Farming

This year marks the 100th anniversary of USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum. I was excited to participate in a panel session that reviewed the past 100 years of agricultural trade in the United States and acknowledge the forces that have shaped its evolution during the past century.

Black History Month is a time of celebration, education, and reflection at Black Seeds Urban Farm, located in Memphis, Tennessee. Bobby and Derravia Rich started the community garden to provide local, organic fruits, vegetables, and nuts to neighbors with little or no access to fresh, nutritious food.

Rural communities are the backbone of American life, providing fuel, food and fiber. As a partner, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) understands how critical rural America is to providing the everyday essentials our country depends on. As a result, we invest accordingly.

USDA recognizes how critical organic agriculture is to our nation’s economy. We also recognize the challenges producers can face transitioning to organic.

Our nation's lands are vital to providing clean water, fish and wildlife habitat, sustainable wood, minerals, energy, jobs and places for Americans to enjoy the outdoors. USDA’s Forest Service is responsible for managing 193 million acres of grasslands and forests. For rural America to thrive, we recognize we must partner with land managers and landowners.

USDA has taken bold action to expand equitable access to our programs and services to improve customer experience (CX) for America’s farmers, ranchers and forest managers since President Joe Biden signed the Executive Order Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government in December 2021.

Happy New Year! At USDA, we are more committed than ever to providing employees and customers with the best experience possible in 2024.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has implemented several customer experience (CX) improvements since President Joe Biden signed the Executive Order Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government in December 2021. The executive order directed all federal agencies to improve the overall experience for customers accessing government services and benefits.

When farming in urban environments, whether in-ground or using innovative production, one of the biggest challenges can be navigating local statutes, zoning, permitting and land use regulations. For growers, understanding legal access to land and water, as well as local policies is critical.

In an industrial park in Arlington, Virginia, there is something you might not expect – a farm. Area 2 Farms is an indoor, organic, soil-based farm that seeks to expand their ultra-local model nationwide.