Powering America with a More Sustainable Energy Future
#USDAResults Chapter 10
This month, we’re celebrating hard working rural Americans, who through grit, resolve and continuous innovation have worked together to put the rural economy back on course. USDA has supported these communities along the way, investing in solutions that help bring jobs, infrastructure and opportunity back to small towns across the country.
As part of that strategy, we’ve been working closely with farmers and ranchers to make investments that spur a new generation of renewable fuels and biobased products. A new USDA report released last week shows that in 2014, the biobased products industry contributed $393 billion and 4.2 million jobs to America's recovering economy. The report also indicates that the sector grew from 2013 to 2014, creating or supporting an additional 220,000 jobs and $24 billion over that period. You can read the full report here. As one of the four pillars USDA has identified to boost our country's rural economy, USDA has invested heavily in growing the biobased economy.
At the same time, we’re working on regional solutions to alleviate long-term poverty, which disproportionately affects rural areas. In an effort to address this, last week USDA unveiled an innovative partnership with community development organizations from across the country, providing $401 million in funds to recipients with a track record of successful programs that help reduce poverty in some of the nation’s most isolated rural communities. Twenty-six community development organizations have been approved to draw upon the funding to help local entities build, acquire, maintain or renovate essential community facilities. The funds also can be used for capacity building and to finance essential community services, such as education, health care and infrastructure. Many of the projects will be in some of the nation's poorest rural areas, such as communities in Appalachia, the colonias along the U.S./Mexico border and in the Mississippi Delta region. You can find a list of the projects here.
Join us throughout the month of October as we tell the story of a proud legacy of rural innovation and its contribution to a new generation of renewable energy and biobased products; increasing American energy security, giving American consumers environmentally friendly choices, cutting our carbon pollution, strengthening America’s economy and with it the small towns and rural communities that so many call home. Follow along on usda.gov, on the USDA blog and by using #USDAResults, or catch up on Chapter X on our Medium site.
Throughout the month we’ll tell the story of a proud legacy of rural innovation and its contribution to a new generation of renewable energy and biobased products.
Oregon’s majestic Columbia River Gorge is home to Bear Mountain Forest Products. Creating jobs and vitality to the bio-based economy.
Visitors to USDA’s Farmers Market on Sept. 30, 2016, weren’t playing Pokemon. They were helping with a behavioral economics field study about food choices.
Rural counties across the country are finding innovative ways to capitalize on their local strengths. Through a guided process, more than 400 counties in 38 states are discovering new ways to work together to grow their economies.
The Bio-Based Economy and Renewable Energy: USDA’s Record of Success
One of the hallmarks of the Obama Administration has been our commitment to economic growth through an expanding bio-based economy. Nowhere is that transformation more pronounced than the success of renewable energy. And USDA Rural Development has been a leader in that effort.
Getting a New Perspective on the Great Lakes’ Water Quality
The Great Lakes cover over 95,000 square miles and contain trillions of gallons of water. These vestiges of the last Ice Age define immense. But their greatness makes water quality monitoring difficult.
Growing Rural Economies and Opportunities through Social Media
From Facebook to Snapchat, rural businesses are exploring how to use social media to improve their customer’s experience and expand their customer base. Over the last eight years, USDA and the Obama Administration have partnered with rural communities to build more opportunities that support rural small business owners, farmers and ranchers through applied research.
Farm to School Goes Year Round in the Northeast
Over the past few summers, sponsors of USDA’s Summer Meals Programs have been elevating meal quality and encouraging program participation by serving seasonal menus, utilizing high quality ingredients, and providing nutrition education activities. We’ve heard of such farm to summer activities – the embedding of farm to school principles within summer meals programs – from practitioners all around the country.
5 Ways Landowners Give Shell-ter to the Gopher Tortoise
The gopher tortoise earned its name for good reason – because it likes to dig and spends much of its time underground. The gopher tortoise, the Southeast’s only land-dwelling tortoise, burrows in the sandy soils below longleaf pine forests where it can escape heat and danger.
Mississippi Farmers Expanding Opportunities with Up in Farms
“Not today,” said Mr. Leonard Keyes as he and Dr. John Stanley surveyed the plot of land on Keyes’ farm in Mize, Mississippi. “Too dry.” Stanley stood beside him holding a tray of squash transplants and nodding his head in agreement.
