Meet Your Wellness Goals in the New Year with the USDA DRI Calculator for Healthcare Professionals App

From USDA:

Posted by Food and Nutrition Information Center Staff, National Agricultural Library, on January 20, 2015 at 3:00 PM

New “USDA Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) Calculator for Healthcare Professionals” app allows users to keep track of nutrient calculations and recommendations based on the DRI values.

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.

The USDA National Agricultural Library’s (NAL) Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC) today launched its mobile application, or “app,” which calculates Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs).  The “USDA Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) Calculator for Healthcare Professionals” app allows users to keep track of nutrient calculations and recommendations that are based on the DRI values in a more convenient and user-friendly format. Through this new app, healthcare professionals can save time in the nutrition care process for patients and clients, while having access to credible nutrition guidance.

The National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine first developed the DRIs in the mid-1990s. DRIs are recommended amounts of each nutrient a healthy person should consume to prevent deficiency or harmful health effects. Initially presented in tables, this information allows healthcare professionals to use the DRIs to assess and plan diets for groups or individuals. For example, if you are a female between 19 and 50, your registered dietitian or doctor may recommend that you increase your dairy consumption to meet the 1,000mg/day calcium recommendation outlined in the DRIs. The DRIs are also used in policy-making such as setting calorie and sodium guidelines for healthy school lunches.

In 2009, FNIC released the Interactive DRI for Healthcare Professionals tool on their website, which made using DRIs even easier. Instead of viewing multiple tables to determine recommendations for one patient, this Web tool offered dietitians, physicians, nurses and other practitioners an efficient way to assess and plan diets for clients and patients. By entering a person’s height, weight, age and activity level, users can receive calorie and nutrient recommendations, as well as body mass index (BMI). With the release of the app, information is even more accessible to the clinician on the go. Users also can save calculations and email the results to themselves, patients or clients.

The DRI app includes user-friendly features such as pregnancy weight gain charts, DRI glossary terms, bookmarking and note saving options. Bookmarking and note saving allow users to personalize the app and organize information for later reference.

Although the DRI recommendations are based on current scientific knowledge, they are not appropriate for everyone. Underlying illness and vitamin deficiencies are just two reasons why your nutrient needs might be different from the recommendations. To figure out your nutrient needs, talk with your healthcare provider or find a registered dietitian near you.

To download the DRI app, go to the iTunes or Google Play stores. This app is free and currently available for iPhones, iPads and Android devices. NAL is part of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and serves as an extensive resource for agricultural information. For more information on the DRIs or the DRI app, or to learn more about NAL services please visit the NAL website.

It's Quite a Pickle To Be In

From USDA:

Posted by Kim Kaplan, Agricultural Research Service, on January 6, 2015 at 1:00 PM

Pickles of many kinds fill grocery store shelves, all of them safe for consumers thanks to the work of an ARS food safety lab in Raleigh, North Carolina.

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.

Pickles are a popular food, but are even trendier today as more and more craft brands show up in stores and farmers’ markets all over the country. But did you know USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has helped commercial pickle-makers, from small brands to the nation’s largest, meet the highest standards of food safety?

While pickling—storing in an acid liquid, usually vinegar—has been recognized as a food-preserver since long before the discovery of bacteria, the kind of data that today’s precise food safety standards require was not established until recently.

In the late 1990s, incidents of bacterial contamination in acidic foods like unpasteurized orange juice and apple cider, which are the same pH as pickles, alerted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that pathogens, such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7, survived at more acidic pH levels in juices than previously believed—leading to new juice regulations. It also raised collateral questions about these pathogens in acidified foods, such as pickles, and prompted FDA to issue draft guidance applicable to the pickle industry.

Even though there haven’t been any food-borne illnesses from commercial pickles in 50 years, no one knew exactly how to reach the 99.999 percent reduction in bacterial pathogens FDA now considered appropriate. This also needed to be done without hurting the quality or taste of pickles.

It was a job for the researchers at the ARS Food Science Research Unit in Raleigh, North Carolina, the only national laboratory that works full time on the processing of commercial pickled vegetables. Every type of pickle and pickled vegetable would require its own study and set of numbers.

