Maya Kwok, 3, helps during a planting project at the Richmond, Edible Forest as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Maya is the daughter of Alfred Kwok, assistant station director, business operations, for the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research Station. (U.S. Forest Service photo)

From planting fruit trees in a Richmond, Calif., edible forest to laying 32 feet of boardwalk to make an Atlanta urban forest accessible to everyone, U.S. Forest Service employees across the country joined their communities to make a difference as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service. Read more »

A member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians removes the kernels from a corn of cob, one step in the hominy-making process.

For special meals like those on birthdays and Christmas, members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians include hominy on the menu—but hominy, essentially dried corn kernels, is expensive to purchase. Read more »

Christopher and Natasha Goetz preparing dinner in their home in Garnett, Kansas. By 2005-08, total fat accounted for 30.5 percent of calories in foods prepared at home, compared with 37 percent in away-from-home foods.

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.

With restaurant and take-out meals an everyday occurrence for many, the choices we make when eating out can have a big impact on our health. Federal surveys find that Americans, on average, get 32 percent of their calories from foods ordered from restaurants, fast food places, and other away-from-home sources, up from 18 percent of calories 30 years ago. Read more »

Colorado native and local business owner Bruce Longwell at his Durango, CO home on July 17, 2012. Mr. Longwell financed the single-family house with a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) Housing Assistance loan. This provided lower monthly payments than his prior rental home. Homeownership provides potential gains through home equity. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

Homeownership became a reality twice for Bruce Longwell, thanks to USDA Rural Development.  Twice has Longwell been able to purchase a home through the USDA Direct Home Loan Program. Read more »