From left to right: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Juan Hernandez; Manna Ministries Executive Director Bill Rae; USDA Rural Development State Director Virginia Manuel; USDA Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Don Todd

USDA Rural Development, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency employees delivered a bounty of fresh vegetables to Manna Ministries in Bangor on September 10. It marked the eleventh delivery of garden vegetables this summer. The heaps of fresh tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers and other offerings were from the recent harvest of The People’s Garden, a collaborative effort of the three USDA agencies. In addition, donations from staff members’ own gardens were also accepted. Read more »

Lupe Gomez, Coordinator and WIC staff show their contributions to the food drive.

This summer I had the honor of organizing the Feds, Farmers and Friends Feed Families Food Drive for the Southwest Region Food and Nutrition Service.  As the human resources liaison for the region, I don’t get the opportunity to work directly with partners or clients so this food drive gave me a very unique perspective on hunger.  I collected food items, sent out reminders to staff and ensured delivery of the food to the North Texas Food Bank. Read more »

Cow equipped with a GPS collar, used to track the location of the animal.

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’s rich science and research portfolio.

While driving, have you ever wondered why there are so many fences to interrupt your  soul-satisfying, wide-open-spaces experience?  Until recently, that was the only way to keep livestock in their place, so to speak.  But today’s wire fencing and posts soon will be augmented with virtual fencing that erases these visual barriers from the landscape. Read more »

Council members L to R: Charles Quartz, Gina Wachsmuth, Pricilla Carrera, Amber Torres, and Tribal Chairman Lorren Sammaripa at the opening celebration.

USDA Rural Development along with The Walker River Paiute Tribe (WRPT) scheduled a Resource Fair to accompany the Completion Ceremony of their newly constructed Four Seasons Fireworks Building. The Completion Ceremony and Resource Fair took place on September 17, 2010 in Schurz, Nevada. The new 60×40 steel structure replaced an old 40 foot container. The WRPT Housing Force Account Crew did an amazing job constructing the new building. The new fireworks store was funded in part by a USDA Rural Development Rural Business Enterprise Grant, funded by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Read more »