Research And Science

Treating and recycling used municipal water for irrigation is not a new concept, but there may be an unforeseen consequence with that practice: Microplastics.

Meet 2022 E. Kika De La Garza Fellow Sandya Kesoju, Ph.D., from Columbia Basin College (CBC) in Pasco, Wash. As the director for Agriculture Education, Research and Development, she oversees the agriculture department’s administrative activities and operations. Among her many duties in this role, she leads efforts to provide experiential learning for students; and collaborates with local industries, universities, federal agencies, K-12 partners, and the community to support programs in science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and mathematics (aka STEAM). She also teaches courses such as applied agriculture research, agriculture internship, and biochemistry lab.

After suffering severe winter losses beginning in 2007, the honey bee population is making a comeback. Still, losses are high, which means beekeepers have to spend a lot of time and money replacing their bees.

Scientists from the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are working shoulder-to-shoulder with food producers to help them feed the world’s growing population. One of their most effective tools is integrating ecological, economic and social principles to help farming systems move toward greater resilience.

Today is World Food Safety Day, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has launched a sweeping new initiative known as the Salmonella Grand Challenge. The project brings together an elite group of ARS, university and food industry scientists from different specialties to fight Salmonella, a foodborne pathogen that sickens over a million Americans each year, sometimes fatally. The challenge complements the work being done by the Food Safety and Inspection Service to develop a more effective strategy to reduce human Salmonella illness linked to poultry.

The U.S. cotton industry contributes 35% of the cotton exported globally.

Dr. Aaron Dossey has taken what began as a Facebook hobby of photographing insects and turned it into a successful research business, thanks in part to funding from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA’s) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

We are at a pivotal moment for USDA and U.S. agriculture.

Americans love their shrimp. No matter how you eat them, by pounds consumed, the popularity of these delectable little morsels ranks well ahead of salmon and more than doubles that of canned tuna.

Members of the United States Armed Forces sacrifice so much to keep us safe and protect our country. Every May Americans recognize their efforts and express gratitude during Military Appreciation Month. At USDA, we also celebrate the contributions that our Military members have made to agriculture and farming.