With significant support and funding from the pickle industry, the first ones the lab tackled were the pasteurized pickles—dill, bread and butter, sweet, sour, gherkin, kosher—the ones that pretty much dominate the grocery store aisles. They found it took less than 1.2 minutes at 160°F (71°C) in brine at pH 4.1 to reach the 99.999 percent reduction level.

Then the scientists moved on to the acidified, shelf-stable pickled vegetables like peppers and okra, which do not undergo pasteurization because they would fall apart in the heat. These products are instead made safe through the combined bacteria-killing effects of low pH and high organic acid concentration.

Today, all U.S.-produced pickled vegetables—a multi-billion-dollar a year industry—are made following the standards set by the ARS Food Science Research Unit’s work.

This wasn’t the first time the lab revolutionized the pickle industry. For instance, John L. Etchells, the lab’s research leader from 1937 to 1975, improved the pickle fermentation process and reduced spoilage by such a significant amount that pickles became so much less expensive dill pickle slices became a standard accompaniment on hamburgers in restaurants everywhere, and today, they are 25 percent of the pickle market.

After the ARS Food Science Research Unit helped reduce the amount of spoilage in the pickle making business industry, pickles became so much less expensive that dill pickle slices became popular on burgers in restaurants everywhere.

Microwave Pasteurization: A New Industrial Process Producing High Quality and Safe Food

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Hongda Chen, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, on April 18, 2014 at 2:00 PM

A Washington State University-led research team member works on the prototype microwave assisted pasteurization system (MAPS) unit. MAPS allows packaged foods to be safely processed more quickly and at lower cost than conventional processes. Photo courtesy of Washington State University.

During the month of April we will take a closer look at USDA’s Groundbreaking Research for a Revitalized Rural America, highlighting ways USDA researchers are improving the lives of Americans in ways you might never imagine, like innovative ways to make food safer.

More than 90 percent of American households have microwave ovens where people heat their food, yet this same technology is seldom used for large-scale production in the food industry.

As home cooks know, microwave ovens do not excel at heating food evenly.  The lack of commercial-scale microwave processing technology is, in part, due to the challenge of designing equipment that is capable of pasteurization – heating all of the food evenly to a predetermined temperature for a certain length of time.  Pasteurization makes food safe to eat, by inactivating bacterial and viral pathogens that can make people sick.

Food safety is the top priority for the food industry and has long been one of the priority research areas for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).  With the help of a $5 million grant from NIFA, a team of scientists and engineers led by Washington State University (WSU) have developed an innovative, pilot-scale microwave assisted pasteurization system (MAPS) to rapidly and evenly heat packaged food products.  The team included University of Tennessee, North Carolina State University, the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center, and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service Eastern Regional Research Center.

The prototype is a 915 MHz microwave that processes foods that are both safe and of high quality.  Initial results show that the quality of microwave-pasteurized foods, such as mussels, shrimp, and tofu, is better than using conventional thermal processing methods.

An additional benefit to this technology is that microwave heating time is shorter than conventional thermal processing, and the shorter time means producing higher food quality at lower energy output and cost.

Food companies can now use MAPS to test a wide range of food products and adapt the technology to suit their needs. WSU anticipates licensing this technology to a start-up company, Food Chain Safety, for commercialization in the coming months.

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education, and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues that impact people’s daily lives and the nation’s future.  More information is available at www.nifa.usda.gov.

USDA Helps Develop Next Generation of Ag Scientists

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Ann Perry, USDA Agricultural Research Service Information Staff, on April 15, 2014 at 3:00 PM

ARS soil scientist Gary Bañuelos (left) with Ph.D. candidate Irvin Arroyo, who already has almost 20 years of scientific work with USDA on his resume, beginning with a scholarship to work at ARS’ San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, now in Parlier, California.

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 the USDA’s rich science and research portfolio.

During the month of April we will take a closer look at USDA’s Groundbreaking Research for a Revitalized Rural America, highlighting ways USDA researchers are improving the lives of Americans in ways you might never imagine, such as keeping our educational pipeline filled with the best and brightest future agricultural scientists.

So far, Irvin Arroyo has not strayed too far from the farming world. Growing up, he lived and worked with his parents at a 200-acre vineyard in Madera, California, where he tended the vines and harvested the grapes.

