Since 2009, USDA has prioritized outreach and engagement to form new partnerships across America and regain trust where it was once lost. Over the past eight years, each of the Department’s agencies has expanded its reach, increasing awareness about critical assistance programs and developing targeted strategies to make services more accessible to those in need.
Here's an example of how things have changed: In 2003, Cather Woods, an African-American farm operator from Texas, was denied a USDA loan. As a result, she was forced to use her retirement savings to purchase the 300 acre farm her father bought in 1949 – the very same farm where she grew up. For generations, this narrative was far too common and cases like these – marked by disenfranchisement and personal sacrifice – earned the U.S. Department of Agriculture its longstanding reputation for denial of equal service.
Undefeated, Ms. Woods paved her own road to success and helped many others along the way. After establishing her farm, she went on to serve as a minority advisor to her local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office and was eventually elected the first African-American woman in Texas to serve on an FSA county committee. A dedicated public servant, Woods worked with FSA for 12 years, conducting outreach in her community and connecting farmers and ranchers with USDA programs that would help them prosper. Listen to her inspiring story.
Under the Obama Administration, USDA has made it a top priority to ensure all Americans are represented at every level of the Department, and to create a culture of inclusivity that’s reflected in all aspects of our work.
Over a decade later, USDA has experienced meaningful cultural transformation and is overall a very different organization than it was in 2003, but that's largely because more people like Cather Woods – who have witnessed the difference equal opportunity can make firsthand – have a seat at the table. Today, more voices are being heard.
Now 74, Ms. Woods has some advice for others in the farming community, “Everybody knows something and nobody knows it all. But the more questions you ask, […] the more successful you will be.” Here at USDA, we’re taking note. We are constantly learning from individuals all across our nation and are thankful for the generous contributions and perspectives offered by partners like Ms. Woods.
Join us throughout the month of August as we look back on eight years of progress toward a more equal and inclusive USDA. Follow along on usda.gov, on the USDA blog and by using #USDAResults, or catch up on Chapter VIII on our Medium site.
Throughout the month you can join us as we tell the important story of eight years of progress toward a more equal and inclusive USDA.
Last week was National Farmers Market Week. And, in the newly-released results of the 2015 survey of nearly 1,400 farmers market managers, we are able to see the direct benefits these markets provide to businesses and communities across the country.
Gene Thornton is a sixth-generation farmer who sells fresh, organic produce at The Market at Ag Heritage Park each week during market season. He’s got a simple sign that has a pretty easy request, “Buy Fresh. Buy Local.”
How do firefighters know what it takes to fight fire? The short answer is: research.
Building Partnerships for Diversity through the B.A.Y.O.U.
Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to Louisiana with my Administrator, Elanor Starmer, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), and visit Southern University and A & M College (Southern), an 1890 Land Grant University and Historically Black College. Located on Scott’s Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, LA, the campus covers 512 acres, with an agricultural experimental station on an additional 372-acres just north of the main campus. It is at this university that AMS began a strong partnership in the mid 1980′s to help establish a Beginning Agricultural Youth Opportunities Unlimited (B.A.Y.O.U.) Program.
Showcasing New Opportunities in the Growing Philippines Food and Beverage Market
As the largest U.S. food and beverage export market in Southeast Asia and one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, the Philippines is attracting top food franchises. To showcase these new market opportunities, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and U.S. Commercial Service offices in Manila organized a first-ever cooperative marketing event for the country.
Open Data Can Help Feed a Hungry World
The United States is the largest beef producer and one of the largest beef exporters in the world. In order to remain competitive, our Nation’s beef producers and everyone else in the supply chain need reliable data to evaluate market conditions, identify trends, make purchasing decisions, and monitor price patterns.
Meet Connecticut Earth Team Volunteer: Misha Rosado
At 5’1”, Misha Rosado is a tiny, 16-year-old powerhouse whose least favorite thing is to sit around with nothing to do. So, in addition to school and a part-time job, she donates 60-80 hours each year as an Earth Team Volunteer for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Unauthorized Drones Near a Wildfire can Cost and Kill
Recreational drones or Unmanned Aircraft Systems sometimes called UAS have become increasingly popular in the past few years. While this is an interesting hobby and can allow you to get beautiful aerial photography, some activities pose a significant hazard.
