In President Obama’s July 11 press conference, he asked us all to look at the steps we can take short term in order to put folks back to work.  At the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), we have been promoting the domestic biobased industry because we know green jobs represent a growth investment.  On July 14, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry will hold a public hearing during which biobased product manufacturer representatives will testify about how they are trying to help the United States win the future by investing in and creating domestic job growth.

As defined by USDA, biobased products are goods – other than food or feed – that are made from biological ingredients, including renewable domestic agricultural materials, forestry products, or intermediate chemicals.  The USDA BioPreferred^® program, established by the 2008 farm bill, encourages the development, purchase, and use of innovative biobased products through preferred Federal Agency procurement and a voluntary biobased product labeling program. Read more »

USDA employees and members of the public in Columbus, Ohio had the chance to hear Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan speak recently at the Columbus Federal Building as part of her one-day tour of the Buckeye state.

Merrigan’s first stop in the morning was at the Hoover plant in Glenwillow where she announced the USDA BioPreferred certifications bestowed on eleven new bio-based product initiatives. The products, which range from hand soaps to engine oils, are composed of agricultural ingredients and are certified to meet the standards for biobased content set by USDA. Read more »

In today’s market, consumers have high expectations for the products they purchase.  Beyond performance and pricing, consumers like the opportunity to make educated purchasing decisions for their families, and increasingly, decisions that that have an impact. USDA’s new biobased product label will enable consumers to do just that.

Initially, USDA’s Biopreferred program was created by the 2002 Farm Bill and was intended to help increase the purchase and use of biobased products within the Federal government and the commercial market. In 2008, Congress voted to reauthorize the program in an attempt to expand the reach of this successful program and to further promote the sale of biobased products. Read more »

Stop by the USDA’s People’s Garden today from 10 am – 2 pm for Earth Day activities and exhibits:

The People’s Garden – encourages you to get your hands dirty at the People’s Garden worm count activity! Our volunteers with green thumbs will be on hand, helping children create mini greenhouse necklaces and dispensing Earth Day passports that’ll keep you moving from activity to activity.  Visit with Wicked Delicate, a partner of the People’s Garden, at their Truck Farm demonstration in ‘The People’s Garden’ on Earth Day. They’ve launched a mobile farm tour as part of Earth Week to encourage growing, eating healthy food whether in a truck or other unexpected place.

 Agricultural Marketing Service – will feature information about how to find a farmer’s market in your community as well as seed testing and identification.  USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service administers programs that facilitate the efficient, fair marketing of U.S. agricultural products, including food, fiber and specialty crops.

 Agricultural Research Service – will show you how it’s using remote sensing to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.  A special “Frog Fling” contest will help kids learn how to identify healthy ecosystems.

 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service – will teach parents and children about aquatic Federal Noxious Weeds.  Dr. Al Tasker, National Noxious Weeds Program Manager, will be on hand to teach participants how to identify weeds and how to report noxious weed findings, as well as answer questions.  

 BioPreferred – will tell you about BioPreferred and biobased products.  You can learn about an up-and-coming Federal program run by USDA that promotes the use and sale of biobased products not only to open up new agricultural markets and increase energy independence but to improve the environment by lowering our carbon footprint.  BioPreferred will have biobased product samples available for visitors to look at across different areas—construction, janitorial, cafeteria and more. Be sure to pick up a brochure with more program information and don’t forget to grab our very popular petroleum-free lip balm!

 Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion & Food and Nutrition Service – will disseminate education materials about the State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as well as information about nutrition education materials, MyPyramid, recipe cards, and healthy eating tips.   

 Departmental Management/Office of Operations – will teach you about green roofs and conserving water at home.  Be sure to stop by for some energy giveaways while supplies last. 

 Farm Service Agency – will focus on the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which encourages the replacement of natural wetlands that removes nitrogen from water supplies.  Information about the Source Water Protection Program also will be available along with Biodegradable bags, FSA Coloring Books for the children and other agency promotional items.   

 Food Safety and Inspection Service – will focus on the importance of the four safe food handling behaviors—Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill, and demonstrate how to use these behaviors to reduce the risk of foodborne illness and Be Food Safe.

 Forest Service – will show you easy and effective hands-on demonstrations of the Importance of forests to water resources.  This hands-on educational demonstration using water will encourage kids to think about the sources of clean water and its value to the environment and their health.  The demonstration will show how forests act like sponges, filters, umbrellas, and homes, and how this ties to clean water and healthy aquatic ecosystems. This experiment is geared to encourage kids to get involved in projects to protect our water sources. 

 Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration – will show you how to grind flour for pancakes using a grain mill as well as host a series of activities involving grain and livestock which include a word search and coloring page, sand art in a bottle with grains instead of sand, scales to weigh toy animals with a worksheet visitors can use to calculate what the pay rate would be and determine how much the seller is owed for the livestock, and show a model of a stockyard with toy animals .

 National Agricultural Library – will provide information on topics that include gardening, lawn care, diet, nutrition, food safety, pets, floral images, fun things for kids and much more. 

 National Agricultural Statistics Service – will feature the results of the 2008 Organic Production Survey. Visitors also will be able to find out about the On-Farm Energy Production Survey that will be conducted in May and June. Kids are encouraged to stop by NASS’ booth for some fun activities.

 Natural Resources Conservation Service – will feature a “Restoring the Nation’s Wetlands,” 10-ft X 10-ft Nomadic-type display a water erosion demonstration by two of our soil scientist to show youngsters how important it is to protect the soil.

 Rural Development – will highlight Rural Development’s Water and Environmental Programs.  Rural communities benefit through the provision of cleaner water, and better wastewater treatment systems and reliable, modern plants.   Also on hand will be the Delaware Rural Water Association who will provide their on-site working  water system which allows visitors to see what goes on in-between the well and to your tap at home including, water filtration, chemical injection and water storage tank.  The on-site training trailer allows the public to see the science and processes needed to receive clean drinking water every day. The on-site trailer also demonstrates water testing equipment, hydrant, safety equipment and training information.

 SPECIAL GUESTS will be on hand for photo ops – Stop by and meet Woodsy Owl, Sammy Soil and Power Panther!

 SPECIAL MUSICAL GUESTS Mucho Gusto who are Sam Morgan and Tabby.