April 2010

“Where’s the beef?”  And the pork, and chicken?  At RMH Foods in Morton, Illinois…thanks to a USDA Rural Development guaranteed loan!

During her visit to Lahaina, Hawaii Merrigan met with local officials and community members.  The discussions centered on the history of the Lahaina Watershed Project (LWP) and the multiple benefits that programs such as the LWP provide. Community members thanked the Deputy Secretary for the USDA natural resources conservation programs provided to rural communities, expressed their appreciation for these projects, and discussed the overall benefits for citizens of Hawaii and the nation.

More than 220 USDA employees met Thursday at the Varsity Theatre in Davis, Calif. to share their thoughts during the first listening session designed to help implement a cultural transformation within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Members of the USDA Cultural Transformation Task Force were present to hear ideas and to ensure this effort results in a more diverse, inclusive and high performance organization.

Food Safety and Inspection Service Administrator Al Almanza today spoke about career opportunities at Texas A&M Kingsville to the Hispanic Leaders in Agriculture and the Environment. HLAE is a USDA-supported organization that draws membership from several colleges and universities.

Written by:  John A. Goolsby, Ph.D., Research Entomologist, Biological Control of Pests and Weeds  United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service

During the third day of his visit to Japan, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack had another packed day – starting with a successful bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart, and concluding with a series of events commemorating the 50^th anniversary of a 1959 ‘hog lift’ in which Iowa farmers sent 36 hogs to Yamanashi, Japan.

This week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack left the beauty of a cherry blossom adorned nation’s capital to travel to the origin of the beautiful pink and white flowered trees—Japan (where one finds even larger crowds of tourists, amateur photographers, and general admirers of the cherry blossom trees than along Washington DC’s tidal basin this time of the year). Vilsack is in Japan to highlight the outstanding partnership that exists between the United States and Japan, and to promote U.S. agricultural exports, as part of President Obama’s efforts to expand U.S. exports under the National Export Initiative.

Today is an exciting day at USDA – and across the government – as we release our Open Gov Plan that formalizes plans to integrate openness, transparency, participation and collaboration into our every day activities.

The path has been an exciting one, and USDA has met the Open Government Directive deliverables with help from employees and the public. Central to our efforts are core values of accountability and accessibility; bridging the gap between the American People and government.

When Lela Bunch talks about the prospect of building a new home so she and her children can have a place of their own and more living space, you can hear the excitement in her voice.

Between deciding what trees to plant and selecting new furnishings and appliances, it is clear how much the prospect of owning a home means to her.

And it should, it’s been a long time coming.