June 2012

June is Dairy Month and Wisconsin is a national leader in agricultural production with dairy farming being the number one agricultural activity in the State. Wisconsin has more than 76,000 farms dotting its rural landscape, supporting communities, families and businesses of all size.Critical to the future of rural Wisconsin is modern infrastructure, state of the art technologies, and advanced education opportunities.

June is Homeownership Month in America.

 Earlier this month, representatives of Native American Tribes traveled from as far away as Massachusetts to Anchorage, Alaska, to attend the three-day National American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC) Conference.  Now in its 38^th year, the main theme was housing which is a basic human need.

At 11:00 am today, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, will be helping open the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, hosting visitors from around the world who will come to the Mall in Washington, D.C. for this annual event.  The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the only federal agency lucky enough to be located right on the Mall, and this year we’re also honored to be a part of the Folklife Festival, celebrating our 150-year partnership with the Land Grant University system. “Campus and Community: Public and Land Grant Universities and USDA at 150” is one of the three themes highlighted at the Festival this year.

USDA scientists, agricultural experts and speakers will be partnering with representatives from 29 Land Grant Universities (LGUs) to showcase all the great work we do together to support agricultural production, education and rural communities across America.  USDA works hand-in-hand with Land Grant and public universities to put research into action locally, regionally and globally.

GE Aviation is collaborating with USDA Rural Development, the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI), air carriers and producer groups to investigate opportunities for an Ohio or Midwest-regional approach to providing renewable-jet fuel in support of production engine testing at GE Aviation’s sprawling Cincinnati-area facilities. GE Aviation anticipates purchasing up to 5 million gallons of renewable-jet fuel beginning in 2015.

Hunger is not an abstract idea. It is a reality affecting the lives of millions of Americans every single day. And it hits our children particularly hard, with over 16 million kids in our country experiencing food insecurity each year. Internationally, nearly 1 billion people across the globe will go to bed hungry tonight and 200 million of them are children.  We can all play a role within our communities to ensure that no man, woman, or child faces hunger.

June is homownership month and you could say the Nevada heat drove everyone under the tent together. With mercury touching 103 degrees, the tent at the Color Country Self-Help Housing development in Mesquite, Nevada, was a good source of shade, but it could not chill the sense of pride and excitement that pulsed through the crowd.

During June, we often celebrate many things: National Homeownership Month, the end of the school year and graduations, Father’s Day, and being able to watch our favorite teams duke it on the baseball diamond.  But at USDA we have another favorite June celebration – National Dairy Month.

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio.

El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico is unique for the U.S. Forest Service. At 28,000 acres, it’s the smallest national forest and the only tropical rain forest managed by the Forest Service, boasting the greatest biodiversity among national forests.

Goya, la compañía hispana de comida más grande en los Estados Unidos, es parte de la campaña de la Primera Dama Michelle Obama ¡A Moverse! (Let’s Move!) la cual está enfocada en motivar a los padres de familia a tener una vida saludable para ellos y sus familias.  Al asociarse con el nuevo ícono MiPlato del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos, diferentes compañías recuerdan a sus consumidores sobre la importancia de crear platos balanceados y nutritivos durante las comidas. Goya, un asociado nacional estratégico, apoya MiPlato al promover mensajes que instruyan e incentiven a familias a tener una dieta balanceada.  Al asociarse con la iniciativa  ¡A Moverse!  y con el USDA, Goya se ha comprometido a proveer al público varias herramientas para mejorar su salud.

Para apoyar a la iniciativa de la Primera Dama, Goya ha creado una gran cantidad de recursos para combatir la obesidad infantil.  Goya ha producido un folleto en inglés y español con seis recetas nutritivas, diez consejos de cómo crear una comida balanceada, y un cupón para frijoles con un bajo contenido de sodio que está siendo distribuido organizaciones asociadas con el programa A Moverse: Iglesias y Comunidades (Let’s Move Faith and Communities) a través de la nación.  La Dr. Luz Myriam Neira, Directora de Nutrición del Banco de Comida de  San Antonio,  dijo que “los folletos fueron tan bien recibidos por participantes del programa de SNAP/Ed”, que su organización va a usar la versión electrónica del folleto, sin el cupón, para satisfacer la demanda de recetas nutritivas y consejos de salud. Este banco de comida también está trabajando con una cadena de supermercados local para utilizar los materiales de Goya en sus esfuerzos de educación nutricional.

Goya, the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States, is part of the First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! movement to empower parents to make healthy choices for themselves and their families.  It is partnering with USDA’s new icon, MyPlate/MiPlato, that reminds consumers to build healthy plates at meal times.  As a national strategic partner, Goya is promoting the messages that support MyPlate and MiPlato to educate and encourage families to consume a well-balanced diet.  By teaming up with Let’s Move! and USDA, Goya has committed to provide people with several tools to improve their health.

In support of the First Lady’s initiative, Goya created an army of resources to help fight childhood obesity.  Goya has produced a brochure in both English and Spanish with six healthy recipes, ten tips on how to create a well-balanced plate, and a coupon for low sodium beans is being distributed to several Let’s Move Faith and Communities partners around the country.  Dr. Luz Myriam Neira, Director of Nutrition at the San Antonio Food Bank, said “the booklets were so well received by SNAP/Ed participants” that she will be using an electronic version of the booklet, sans coupon, to meet the demand for helpful recipes and tips. They are also working with a local grocery chain using these materials in their nutrition education efforts.