USDA Offers Hurricane Sandy Victims a New Opportunity to Enroll Land...
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2014 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will accept applications for easements from landowners who want to enroll floodplains impacted by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Applications will be accepted until April 18, 2014. This is the second round of applications to be accepted....
USDA Announces Investments in Businesses and Rural Economic Development
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2014 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is investing in rural businesses to help create jobs and spur economic development....
Secretary Vilsack Expands StrikeForce Initiative to Address Rural Poverty in Four...
PINEVILLE, Kentucky, January 17, 2014—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack joined Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Congressman Hal Rogers today to announce the expansion of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s StrikeForce Initiative into four additional states: Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee and West Virginia....
American Adults are Choosing Healthier Foods, Consuming Healthier Diets
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2014 - American adults are eating better, making better use of available nutrition information, and consuming fewer calories coming from fat and saturated fat, consuming less cholesterol and eating more fiber, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service; Changes in Eating P...
Year's First National Water Forecast Predicts Limited Supply West of the...
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2014 – A limited water supply is predicted west of the Continental Divide, according to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) National Water and Climate Center (NWCC) data in its first forecast of 2014. The NWCC also predicts normal water supply east of the Continental Divide and will continue to monitor, f...
FACT SHEET: A Strong Nutrition Program to Help Hardworking American Families
This week, Agriculture Under Secretary Kevin Concannon and Anne Alonzo, Administrator for the Agricultural Marketing Service joined George Jones, CEO of Bread for the City to highlight the need for a new Farm Bill that adequately invests in America’s nutrition safety net. Food assistance programs, along with the National School Lunch Program and S...
Obama Administration Announces The First Five Promise Zone Designees
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2014 – The U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today the five inaugural U.S. communities that have been designated as Promise Zones, an intensive and layered approach to revitalizing distressed communities. The Promise Zones will benefit from a comprehensive approach to d...
USDA Announces Speakers for the 2014 Agricultural Outlook Forum
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2014–The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced speakers for the 2014 Agricultural Outlook Forum, “The Changing Face of Agriculture,” to be held from Feb. 20-21 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel, Arlington, Va....
USDA to Provide Additional Support to Food Banks, Soup Kitchens, and...
WASHINGTON, January 6, 2014 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture's intent to purchase up to $126.4 million worth of fruit and vegetable products, to be distributed to needy families under The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). The products to be purchased include tart cherries,...
USDA Makes Permanent Meat and Grain Serving Flexibilities in National School...
WASHINGTON, January 2, 2014 - Agriculture Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon today announced that USDA is making permanent the current flexibility that allows schools to serve larger portions of lean protein and whole grains at mealtime....
