A Year of Promise for American Agriculture

From USDA:

Posted by Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden, on December 19, 2014 at 2:00 PM

It’s not hard to list our accomplishments here at USDA: After all, our progress on the much anticipated 2014 Farm Bill has been lauded as “the most successful Farm Bill implementation.” We also launched a website for New Farmers and started a conversation with women in agriculture that will continue to grow for many years to come.

What is sometimes less obvious is the people whose lives these programs and initiatives impact. So, to wrap up the year, I wanted to share a few of my most cherished memories from my first year as Deputy Secretary.

1. This year, I was honored when Secretary Vilsack asked me to lead the team of USDA employees charged with implementing the Farm Bill and especially excited to work on provisions that impact veterans. I was also proud to announce last month that Karis Gutter will be USDA’s military liaison, a position created by the Farm Bill based on the strong demand for veterans to get into farming. Karis will be instrumental in helping people like disabled veteran and outdoorsman Jason Seaton of East Tennessee achieve his dream of bringing wildlife back to his farm.

2. Farming is a tough business especially when you did not grow up on the farm, but that didn’t stop Pam Schreiber from building her own diversified agricultural business, all while raising her three children. I had the privilege of meeting Pam last winter. Now the owner of Eight Mile Creek Farm in upstate New York, Pam produces more than 30 different kinds of fruits and vegetables, certified organic grass-fed beef, pork, and heritage chicken, as well as cage-free organic eggs. To help people like Pam find information and resources to help them get started, this year we launched www.usda.gov/newfarmers.

3. This past summer, I had the honor of traveling with the first-ever, all-female congressional delegation to Africa to focus on empowering women around the world through agriculture. I met a wonderful young woman named Yetemwork Tilahun who is working with USDA’s Feed Enhancement for Ethiopian Development project to boost milk production on her dairy farm through better feeding practices and farm management. Around the world, USDA is building strong communities and giving farmers the resources they need to do what they love.

4. This year also brought about a new discussion on women’s evolving role in agriculture and what lies ahead. At the White House, I gathered with women from different agricultural backgrounds to discuss ways to inspire the next generation of women leaders.

One woman in particular, Kate Danner, a young farmer in Illinois, is already thinking about what is going to happen to her family’s operation over the next 20 years. After completing her college degree, Kate worked up an innovative business plan for her family farm alongside her father. For the first five years of this plan, Kate works for her father. For the next five years, Kate and her father are joint partners. And for the final five years before full transition, Kate’s father works for her. This young woman continues to trail blaze in what has commonly been a very difficult conversation for parents and their children to have about succession planning.

5. This summer, the White House chose 17 individuals that represent the future of agriculture to honor at a Champions of Change event. Coming from both rural and urban backgrounds, these champions showcased the passion that is evident across all areas of the agriculture industry. For instance, Pierre Sleiman of California took his passion for science and technology and started a hydroponics business, while Fabiola Nizigiyimana started her agriculture career in the United States as a refugee.

I wish I could share the stories of every single person I met this year. Each one of them exemplifies the very best of agriculture and rural America. I am proud of all that USDA has accomplished in 2014, and look forward to seeing new faces and hearing more incredible stories in 2015.

Principles, Requirements and Guidelines - An Important Update that will benefit USDA Clients

From USDA:

Posted by Under Secretary Robert Bonnie, on December 18, 2014 at 1:00 PM

When you take a drink of water in this country, chances are pretty good that it came from a reservoir or river that is managed, or that has been treated in a plant funded with support from the Federal government, or whose headwaters are on public land managed by the United States Forest Service or Department of Interior.  Every dollar the federal government spends supporting water quality and quantity impacts millions of Americans.  Interagency guidelines governing how investments, programs, and policies that affect water resources are evaluated at the Federal level have been updated for the first time since 1983, and published by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).

Given the importance of water to USDA programs and our customers, we understand that it makes sense to have the most complete and forward-thinking information available to inform our investment and implementation decisions.  That enhances our ability to develop programs and projects that conserve water resources while ensuring taxpayer dollars are well spent.  USDA is confident that these new guidelines can enhance our decision-making without adversely affecting how we implement our many conservation programs.

For more than 30 years, USDA has successfully used the 1983 guidelines to evaluate water projects.  USDA also understands the benefits to updating criteria to include consideration of additional objectives such as climate resiliency and environmental justice.