Think Local and Show Us Your Plate: CNPP’s MyPlate, MyState Campaign
Do you enjoy snapping photos of your colorful dinners or trying recipes with fresh, local foods from the Farmers Market or garden? If your answer is yes, you’ll love our latest MyPlate, MyState campaign! This October, we’re kicking things into high gear with a call to action for all Americans: Show how you use local foods from your state and region to create balanced meals by taking a picture of your plate and sharing on social media using hashtag #MyPlateMyState.
Back to School with Student-Led Smarter Lunchrooms
Teenagers at several schools across the country are working together with school nutrition staff to make changes to the school cafeteria. Informed by Smarter Lunchrooms’ research, these students are promoting healthful foods to their peers and having a say in menu offerings. Team Nutrition Training Grants help fund a number of school activities that engage students in nutrition education and wellness activities.
Brown Bat Found in Washington State Infected with Familiar Strain of Fungus
When a little brown bat discovered near North Bend, Washington, in March tested positive for White-nose Syndrome or WNS, scientists had a lot of questions.
New SNAP E&T Initiatives Aim to Help SNAP Participants Find Jobs
Getting a good job these days takes more than good intentions because today’s jobs require a higher level of skills than ever before. This is why the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program’s Employment and Training Program (SNAP E&T), administered by states across the country, has such an important role to play in helping SNAP recipients gain the skills they need to find and keep good jobs. This is also why the U.S. Department of Agriculture is committed to supporting this effort.
MyPlate, MyState Helps You Bring the Joy of Local Foods to the Classroom
Hello Teachers of America! Are you looking for resources for your classes that combine topics such as food and nutrition, farmers and farmers markets, and your state’s agriculture?
Cultivating Heritage, Freedom & Self-Determination
USDA invited A-dae Romero-Briones, member of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), to be a guest author for this blog. The NOSB provides critical support to the USDA and the organic community. We thank the NOSB for their commitment to the organic community, and the integrity of the organic label.
New and Improved Tools Help Adapt Forests to Changing Conditions
Changes in climate and extreme weather are already increasing challenges for forest ecosystems across the world. Many impacts are expected to remain into the future. This means forest managers, conservationists and woodland owners continually need to address climate change to ensure forests can provide a broad array of benefits and services. The USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub and the U.S. Forest Service provide tools to help address this need.
USDA Farmers Market Shoppers Participate in Behavioral Economics Study about Food Choices
This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. What were visitors to USDA’s Farmers Market on Friday, Sept. 30, doing with the iPads they were holding? They certainly weren’t playing Pokemon Go! Instead, they were participating in a behavioral economics study about food choices.
New Report Shows Growth in Biobased Contribution to U.S. Economy
A new study shows that the biobased economy is growing in its impact on the U.S. economy. (Gary Crawford and Sec'y Tom Vilsack)
Actuality: Biobased Manufacturing a Perfect Match for Rural Communities
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. saying the biobased manufacturing industry is a perfect fit for rural America.
Actuality: Biobased World is More Than Energy
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. saying the biobased economy is much more than just energy production.
New Investments in Rural America
The USDA has announced some new investments in rural America. (Gary Crawford and Sec'y Tom Vilsack)
Will the White House Rural Council Continue in New Administration?
What happens to the White House Rural Council when this Administration ends? (Gary Crawford, Pres. Barack Obama and Sec'y Tom Vilsack)
Actuality: Progress in Boosting Rural Economies
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack telling reporters about progress that has been made in boosting rural economies and improving the lives of rural residents.
Actuality: Expanded National Health Service Corps Program Helps Rural Areas
Acting HHS Deputy Secretary Dr. Mary K. Wakefield talking about the expansion in the National Health Service Corps Program.
Vilsack: Bio-based goods boost Iowa economy (Des Moines Register)
The production of bio-based goods in Iowa has helped improve the rural economy with jobs and revenue, The Des Moines Register reported. A report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated production of bio-based items directly created more than 20,000 jobs and contributed $1.74 billion to Iowa's economy in 2014. Bio-based products made from renewable sources include fabrics, bottles, textiles and cleaning supplies.
