Latest U.S. Department of Agriculture Stories
WASHINGTON, May 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced that the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island are free from the invasive Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). USDA remains focused on carrying out its mission, despite a time of significant budget uncertainty. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130514/CL13559LOGO ) "The mission to eradicate this destructive...
WASHINGTON, April 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A letter issued by the National Rural Housing Coalition accuses the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of seeking to eliminate successful Rural Development programs, including those that help low-income rural families access affordable housing and grants that help small rural communities provide potable water and wastewater systems to residents. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130415/PH94084LOGO ) There is ample evidence that...
A study suggests that states with stricter school meal nutrition standards were associated with better weight status among students who received free or reduced-price lunches compared with students who did not eat school lunches, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) was started in 1946 to improve student nutrition by providing school lunches according to standards sets by the U.S. Department of...
Nine economic development organizations from across the country comprise the Agricultural Technology Innovation Partnership Foundation ARLINGTON, Texas, April 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nine technology-based economic development organizations from across the United States have joined forces to form the Agricultural Technology Innovation Partnership (ATIP) Foundation, which will facilitate public-private research and technology licensing partnerships, and promote...
The pale cyst nematode, Globodera pallida, is one bad roundworm. Unchecked, the pest burrows into potato roots to feed, obstructing nutrients and causing stunted growth, wilted leaves and other symptoms that can eventually kill the plant. Severe infestations can cause tuber yield losses of up to 80 percent. Now, however, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and cooperating scientists are evaluating new ways to control G. pallida using naturally occurring chemicals called egg-hatching...
UNFI Foundation provides grant for arsenic and rice research WASHINGTON, March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Organic Center has signed an agreement with U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) for ARS scientists to conduct targeted research on the factors affecting the presence of arsenic in organically grown rice. Making this research possible is a $50,000 grant to The Organic Center from the newly formed UNFI Foundation. The Center,...
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Learning more about the behavior of bed bugs is one approach being used by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists to identify compounds to help control these pests. The resurgence of bed bugs over the last decade has caused problems in major U.S. cities where they infest homes, apartments, hotels, shelters and even places of work. The small, blood-feeding insects are not known to transmit diseases, but they can cause severe reactions in...
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) With help from a wind tunnel and the latest DNA technology, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are shedding light on the travel patterns of microbes in soils carried off by strong winds. The work has implications for soil health and could lead to management practices that minimize the damage to soils caused by wind erosion. Wind erosion is an emerging issue in soil conservation efforts. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists...
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation applauds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today, in the release of the proposed national nutrition standards for snack foods and beverages sold in school as result of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (PRWEB) February 01, 2013 The Alliance for a Healthier Generation applauds the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today, in the release of the proposed national nutrition standards for snack foods and beverages sold in school as...
WASHINGTON, Feb 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jessica Donze Black, director of the Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project, issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s proposed nutrition standards for snack foods and beverages sold in U.S. schools. The guidance represents the first update of the rules in more than 30 years. "We applaud USDA for taking this important step to ensure that all foods and beverages sold in schools, including...