When Arroyo went to college at California State University, Fresno (CSU Fresno), he was given a scholarship to work at USDA’s San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Fresno as an intern.  The laboratory, now in Parlier, is part of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The scholarship had been established by CSU Fresno and ARS soil scientist Gary Bañuelos to foster minority student interest in science careers.

Arroyo finished his undergraduate degree in chemistry, and then was hired by Bañuelos as a full-time technician.  As an environmental chemist, he supervised the inorganic chemistry lab, operated and maintained analytical instrumentation, and conducted soil contaminant studies.  He also assisted Bañuelos in field studies of saline soil remediation, food crop biofortification, and the evaluation of seed crops for biofuel production. Working with scientists, local farmers, and growers allowed the technician to expand his real-world understanding about the diverse agricultural issues affecting producers in the San Joaquin Valley.

Arroyo continued his education and completed a master’s degree in chemistry. Now, thanks to support from the California State University Water Resources and Policy Initiative and USDA, Arroyo is in the Ph.D. program in Environmental Systems at the University of California, Merced, where he’s studying soil salinity in the San Joaquin Valley.

His work includes research on groundwater remediation, salinity management, and the use of environmental sensors to boost marginal soil productivity.  This important work might not be possible without USDA-provided support for students at universities that have been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

Arroyo is also continuing his work in the ARS laboratory. And despite having almost 20 years with USDA on his resume, he would like to continue his research—and his work to help farmers protect and improve soil quality in the San Joaquin Valley—with USDA after his doctorate is completed.

Bañuelos continues to enthusiastically support Arroyo’s studies and goals.  “Irvin already enhances the quality of our investigations on developing plant-based systems for poor quality soils and waters,” the ARS researcher says.  “And eventually he will represent the new generation of ARS scientists in USDA.”

USDA Researchers Go High-Tech to View Tiny Organisms

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Jan Suszkiw, USDA Agricultural Research Service Information Staff, on April 8, 2014 at 2:00 PM

Under the microscope: a worm-like mite species Osperalycus tenerphagus

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 the USDA’s rich science and research portfolio.

During the month of April we will take a closer look at USDA’s Groundbreaking Research for a Revitalized Rural America, highlighting ways USDA researchers are improving the lives of Americans in ways you might never imagine.

“Seeing the unseen” may sound like a science fiction movie theme, but it’s actually the real-life mission of USDA scientists who use special high-powered microscopes to view microscopic organisms that play a big role in agriculture.

The facility where these scientists produce the images of the unseen world–from fungal spores to plant cells–is called the Electron and Confocal Microscopy Unit (ECMU) and it’s operated in Beltsville, Md., by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

Researchers often request the images to aid them in their studies, and to illustrate papers, posters and grant proposals. Outside research organizations have also sought out the expertise of ECMU director Gary Bauchan and his colleagues in producing the images, as well as the skill with which they ensure the integrity of specimens and samples submitted to them.

In December 2013, for example, Ohio State University (OSU) doctoral student Samuel Bolton finished a 12-month assignment working with Bauchan and ARS entomologist Ron Ochoa to identify and describe a new, worm-like species of mite belonging to the family Nematalycidae.

The mite, dubbed Osperalycus tenerphagus, “is the first species of this weird family to be described in over 40 years,” said Bolton, who studies mite systematics under the guidance of OSU professor Hans Klompen in Columbus, Ohio.

Bolton literally dug up the species while excavating loam soil across the street from OSU’s Museum of Biological Diversity. This was unusual because mites in the Nematalycidae family are mostly found in sandy habitats (dunes, beaches, desert soils).

Because the mites were worm-like and very soft-bodied, the only method for viewing the creatures in their natural state was to freeze them and observe them frozen. Thus, before imaging, the mites were placed on small, copper plates and then plunged into liquid nitrogen at minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, the specimens were thinly coated in platinum and positioned on a cold stage at minus 202 degrees Fahrenheit within a low-temperature scanning electron microscope. There, they were imaged at magnifications of up to 30,000 times.

“We are confident we have by far and away the best images that have ever been captured of this strange looking mite,” says Bolton. He, Bauchan, Ochoa and Klompen have published their discovery in The Journal of Natural History.