Biobased industry growing, but needs more federal help, report says (Agri-Pulse)
Production of biofuels and biobased products such as plant-derived plastics already support 4.2 million jobs, but the industry's future growth rate depends in part on oil prices and the availability of new government incentives, according to a study commissioned by the Agriculture Department. The study, authored by experts at Duke University and North Carolina State University, also said that the federal government itself has been slow to use the products despite USDA's efforts to promote them.
Live at National Press Club: Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack (Minnesota Public Radio)
US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is the only remaining member of President Obama's original cabinet. He speaks at the National Press Club about rural issues, farming, economic development in small towns, and trade with Cuba. Vilsack is former governor of Iowa and leads the President's Rural Task Force to fight heroin use in rural communities. Vilsack speaks at the National Press Club October 3, 2016.
Blog: USDA's commitment to sustainable energy (Ethanol Producer Magazine)
A recent USDA post, Powering America with a More Sustainable Energy Future, gives a sweeping overview of the transformation in agriculture as it moves beyond just growing food to also providing homegrown renewable energy. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has been highlighting the USDA’s investments in the future of America in a series of posts since January. In the most recent post, Vilsack ties together the wide-ranging investments the agency has made in renewable fuels infrastructure, biobased products, solar, wind, anaerobic digestion and energy efficiency, saying “These USDA investments have created remarkable momentum in rural economic growth.”
Report shows growing biobased products industry benefits N.C. (News and Record Greensboro)
The biobased industry by 2014 had produced 90,040 jobs in North Carolina, second only to California, which benefited with 145,080 jobs, a new report shows. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report Monday afternoon that studied the industry’s effect on economic growth in each state. Biobased products are commercial products made up primarily of biological products, including crops and forestry materials.
In Berea, U.S. farm chief launches $401M program to reduce rural poverty (Lexington Herald-Leader)
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack came to Berea College on Thursday to launch a $401 million federal program to reduce rural poverty across the nation. The federal program basically provides funds guaranteed by private lenders to groups with a track record of successful programs to help reduce poverty in some of the nation’s poorest and most isolated rural communities.
Uplift America: Agriculture Secretary visits Berea to unveil new rural loan program (Richmond Register)
For the second time in a little more than two weeks, a member of President Barack Obama’s cabinet visited Madison County. On Thursday, Sec. of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack chose Berea as the place to announce a new loan program, Uplift America, designed to help counties where poverty has persisted in the face of past efforts. Fifteen days earlier, Attorney General Loretta Lynch was in Richmond to talk about federal efforts to curtail heroin use and opioid abuse. Rural America is important as the nation’s source of food and natural resources such as water. And it disproportionately provides members of the U.S. military services, Vilsack said.
Vilsack announcing program to reduce rural poverty (AP)
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is visiting Kentucky to announce a program to reduce rural poverty nationwide. The project involves a partnership with 26 community development organizations to give long-term, low-interest financing to local entities for community facilities and services, such as education, health care and infrastructure.
Wolf, USDA secretary discuss state of agriculture at White House Rural Forum (Centre Daily Times)
Tom Vilsack, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, recently found himself on the train accompanied by another former governor: noted Philadelphia Eagles supporter Ed Rendell. “That was a long train ride,” he said. “But I feel better this week after Sunday’s game.” While “The Former Governors on the Train” won’t be Hollywood-ready anytime soon, it was one of a few lighthearted moments the U.S. agriculture secretary shared on Wednesday morning as part of a White House Rural Forum.
White House hosts Rural Forum (Farm Futures)
The White House will host the White House Rural Forum today, convening rural policy, business, and nonprofit leaders to Penn State University in State College, PA, and announcing new administration actions in support of rural America. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, chairman of the White House Rural Council, and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf will lead discussions on pertinent issues facing rural communities, including opportunities for economic growth and strategies for improving health care and housing. Vilsack will also urge lawmakers and the private sector, foundations and nonprofits to recognize opportunities in America's rural communities to ensure continued social and economic progress.
Vilsack announces more help for rural America (Agri-Pulse)
In rural America, poverty, hunger and unemployment rates are down and population declines have stopped, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said today, attributing much of the improvement to the efforts of the White House Rural Council. The Council was formed early in the Obama administration to streamline federal assistance and strengthen local and state resources to support the rural economy.
-
|