Pavilions, Food Hubs and Community Kitchens – Designing for Local Food Systems
Today, we celebrated National Farmers Market Week at Uptown Market in Greenwood, South Carolina, highlighting USDA support for the local food sector in South Carolina and across the country. Uptown Market Manager, Stephanie Turner, and Greenwood Mayor Welborn Adams joined us in thanking the farmers and vendors, and recognizing the great benefits their market has brought to the local community.
A Culture of Inclusivity at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Fine words, to be sure, but how do we make it true in a department that employs almost 100,000 directly and countless more indirectly at thousands of locations across the country? At USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), civil rights are inherent to our mission. By promoting equal opportunity and supporting underserved groups and communities, NIFA’s programs help people improve their lives and communities.
Celebrate National Farmers Market Week by Supporting Local Producers
It’s a simple sign that has a pretty easy request, “Buy Fresh. Buy Local.” It’s one that Gene Thornton hangs at his market stand each week at The Market at Ag Heritage Park on the Auburn University campus in Alabama. During market season, the sixth-generation farmer travels more than 40 miles from his small, organic farm in Roanoke to Auburn each week of market season. But he says the drive from Sneaky Crow Farm is worth it.
The Science Behind Fire
In recent months, we have all become familiar with images in the media of wildland firefighters digging lines, air tankers dropping retardant and fire engines dispersing water. You may wonder “how do these firefighters know what it takes to fight fire?” The short answer is: research.
Building Businesses & Helping Communities – Celebrating the Fruits of Farmers Markets
National Farmers Market Week is the perfect time to reflect on the evolution we’ve witnessed in our nation’s local and regional food systems, and to celebrate the results of the public and private partnerships that have made success possible.
MyPlate, MyWins and Breastfeeding: MyPlate Resources in Support of National Breastfeeding Month
It’s National Breastfeeding Month, and we at ChooseMyPlate.gov are celebrating moms everywhere! Caring for a child is no small task, and MyPlate has resources to support moms and moms-to-be. As a nutritionist and a mom with baby #2 on the way, I know it can be overwhelming to figure out what you should be eating to keep you and your baby healthy. MyPlate’s SuperTracker, a free food, physical activity and weight tracking tool, offers personalized food plans specifically for breastfeeding moms.
It's National Farmers Market Week
Farmers markets are growing in number, but also in their contribution to local economies. (Gary Crawford, Elanor Starmer and some farmers market customers)
Actuality: Farmers Markets Offer Opportunities for Farmers and Consumers
Elanor Starmer, Administrator of the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, talking about how farmers markets benefit consumers and producers.
Cooperative Farm to be Launched by Somali Immigrants (Maine Business News)
New Roots Cooperative Farm, a small farm being started by four Somali Bantu farmers, will be dedicated in Lewiston on Aug. 11. The farmers received assistance through the USDA's Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Grant.
Kentucky farmers' market can double fresh food for families (WKYT)
A newly expanded program in Kentucky will allow families to double their government assistance money when buying from local farmers markets. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture says 25 Kentucky farmers markets and two Fresh Stop Markets in Lexington are offering the "Double Dollars" program this season.
Celebrating National Farmers Market Week (Agri-Pulse)
This is National Farmers Market Week (Aug. 7-13), a great time to visit a farmers market and celebrate your local farmers, ranchers and food producers.
And a farmers market shouldn't be hard to find in your neighborhood. Today there are more than 8,500 farmers markets in the U.S., up from just over 4,000 a decade ago, with some 150,000 farmers selling their production directly to consumers through these markets, via farm stands or through community support agriculture subscriptions.
Editorial: Opioid abuse should not mean a death sentence (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Heroin and opioid addiction presents American society with the conundrum to beat all conundrums. We feed it while we fight it. And sometimes we fight it by feeding it. Missouri is the only state that tends to fight it by ignoring it. […]U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the Obama administration’s point man for the opioid epidemic, told this newspaper last month that rural areas are now feeling the brunt of this crisis. Addictions reach far across the economic, racial and urban-rural divides. In other words, this is no longer the problem “over there.” It’s right next door or, perhaps, in your own living room.
Kids learn importance of USDA (Grant Tribune Sentinel)
Children at Hugs-N-Teddybears Daycare and Preschool led by Director Shari Anderson, are learning about gardening with weekly visits to the USDA Service Center this summer. Normally, they do a large vegetable garden. This year, the focus is a learning program. They are taking the kids to the USDA office once a week for a program and activities.
 
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