Stopping a Winged Purveyor of Disease and Death

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Sandy Miller Hays, USDA-Agricultural Research Service Information Staff, on April 7, 2014 at 12:00 PM

The mosquito Aedes aegypti can spread several diseases as it travel from person to person. Only the females feed on blood. In this photo, the mosquito is just starting to feed on a person’s arm.

During the month of April we will take a closer look at USDA’s Groundbreaking Research for a Revitalized Rural America, highlighting ways USDA researchers are improving the lives of Americans in ways you might never imagine.  For example, researching mosquitoes that spread diseases that threaten human health worldwide.

Today is World Health Day, and this year’s theme is vector-borne diseases—those diseases spread by organisms like insects, ticks and snails.  Significant vector-borne diseases in the Americas include dengue fever, malaria, leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis and schistosomiasis.

One of the most egregious offenders is the mosquito, and the scientists of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are taking aim at this winged attacker with weapons ranging from traditional remedies to computer modeling and satellite images.

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a viral disease spread to livestock and humans via mosquito bites, and is a major threat in Africa and the Middle East. ARS scientists partnered with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and federal partners from NASA, CDC and the Department of Defense to form the Rift Valley Fever Outbreak Early-Warning Team to develop and transfer an early-warning system to detect and predict outbreaks of RVF.

The model is based on analyzing satellite images to detect when temperatures in the Pacific and Indian oceans elevate concurrently to produce widespread and heavy rainfall in Africa. The right conditions can give rise to major increases in the number and longevity of infected mosquitoes that spread the disease. Similar models can help predict outbreaks of malaria and dengue.

In October 2006, the model predicted that RVF would flare up within three months in sub-Saharan Africa, and warnings were sent to countries in harm’s way to allow them to step up surveillance and controls for disease-carrying insects. Additional warnings were issued from 2007-2010 in Sudan, Southern Africa and Madagascar months prior to the detection of RVF disease.

At a remote patrol base in Iraq, ARS scientist and U.S. Army entomologist Seth Britch applies a pesticide treatment to camouflage netting and shade cloth that will be suspended over outdoor eating and cooking areas and areas between dormitories. This treatment reduces populations of biting flies and mosquitoes by transferring lethal doses to the insects when they rest on the camouflage material.

In other work, ARS scientists have shown that compounds in the oil of seeds of Jatropha curcas—burned in homes in India—are effective mosquito repellents. They’ve also shown that a naturally occurring compound from pine oil seems to deter mosquito biting and repels two kinds of ticks.

Additionally, ARS scientists have evaluated treatments applied to uniforms to help protect military personnel against biting insects, and have helped the military evaluate spray equipment to combat insects that threaten the health of deployed soldiers.

These are just a few examples of the ways ARS scientists serve every day on the front lines in the battle against mosquitoes, ticks and other creatures that pose ongoing, serious threats to the health of the world’s population.

ARS agricultural engineer Clint Hoffmann evaluates a pesticide spray nozzle as ARS works to devise better ways of protecting military personnel from disease-transmitting insects like mosquitoes.

Secretary's Column: USDA Science You Can See

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, on April 4, 2014 at 12:00 PM

While most people have a mental image of research that involves scientists in lab coats, bubbling test tubes and beakers, and technical language that can seem complex, much of the groundbreaking research conducted by USDA scientists actually ends up on your plate, in your home, or on your back. Their discoveries in the lab truly translate into science you can see.

For example, many of us make a conscious effort to eat healthier and cut calories, but it can be tough when faced with a favorite snack, like French fries. USDA scientists have figured out a way to make French fries healthier. Before frying, scientists exposed potato strips to a few minutes of infrared heat. This forms a crispy outer shell on the outside of the fries, which helps to reduce their oil uptake and ultimately reduces calories per serving. If adopted commercially, this method is great news for both food processors and our waistlines.

Or maybe you’re a healthy snack lover and looking for a way to make your snacks pack an even healthier punch. USDA scientists have found a way to add oat fiber to yogurt without affecting its flavor or texture. Yogurt is already a pretty healthy snack, and adding addition fiber can only help—studies have indicated that oat fiber can help to improve heart health.

If you are lactose-intolerant, you may use Lactaid™ so you can still enjoy dairy products. USDA scientists helped to develop the basis for that product, too. USDA scientists also conducted the core research behind ChoiceBatter, a gluten-free rice flour batter that is now being marketed and sold by CrispTek, LLC.

