 The new round of federal dietary guidelines includes updates on topics such as sugar, sodium and cholesterol. (Rod Bain and Health And Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell) Ca. Drought Effects Could Linger Long After Drought Declared "Over" Broadcast Date: Thursday, January 7, 2016 Californians will be feeling the effects of the drought for a long time, even if the drought itself is declared "broken". (Gary Crawford and Brad Rippey) Broadcast Date: Friday, January 8, 2016 El Nino remains strong over the U.S., however later this year there could be a changeover to this weather system's opposite. (Rod Bain and USDA meteorologist, Brad Rippey)
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