The new updated guidelines direct departments, including USDA, to fully consider how water resources investments impact the economy, environment, and society; and avoid conflicts and project delays by including local input at the front end of the planning process.  Goals include:

• Enhance Good Government: Enable evaluation of a broader range of long term costs and benefits which will lead to better investment of the taxpayer dollar;
• Problem Solve Early: Promote greater collaboration among Federal partners, States, Tribes and local governments;
• Give Voice to Communities: Allow for consideration of projects that reflect a broader range of economic development;
• Expedite Infrastructure Development: Improve Federal permitting and review of Infrastructure;
• Modernize Project Development: Ensure that Federal investments will protect and restore the environment, reinforce the social fabric of communities, and improve the economic well-being of communities that depend on our water.

In most cases, USDA already performs review processes similar to those being announced.  In those cases, there will be no change to USDA procedures. For example, existing processes such as the Forest Service Planning Rule, and the Farm Bill conservation program eligibility and authorities are “equivalent pathways” for the PR&G, thereby enabling many USDA programs to rely on existing processes to meet the intent of the updated guidelines. In other cases, USDA has worked with the Council of Environmental Quality to streamline implementation of the PR&G.

We have listened to, and will continue to listen to stakeholders as these guidelines are put into place. These provisions do not apply to research, regulatory actions or emergency assistance to producers or communities.  They also carry a “high dollar threshold,” meaning many smaller projects will be exempt. All in all, we expect the PR&G to improve our systems with little impact on participating partners (and in fact, no impact whatsoever on many of our projects).

Moving forward, USDA agencies will prepare agency specific guidelines for implementation of the PR&G. We will continue to work with our stakeholders during the period leading up to implementation.

For more information on the PR&G, the process and past steps, please visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/PandG/

To review all public comments for both the P&R and IG, please visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/pandg/comments

White House Champions of Change for the Future of American Agriculture

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden, on April 16, 2014 at 4:00 PM

In the field of agriculture, we have a very important question to ask ourselves: who will the next generation of farmers and ranchers be?

For more than three decades, the share of farms operated by beginning farmers has been in decline.  Beginning farms and ranches accounted for 22 percent of the nation’s 2 million family farms and ranches in 2012—down from about 35 percent in 1982. Consistent with this trend, the average age of principal farm operators in the United States has risen in that period, from 51 to 58.

Since day one, the Obama Administration has supported opportunities for people who want to work the land and produce food, fuel, and fiber for our country. The Administration continues to make these critical investments because of the great innovation and promise that agriculture holds.

The White House will be hosting a Champions of Change event to celebrate local agriculture leaders who are taking innovative approaches to support American farming and ranching—both now and in the future.  These leaders will be invited to the White House to celebrate their accomplishments and showcase their actions to support the future of agriculture.

Today, we’re asking you to help us identify these standout local leaders by nominating a Champion of Change for the New Generation of American Agriculture by noon on Friday, April 18. These Champions may be:

• Beginning farmers and ranchers using innovative practices and techniques to create productive and sustainable farms and ranches that will feed people at home and abroad long into the future.
• Producers, foresters, small-business owners, and scientists using Farm Bill programs to drive agricultural productivity and economic competitiveness.
• Local leaders that are working to build new opportunities for those who want to work on the land, create innovation in the field of agriculture, support diversity in agriculture, and connect a new generation to their food, fiber, fuel, and agricultural neighbors.

Click on the link below to submit your nomination (be sure to choose “Future of American Agriculture” in the “Theme of Service” field of the nomination form).

Nominate a Champion of Change for the Future of American Agriculture

We look forward to hosting this event at the White House this spring, highlighting the great work of our nation’s agriculture leaders. Thank you for your dedication to American agriculture and the overall wellbeing of our rural communities.

"Safety Datapalooza" Brings More Usability of FSIS Salmonella Data

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Megan Buckles, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, on April 15, 2014 at 10:00 AM

On Jan. 14, 2014, nearly 400 people participated in the second annual “Safety Datapalooza” at USDA headquarters.  The event, hosted by the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy and Office of Public Engagement, U.S. Department of Transportation and USDA, recognized innovators from the private, nonprofit and academic sectors who have freely used available government data to build products, services and apps that advance public safety in creative and powerful ways.

During a breakout session, Christopher Alvares, Director of FSIS’ Data Analysis and Integration Staff, explained the agency’s recently released Salmonella Action Plan and testing programs aimed at reducing the number of illnesses associated with FSIS-regulated products using new standards, strategies and innovation.  “FSIS produces regular reports on Salmonella contamination in regulated product, but the data had never been available in machine-readable format or in a single place,” said Alvares.  Up until now, this data had been available only from report to report spanning many years.  Today, this data is available as one source and in one place.