For those who’ve ever woken up late before a big work meeting, USDA scientists have got your back here, too. They helped to develop cotton fabric that is wrinkle-free and fire-resistant.

If you’re a cat person, you may someday see USDA science impact your pet. USDA scientists have developed a kitty litter product that’s nearly 100 percent biodegradable and made from spent grains, often referred to as dried distiller’s grains (DDGs), leftover from the process of making corn ethanol. DDGs are often used as cattle feed, but this new product may provide a higher-value market for the tons of DDGs leftover after ethanol production.

And, to the delight of farmers and people with noses everywhere, USDA scientists are part of a team of researchers investigating ways to combat the brown marmorated stink bug, which in addition to having a distinct odor, can also cause serious damage to valuable agricultural crops.

These are just some of the ways that research conducted by USDA scientists and our partner research institutions touch your daily life. Beyond that, agricultural research also helps to boost the economy. Studies have shown that every dollar invested in agricultural research returns $20 to the economy. In the past five years alone, research by USDA scientists has led to award of 215 patents covering a wide range of topics and discoveries. One of our research agencies, the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), currently has 380 active licenses of ARS-developed technology that are supporting new businesses and job opportunities across the country.

The recently-signed 2014 Farm Bill will help to build on these accomplishments by establishing a new research foundation that leverages private sector funding to support groundbreaking agricultural research. You can follow our progress in implementing the new farm bill and establishing the research foundation at www.usda.gov/farmbill.

Thanks to the new Farm Bill, we can continue the vital research and innovation that have enhanced food safety and nutrition, made farming and ranching more efficient, and improved quality of life for millions of people in the United States and around the world.

USDA Research Tradition Going Strong in the 21st Century

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Sean Adams, USDA Agricultural Research Service Information Staff, on April 1, 2014 at 1:00 PM

USDA research can be found in many products that you’ve probably never realized.

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 the USDA’s rich science and research portfolio.

During the month of April we will take a closer look at USDA’s Groundbreaking Research for a Revitalized Rural America, highlighting ways USDA researchers are improving the lives of Americans in ways you might never imagine.

There are “game changers” in politics, sports, art, music and the like. So it should come as no surprise that there are game changers in agricultural research as well—discoveries that changed the way food is produced, and even created new industries to feed a growing world.

Last week’s seminar commemorating Norman Borlaug’s work to launch the Green Revolution is a great example of how a strong science foundation has helped ensure a steady food supply as the world’s population has grown.

USDA science has generated more than its share of groundbreaking research over the years.  Playing a key role in these research discoveries are the four major Research Utilization Centers that are now part of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Originally established in early 1940s for the purpose of finding new uses and markets for farm commodities, the Centers are located in Wyndmoor, Penn.; Peoria, Ill.; New Orleans, La.; and Albany, Calif.

At New Orleans, for example, scientists gave a shot in the arm to the cotton industry by developing cotton fabric that was wrinkle-free and fire-resistant.  At Albany, researchers worked out the appropriate times, temperatures, and other factors for freezing fruits and vegetables to help jump-start the frozen food industry.

If you enjoy milk but are lactose-intolerant, you may use Lactaid™ so you can still enjoy dairy products. Scientists at Wyndmoor established the basis for that product and many other dairy-related technologies.  Researchers at Peoria found a way to mass-produce penicillin, saving many lives as a result. Over the next few years, the four utilization centers will be celebrating 75 years of research excellence that continues going strong.

Some recent examples of products stemming from ARS studies:  ChoiceBatter, a gluten-free rice flour batter that is now being marketed and sold by CrispTek, LLC; a new vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease, a foreign disease that could devastate the livestock industry if an outbreak occurred in the United States; and the Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which changed how consumers and the plant industry access this information.

We will be discussing other groundbreaking research accomplishments not only from ARS, but other USDA agencies in USDA’s throughout this month.  These examples of Groundbreaking Research for a Revitalized Rural America underscore the critical role that USDA scientists play in discovering game-changing research to solve agricultural problems. These discoveries not only benefit the American public, but people around the world.

USDA research impacts each of us every day.

