Latest U.S. Department of Agriculture Stories

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...

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Poultry producers can reduce bacterial cross-contamination in poultry cages by treating the cages with forced air that's been heated to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a study by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists. While being transported in coops on trucks, poultry that have bacteria such as Campylobacter can contaminate, through their feces, other poultry that are free of pathogens. Those disease-causing bacteria can then be...

University of Arizona Plants can adapt their demand for water depending on how much is available - However, this resilience has a limit, and prolonged drought conditions threaten the survival of plant communities, especially in more arid areas Scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, and their partners have determined that water demand by many plant communities can fluctuate in response to water availability, indicating a capacity for resilience even when changing...

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Plants can adapt to extreme shifts in water availability, such as drought and flooding, but their ability to withstand these extreme patterns will be tested by future climate change, according to a study by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and their cooperators. The study was published this week in Nature by a team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists led by Guillermo Ponce Campos and Susan Moran and an Australian...

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Baited black traps in a pyramid shape attract significantly more brown marmorated stink bugs than other traps, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists. Evaluating stink bug responses to different visual stimuli may help manufacturers design better traps for monitoring the bugs. Entomologist Tracy Leskey at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, W.V., focused on visual...

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) By examining what lady beetles eat, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are learning more about the movement of these beneficial insects in farm fields—and whether they'll actively feed on crop pests. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) entomologist Jonathan Lundgren at the agency's North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Brookings, S.D., and former ARS entomologist Michael Seagraves were part of a team of ARS and university...

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) First detected in the United States a decade ago, the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is now in at least 39 states, is wreaking havoc in homes and gardens, and is a major economic threat to orchard fruits, garden vegetables and row crops. It's no wonder the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ranks this pest as its top "invasive insect of interest." But help may be on the way: USDA scientists at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Invasive...

Farm Bill Dairy Policies Remain Controversial WASHINGTON, Dec. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today urging him to avoid or delay the impact of a 1949 law that could drastically raise milk prices. The letter outlined legal options available to the government to avoid this "dairy cliff," which could impact the pocketbooks of millions of consumers and taxpayers. In the letter,...

Peach growers in California may soon have better tools for saving water because of work by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists in Parlier, Calif. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist Dong Wang is evaluating whether infrared sensors and thermal technology can help peach growers decide precisely when to irrigate in California's San Joaquin Valley. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency, and the research supports the USDA priority of promoting...