Latest U.S. Department of Agriculture Stories

By Ann Perry, ARSStudies by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have confirmed that the presence of Escherichia coli pathogens in surface waters could result from the pathogen's ability to survive for months in underwater sediments. Most E. coli strains don't cause illness, but they are indicator organisms used by water quality managers to estimate fecal contamination.These findings, which can help pinpoint potential sources of water contamination, support the USDA priorities of...

Compounds in blueberries might turn out to have a powerful effect on formation of strong, healthy bones, if results from studies with laboratory rats turn out to hold true for humans.Jin-Ran Chen and his colleagues are exploring this idea in research funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) at the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (ACNC) in Little Rock. Chen is a principal investigator and lead scientist at the center's Skeletal Development Laboratory, and an assistant professor...

YORK, Pa., June 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Unilife Corporation ("Unilife" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: UNIS; ASX: UNS) today hosted Kathleen Merrigan, the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for a White House Business Council roundtable discussion with local business leaders at its facility in York, Pennsylvania. The White House established the White House Business Council (WHBC) under the direction of President Obama. The Winning the Future Roundtables with American...

Revised rules will help prevent future infestations of non-native invasive insects, diseases, and plants ARLINGTON, Va., June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has finalized changes to regulations governing international trade in plants used in gardening and landscape design, which will go into effect on June 27, 2011. The Nature Conservancy has encouraged the USDA to revise these antiquated regulations to improve the ongoing efforts by the...

ST. PAUL, Minn., June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) today broke ground on a state-of-the-art greenhouse that will play a key role in helping scientists combat a growing global disease threat to the world's wheat and barley supplies. The 2,880-square-foot greenhouse will be operated by scientists from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA's principal intramural...

OTA: To keep pesticides out of food, water, and off farms, choose organic products BRATTLEBORO, Vt., June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumers wishing to avoid pesticide residues in food, water and on farms have a simple choice: choose organic products, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) pointed out today. The annual Pesticide Data Program (PDP) summary released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Agricultural Marketing Service shows significant differences in...

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded studies of mammary gland development in laboratory rats fed blueberries or other foods of interest may aid breast cancer research.In an early study that has paved the way to follow-up experiments, Rosalia C. M. Simmen of the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (ACNC) in Little Rock, Ark., has determined that several indicators of rat mammary gland health were improved in the offspring (pups) of mothers (dams) that had been fed 5 percent blueberry...

Partnership with Federation of Virginia Food Banks Aims to Immediately Connect Children to Free Summer Meals and End Childhood Hunger in Virginia by 2015 ARLINGTON, Va., June 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Academy Award Winner and No Kid Hungry® National Campaign Spokesperson Jeff Bridges, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack are joining Share Our Strength®, the Federation of Virginia Food Banks and a diverse group of corporate...

America's Cattle Farmers & Ranchers Eager to Help Consumers Use New Icon to Build Healthier Diets with Lean Beef WASHINGTON, June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The new visual icon released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), called MyPlate, offers simple and actionable steps to build healthier diets. This straightforward visual gets back to the basics, illustrating how to create a healthful plate with a balanced...

Familiar blueberries and their lesser-known wild relatives are safeguarded by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and curators at America's official blueberry genebank. The plants, collected from throughout the United States and more than two dozen foreign countries, are growing at the USDA Agricultural Research Service National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, Ore.The blueberries are maintained as outdoor plants, potted greenhouse and screenhouse specimens, tissue...