Life students are finding out that learning about nutrition can be healthy and fun!

It can be a challenge to build a healthy plate of fresh fruits and vegetables. That’s why First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Faith and Communities initiative is helping community and faith-based organizations to ensure that all families have access to healthy, affordable food in the communities. Read more »

A map plotting the updated locations of U.S. Farmers Markets. Geocode data is now available for over 6,200 markets.

With nearly 2 million page views in 2011 alone, the USDA National Farmers Market Directory is one of the Department of Agriculture’s most popular consumer search engines. Read more »

Doggy’s Diner was a participating restaurant in the “Taste of America” promotion. Pictured here are Tommy Aoki, senior marketing specialist, Agricultural Trade Office; Fred Klose, executive director, California Ag Export Council; Koichi Yoshiike, owner, Doggy’s Diner and a member of his staff.

Japanese customers savored restaurant dining created with quality American food ingredients as part of the first-ever “Taste of America” promotion hosted this month by the U.S. Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) in Tokyo. Read more »

USDA's People’s Garden is sponsoring a Harvest Festival on Friday, October 28 from 10 am to 2 pm at USDA Farmers Market, on the northeast lawn of Jamie L. Whitten Building and along 12th Street in-between Jefferson Drive and Independence Avenue, SW. The festival marks the culmination of a very productive growing season for the People's Garden at USDA Headquarters.

Let’s get together to enjoy the fruits of our labor! USDA’s People’s Garden is sponsoring a Harvest Festival on Friday, October 28 from 10 am to 2 pm at USDA Farmers Market, on the northeast lawn of Jamie L. Whitten Building and along 12th Street in-between Jefferson Drive and Independence Avenue, SW. The festival marks the culmination of a very productive growing season for the People’s Garden at USDA Headquarters. Read more »

A new white paper titled Developing of a Purchasing Manager’s Index for Biobased Products was written by Iowa State University through a cooperative agreement with USDA’s Office of Energy Policy and New Uses.  The authors explore the development of a measurement for biobased products, which are defined as those composed either in whole or in significant part of renewable agricultural or forestry materials, including commercial and industrial products as well as feedstocks.  They discuss various types of composite indicators, trends in the overall biobased products sector, and the feasibility of using purchasing managers’ expectations to discern performance.

Several methodological and administrative issues involved in moving from a pilot study to a full-scale biobased products purchasing managers’ survey are considered.  Recommendations are offered to support development and implementation of a composite index that charts the strength of the biobased product sector.  USDA-sponsored research provides a foundation for more detailed analysis of growth in biobased products industries.  Read more »

Hi, Dr. Hallie Hasel here.  I’ve been a field veterinary medical officer for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for the past eight years.  I work in western Kansas, an area with very large dairies, feedlots and some swine operations.

I’m a veterinarian because I have a desire to work in both agriculture and the livestock industry, especially in rural areas.  I started out in private practice.  I spent 10 years as the sole proprietor of a mixed animal practice and loved it.  However, I had the chance to sell my practice right as this APHIS job became available and I took it.  It’s been a great decision. Read more »