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		<title>USDA Hosts Kids’ Day Event for Washington, DC-Area Families to Kick-Off National Invasive Species Awareness Week</title>
		<description><![CDATA[From a very humble start, National Invasive Species Awareness Week’s Kids’ Day has bloomed into an event featuring an invasive species magician, a 13-year old ‘invasive species hunter’ from Texas, and even Woodsy Owl from the Forest Service. The event, sponsored by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, will take place on February 26 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/02/22/usda-hosts-kids%e2%80%99-day-event-for-washington-dc-area-families-to-kick-off-national-invasive-species-awareness-week/</link>
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		<title>Twenty-four Students Take Park in USDA’s 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum Student Diversity Program</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Twenty-four university students will attend USDA’s 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum Feb. 23-24.  The students are the recipients of corporate and USDA sponsorship aimed at promoting the education of the next generation of agriculturalists.  The Forum titled, “Moving Agriculture Forward,” is USDA’s largest annual event and will be held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/02/22/twenty-four-students-take-park-in-usda%e2%80%99s-2012-agricultural-outlook-forum-student-diversity-program/</link>
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		<title>Rural Small Business Conference Gives Alaska Native Leaders Access to USDA Business Development Programs</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Imagine living so far away from everyday resources the only way in or out for hundreds of miles is by air.  Most Americans take for granted how easy it is to jump in our cars and go to the store for whatever we want or need.  Not so in rural Alaska. Gaining a simple, painless [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/02/22/rural-small-business-conference-gives-alaska-native-leaders-access-to-usda-business-development-programs/</link>
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		<title>Unique Collaboration Strategy Brings Trail Users Together in Georgia National Forests</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests in Georgia receive 2.2 million visitors each year, and their primary activity is use of 850 miles of designated system trails. But it’s not only hikers that take advantage of the recreation opportunities which these trails provide. Cyclists, hunters, anglers, off-highway vehicle enthusiasts and horseback riders all recreate on national forest [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/02/22/unique-collaboration-strategy-brings-trail-users-together-in-georgia-national-forests/</link>
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		<title>The United States is China’s Soybean Supplier of Choice</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Last week was a momentous one for U.S.-China agricultural relations. In addition to the productive meetings that took place in Washington and Des Moines, I was honored to witness the signing of an agreement between the U.S. soybean industry and Chinese buyers who agreed to purchase more than 8.6 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/02/22/the-united-states-is-china%e2%80%99s-soybean-supplier-of-choice/</link>
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		<title>Eight Former Secretaries of Agriculture Speaking at USDA’s 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum</title>
		<description><![CDATA[A historic gathering of former Secretaries of Agriculture will commemorate USDA’s celebration of the Department’s 150th anniversary and founding in 1862.  On February 23 at the 2012 Agricultural Outlook Forum, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will moderate a plenary panel of eight former Secretaries of Agriculture invited to speak on “Agriculture: Visions of the Future” at [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/02/22/eight-former-secretaries-of-agriculture-speaking-at-usda%e2%80%99s-2012-agricultural-outlook-forum/</link>
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		<title>Organics Take A Major Step Forward with U.S.-EU Partnership</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Travis Forgues is an organic dairy farmer in the town of Alburgh in northwest Vermont, almost at the Canadian border and surrounded on three sides by Lake Champlain. Like many of the other dairy farmers in northern Vermont, Travis is a realist. He went to college. He tried city life. But he was born into [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/02/22/organics-take-a-major-step-forward-with-u-s-eu-partnership/</link>
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		<title>We Can’t Wait: Bringing New Investments to Rural Communities by Leveraging Existing Programs</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Cross posted from the White House blog: Since the formation of the White House Rural Council in June 2011, we have had a unique opportunity to provide recommendations on how to grow the economy and create jobs in rural America. The feedback we’re providing to the White House, based on our travels throughout the countryside, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/02/21/we-can%e2%80%99t-wait-bringing-new-investments-to-rural-communities-by-leveraging-existing-programs/</link>
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		<title>Making Science Real through STEM Education</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 the USDA&#8217;s rich science and research portfolio. Developing a rapid, inexpensive biosensor to detect salmonella on vegetables; expanding understanding of the antimicrobial properties of nutmeg; finding a non-invasive method to [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/02/21/making-science-real-through-stem-education/</link>
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		<title>Rural Roundtable: Strengthening Maine’s Economy</title>
		<description><![CDATA[It was a unique opportunity for Maine leaders to share their thoughts on the challenges and prospects for Maine’s economy at a Rural Roundtable held earlier this month, at the Rural Development State Office in Bangor. The Roundtable, facilitated by USDA Rural Development Maine State Director Virginia Manuel, brought the participants together with Under Secretary [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/02/21/rural-roundtable-strengthening-maine%e2%80%99s-economy/</link>
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