Stop Stink Bug Project

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Sharon Durham, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, on September 13, 2013 at 12:00 PM

The brown marmorated stink bug, a winged pest from Asia that is eating crops and infesting U.S. homes. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are launching a campaign to ask volunteers to count the number of stink bugs in their homes. USDA-ARS photo by Stephen Ausmus.

Calling all insect enthusiasts and frustrated gardeners!  USDA scientists need your help in documenting Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs (BMSB) in your home. Beginning September 15^th through October 15^th, we’re asking citizens across the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States to record daily counts of this pest on the exterior of their homes, along with their location and the time of each count. While USDA scientists are focusing on the Mid-Atlantic region, any data they can get from other U.S. regions would also be helpful to their research.

The quest to find out just how many stink bugs there are, and how they behave, is the brainchild of a consortium of researchers from USDA, the University of Maryland, Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers University, Virginia Tech, the Northeastern IPM Center, Oregon State University, North Carolina State University, Cornell University, the University of Delaware and Washington State University. This project is represented on the website, “Stop BMSB (www.stopbmsb.org),” which was launched in 2011.

The project involves more than 50 scientists who are investigating the impact BMSB have on grapes, orchard crops, small fruits, ornamental crops and vegetables, as well as ways to prevent or minimize the pest’s impact. BMSB have been found in 40 states and have caused the most damage in the Mid-Atlantic region. The value of at-risk crops where BMSB have been established or identified exceeds $21 billon.

Because landscape features such as woodlands, structures, roads and different land use types affect the spread of the insects, it is important to collect data related to BMSB locations. BMSB survive cold winter temperatures near farmland in homes, office buildings and warehouses.

Scientists are just beginning to understand how landscape features will be a key component in combating stink bugs. Volunteers willing to count their stink bugs can contact USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) entomologists Tracy Leskey (tracy.leskey@ars.usda.gov), Doo-Hyung Lee or Torri Hancock at (304) 725-3451, at the ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory in Kearneysville, West Virginia.

Participant forms to record BMSB counts can be printed by going to http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/19310505/BMSB%20Citizen%20Scientist%20Particip

A New World-Old World Problem and How Genetic "Fingerprints" May Help

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Dennis O’Brien, Agricultural Research Service, on September 3, 2013 at 11:00 AM

ARS scientists and NIFA-funded researchers work to improve the tools and processes to develop better grapes and grapevines. Their discoveries will make it easier for grape breeders to identify vines that combine the most desirable traits.

This post is part of the Science Today feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio.

When it comes to grapes, there’s a New World-Old World dichotomy. Grapevines originating in the Americas (e.g. Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia) can resist pests and diseases, but they generally don’t have the taste or aroma of grapes with European origins (Vitis vinifera).  But European grapes are more susceptible to pests and disease.

Grape breeders try to combine the best of both worlds, but here’s the problem: if you cross one grape with another, there is no guarantee your progeny will inherit the desirable traits. And because it takes so much time to grow a grapevine, produce grapes from those vines, and for those grapes to be evaluated, bringing a new grape to market can take 20 years or more. Scientists can speed things up by identifying genes that give grapes the right blend of the best characteristics. Identifying the genes will tell you the characteristics of the vine without having to wait for it to grow.

VitisGen, a project partially funded by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative, is helping scientists pick up the pace. The $9 million project, which is supported with matching grants from the grape industry, brings together scientists from 11 research institutions across the United States. They’re focused on improving the tools and processes used in traditional breeding. As part of the project, scientists at Cornell University, South Dakota State University and the USDA Agricultural Research Service operate three “Phenotyping Centers,” where breeders can send vine samples for laboratory evaluations and genetic analyses. Breeders usually send samples from “families” of 100 to 200 vines, and each center is equipped to screen one of three key traits: fruit quality, cold tolerance or resistance to powdery mildew.

The project started in 2011 and is slated to run until 2016. In its first two years, scientists have created the largest genetic database for any specialty crop in the United States, according to Lance Cadle-Davidson, the USDA-ARS scientist who helps oversee the effort.  They have developed genetic fingerprints of 8,000 grapevines, identified 1.2 million DNA markers and discovered linkages between these markers and the traits. These discoveries make it faster and easier for breeders to identify vines combining the most desirable traits.