After the Safety Datapalooza, FSIS wanted to encourage the spirit of innovation and reinforce its commitment to maintaining transparency by posting the FSIS Quarterly Salmonella and Campylobacter Summary dataset on Data.gov. The data comes from FSIS’ Quarterly Salmonella Reports going back to 2006 and lists the numbers of samples tested and the percentage that tested positive. The samples come from routine verification sampling programs conducted by FSIS and are collected by FSIS inspectors at federally inspected meat and poultry establishments and tested at FSIS testing laboratories.

FSIS is dedicated to transparency and reducing Salmonella as seen by the Salmonella Action Plan.  “One of the agency’s goals, as stated in our Strategic Data Analysis Plan, is to improve the accessibility and usability of FSIS data. We wanted to know what the public could do with the data to help prevent illnesses and what other data may be needed for better mashups and results,” said Alvares.

The release of this data builds upon the Safety Data Initiative launched by the White House in May 2012.  This initiative aims to make government data relating to every aspect of public and product safety, from crime to roadway safety to food safety, more accessible, as well as encourage the development of innovative apps and services fueled by those data to empower Americans with the information and tools to make smarter, safer choices.

For more information about Salmonella and the Salmonella Action Plan, visit the FSIS Salmonella and Salmonellosis website.

Iowa Veteran, Farmer and Local-Foods Advocate Recognized by White House as a "Champion of Change"

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Bill Menner, USDA Rural Development State Director in Iowa, on April 10, 2014 at 11:45 AM

Sonia Kendrick of Cedar Rapids, IA. Leader. Veteran. Champion of Change.

Sonia Kendrick, who founded Feed Iowa First, a non-profit organization in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was among a small group of local leaders across the nation recognized by the White House recently as “Women Veteran Leader Champions of Change.” The event on March 25 honored women veterans, highlighting their incredible contributions to the country’s business, public and community-service sectors.

Kendrick served in Afghanistan and upon her return was drawn to fighting hunger issues in Iowa through locally-grown food.  By identifying available land around churches and other sites in the Cedar Rapids area and securing access to it, she and other volunteers have grown, harvested and donated thousands of pounds of fresh produce to local food pantries and the Meals on Wheels program.

Working closely with USDA Farm Service Agency Iowa State Executive Director John Whitaker and others, Kendrick has created a platform that not only provides access to fresh, health and locally-grown food but creates an opportunity for returning veterans.  She has found a great interest in farming among her fellow veterans and engagement with Feed Iowa First is providing experiences that may lead them to a relationship with USDA.

“Through Feed Iowa First, Kendrick has offered other veterans and refugees the opportunity to gain valuable farming knowledge which will help them be successful in their future farming operations,” Whitaker said. “Sonia has played an integral role in educating new farmers about the many FSA loan programs designed to assist them to get started on their own.”

Kendrick works tirelessly to build partnerships, find new alliances, and spread her vision for veterans helping to feed the hungry.  She is active in the Iowa Farmer Veteran Coalition and serves as a liaison between that organization and veterans looking at a future in agriculture.

Kendrick estimates it will take 500 acres to provide adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables to the 25,000 people hungry in Linn County in eastern Iowa. Her research indicates 800 acres of underutilized land is owned by churches in Cedar Rapids, Marion and Hiawatha alone.

“What Feed Iowa First is doing in rural and urban areas is really taking off,” Whitaker added. “Just look around at the explosion of farmers markets, the explosion of local and regional food systems and the number of folks who want that type of food.”

Kendrick is the first to admit farming is hard work. She believes that if anyone has farming in their heart, that doors should be open to allow them to farm.

Indeed, new doors are opening thanks to Feed Iowa First.

Coming Together to Improve Human Nutrition

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Isabel Walls, Senior Advisor, Food Safety, Nutrition and Health, on April 1, 2014 at 3:00 PM

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. For example, USDA research into behavioral economics as part of nutrition research to improve diet and health.

We’ve heard it all before: you are what you eat.  We’re fueled by what we consume, so it’s important to provide our bodies with nutritious food.  That’s why the agencies within USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area brought together some of the brightest minds at the Federal Government Nutrition Research Workshop last month. USDA Scientists joined forces with scientists and policy makers from other USDA agencies, Health and Human Services agencies, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the U.S. Agency for International Development to discuss the importance of nutrition research.

Despite the snowy weather, Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for REE Cathie Woteki kicked off the conference of eager participants.  Through a series of short talks and discussion, the group shared information on key topics affecting the diet and health of Americans.

