USDA Blog

“I had a plan, or maybe it was more of a dream,” said Brad Fourby, Navy veteran and owner of Leafy Green Farms. “The moment I saw a shipping container farm is how the idea for my farm started.” Leafy Green Farms is in southeast Kansas, where the population is 20,000 — a big difference from Brad’s...

Imagine you are 18 years old, from a rural town, and figuring out your next steps. You want opportunities to learn, meet new people, and travel the world.

“We measure success one student at a time,” said John Phillips, chief of staff at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), an organization dedicated to improving educational opportunities at 37 Tribal colleges and universities throughout the United States. AIHEC plays a vital role in...

A recent USDA 2501 grant is supporting Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA), which has provided more than 750,000 hours of on-farm training and related coursework in managed grazing dairy production to hundreds of aspiring dairy farmers nationwide. Initially established in 2010 as a state-level...

Joe Ricker, a man of many titles including colonel, veterans outreach coordinator, nonprofit founder, farm owner, consultant and beekeeper, has consistently dedicated himself to helping service members thrive. His collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been a key factor in...

Vast flatland, fertile soil and endless prairie make up USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s (NASS) Northern Plains Region, which is comprised of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, this region is known for its cattle and calf...

To mark Co-op month, we honor James Wadsworth, the USDA Cooperative Services Branch Chief. Jim has been the caretaker of the Agricultural Cooperative Statistics program, which provides aggregated data on and to the agricultural co-op community. This time series is 100 years old and allows...

National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 to October 15, is a time to celebrate the rich history, cultural diversity, and contributions from Hispanic communities. USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area is home to over 8,000 of the world’s best and brightest minds in...

When Congress enacted the Cooperative Marketing Act of 1926, it directed the USDA to create a range of federal services in support of producer-owned cooperatives. For nearly 100 years, USDA has gathered statistics, conducted research, provided education, and offered cooperative development to...

Marco Antonio Alcantar Alvarez, a rising sophomore at California State University majoring in graphic design, was one of 14 students selected for an internship over the summer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) High School Equivalency Program (HEP)/College Assistance Migrant Program...