Farmers in Alabama Reach More Customers with Electronic Benefit Transfer

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USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Erin Swanson-Hall, Southeast Region Deputy Regional Administrator and Aaron Wiley, Southeast Region Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, on August 9, 2013 at 1:07 PM

Bartenfelder Farms at Baltimore’s Farmers Market and Bazaar in Baltimore, MD. Vendors now accept Baltimore Farmers Market and Bazaar tokens, thanks to the new wireless connected electronic card reader that accepts the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Nutrition Service’s (FNS) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, Baltimore Bucks, and debit cards. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

What Agriculture Under Secretary Concannon calls a win-win situation, is taking root in rural Alabama with help from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and state officials.  Local farmers’ markets are getting authorized to accept Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards which will allow them to expand their customer base and offer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants healthy and local produce.

With federal grant money provided to states through September 30, 2013, eligible farmers’ markets and now direct marketing farmers are receiving free wireless point-of-sale (POS) devices. As part of the Food and Nutrition Service’s (FNS) StrikeForce efforts to reach out to communities in persistent poverty stricken areas, its Southeast Regional Office recently offered three farmers’ market sign-up days in Madison, Selma, and Robertsdale, Alabama.

Sign-up days were a collaborative effort between FNS, the Alabama Farmers Market Authority and the Alabama Department of Human Resources, with a primary goal to serve as a one-stop shop for farmers in StrikeForce counties. FNS staff was on hand to provide one-on-one assistance to farmers with electronic applications. FNS approved markets, and EBT providers approved applications for POS devices onsite.

We’re pleased to report that efforts resulted in 40 farmers now authorized and plus seven pending to accept SNAP EBT. Alabama will soon have more than 100 farmers’ markets and direct marketing farmers that accept SNAP EBT. That means much more access to fresh fruits and vegetables for SNAP clients in the State. Before, Alabama had 60 SNAP EBT approved farmers markets and direct marketing farmers—that’s a 70 percent increase!

All of the markets hope to have their devices in a few weeks so they can begin accepting SNAP benefits. The list of authorized farmers’ markets and direct marketing farmers will be shared with the Alabama Department of Human Resources’ county office directors to help spread the word to Alabama SNAP participants of the new locations they’ll have to purchase fresh produce.

Secretary's Column: Celebrating America's Farmers Markets

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, on August 9, 2013 at 12:30 PM

Over the first week of August, local markets across the country celebrated National Farmers Market Week.

Farmers markets are an important part of America’s diverse agriculture sector, providing unique benefits to communities across our nation. They give Americans a chance to learn about agriculture by meeting some of the people who grow and raise our food. They provide valuable marketing opportunities for small and beginning farmers – many of whom scale up to larger regional markets and other institutions.  And they help expand access to locally-grown foods that are in greater demand than ever before.

We have seen incredible growth in the number of farmers markets over the past few years. Today, according to USDA’s National Farmers Market Directory, more than 8,100 local markets are in operation – up from about 5,000 markets just a few years ago.

Sales of local foods have skyrocketed along with the popularity of farmers markets. In 2005, local food sales totaled about $1 billion across the nation. Last year, according to industry estimates, sales of local foods totaled nearly $7 billion.

At USDA, we believe that strengthening local and regional food systems, including farmers markets, will be a cornerstone of a revitalized rural economy.

Under the Obama Administration, USDA has helped nearly 450 farmers market and other direct-marketing projects in every state, under our Farmers Market Promotion Program. We’ve also supported nearly 300 projects to help farmers develop and sell new, value-added products through our Value-Added Producer Grants program.

We have helped increase the number of markets that accept EBT technology – which allows folks to use nutrition assistance benefits to buy fresh, farmers market produce – by nearly 100 percent in the last two years.

And to be sure American agriculture is ready to meet the growing demand for local products, we’ve helped thousands of small producers to get started and keep growing.

We want to continue these efforts – and to do so, USDA continues to urge Congress to pass a comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill.  This would expand USDA support for local and regional marketing opportunities, including farmers markets, around the country.

This week we joined folks around the country in celebrating our nation’s thousands of farmers markets. More Americans than ever have a thriving farmers market in their city or town – and by providing support to grow and strengthen these markets, we can create even more opportunity for American agriculture.