A major emphasis is to investigate how Federal dietary guidelines can promote health, and reduce the risk of chronic disease and obesity. REE research is using cutting edge techniques to study this challenge. The research findings will help us understand individual responses to nutrition, for example, why some people lose weight faster than others on the same diet.  This will help develop new education strategies for improving diet and health.

Good eating habits are challenging for most of us.  So, the meeting participants paid close attention to the role of behavioral economic strategies in improving consumer choices for healthy foods.  And for young people, the decision may be even more difficult.  For example, how do we encourage children to choose healthy lunch options rather than eating candy from a snack machine?  Our research suggests that making healthier foods more visible and accessible to kids, having shorter lines/faster service for healthier choices and giving catchy names like “Rockin Broccoli” can all help encourage kids to eat more healthy foods.

Interagency working groups will continue the discussions started at the conference and improve collaborations among US Government Scientists.  “It was a wonderful opportunity to exchange information and plan for future collaboration,” noted Cheryl Jackson Lewis from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service.

Healthy Lunchtime Challenge Recipe Contest

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Donna Johnson-Bailey, Outreach and Social Media, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, on March 28, 2014 at 10:00 AM

Young chefs prepare food with First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary Vilsack.

Who will represent your state at the 3^rd Annual White House Kids’ State Dinner?  It could be your child showing off his or her creativity and culinary talents in front of the First Lady and people from around the country.  First Lady Michelle Obama, the USDA, the U.S. Department of Education, and Epicurious have once again teamed up for the third annual Healthy Lunchtime Challenge recipe contest.

Children ages 8 – 12 years old are invited to submit an original lunch recipe inspired by MyPlate. Young chefs can win the chance to attend the Kids’ “State Dinner” hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House in Washington, D.C.  The invited guests will include the Lunchtime Challenge winners and their parents from every state!

Kids and their parents know that eating a healthy lunch is critical to making the grade at school, but it takes a little imagination to create something delicious and nutritious.  Ask the kids in your life to share a healthy recipe and inspire others.  Recipes should be:

• Healthy – Veggies and fruits should make up half of your recipe, and be sure to also include low-fat dairy, whole grains, and lean protein
• Delicious – Keep it fresh, simple, and yummy
• Original – We want your own creative dish, not one from a published source
• Affordable – No fancy ingredients needed
• Meaningful – Tell us the story of how you came to make this dish

Young chefs can be role models for their peers, their families, and all Americans.  To learn more about this amazing opportunity and to enter the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, visit: http://www.recipechallenge.epicurious.com/. Entries must be received by April 5, 2014 for a chance to win!

Spread the word!  You and your child could win a trip to Washington, D.C. and represent your state at the Kids’ State Dinner at the White House.

Celebrate 30 Delicious, Kid-Approved Recipes during National Nutrition Month

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Jessica Milteer, Writer, FNS, USDA, on March 26, 2014 at 2:00 PM

The Mediterranean Quinoa Salad won second place in the grains category. Photo by Jeanne S., Lauren M., Jeanne G. and Rodney P. from Bellingham Public Schools, Bellingham, MA.

For much of the nation, the long winter has presented a great opportunity to gather in the kitchen and cook up a new dish with the family. In the spirit of National Nutrition Month, USDA has recently released new cookbooks that feature 30 delicious, kid-approved recipes. The offerings represent the top picks from the Recipes for Healthy Kids Competition where teams of students, teachers, community members and chefs competed to create dishes that could be incorporated into school lunch menus.

Inspired by the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative, the Competition kicked off on September 7, 2010 at the start of the school year.  The Competition supported historic improvements made to school meals made possible by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 and the aggressive goals set by the White House for the HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC).

Schools must now meet updated standards that include more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and right-sized portions. All along, we knew that in order to truly inspire kids to make healthier choices, the meals couldn’t just be nutritious – they had to be tasty as well. The resulting recipes meet requirement to increase consumption of whole grains, dark green and red/orange vegetables, and beans/peas (legumes).

The dishes the competing teams came up with were so good, we decided to put them all together and make cookbooks for home, schools and child care centers. With dishes like Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, Crunchy, Hawaiian Chicken Wrap and Fiesta Mexican Lasagna, the teams proved you don’t have to sacrifice taste when making a nutritious and filling meal.

The Recipes for Healthy Kids: Cookbook for Homes provides downloadable recipes for six servings. Or, if you’re interested in feeding a larger crowd, the Recipes for Healthy Kids: Cookbooks for Child Care Centers and Schools provides recipes that yield 25, 50 and even 100 servings!

Cooking together is a great way to teach kids about the importance of nutrition and plays an essential role in securing a healthier next generation!