Why Research is Vital for Eradicating the Asian Longhorned Beetle

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Rhonda Santos, APHIS Asian Longhorned Beetle Eradication Program, on April 23, 2014 at 10:30 AM

At the APHIS Otis Lab in Massachusetts, employees conduct research for several APHIS forest pest emergency response and eradication programs, including Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), Asian gypsy moth (AGM), emerald ash borer (EAB), and Sirex noctilio woodwasp.

In addition to the existing science-based eradication protocols for fighting an Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) infestation, such as surveying trees and removing infested ones, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) relies on on-going research to not only improve current protocols, but also to develop new ones.

APHIS’s Center for Plant Health Science and Technology continues research to develop attractant-baited traps designed to lure and capture adult insects. The attractants include plant odors and pheromones, which are naturally occurring chemicals created and used by insects to communicate with each other.  These attractants are used to lure beetles to traps that are hung on trees that the beetle will attack.  Traps can aid in early detection of insects in areas where survey staff may not be working. When the traps are checked by staff members and a beetle is found, nearby trees may be surveyed to determine if they are infested. This year, the traps will be placed in the spring and early summer in strategic locations in all three ALB-affected states: New York, Massachusetts, and Ohio.  APHIS is also working with the U.S. Forest Service and Penn State University on their research with similar ALB traps.

APHIS has a number of additional ALB-related research projects, including defining the specific wood-chipping and grinding methods needed to kill all ALB in wood from infested areas, determining if treating trees with insecticides in the fall can be as effective as the current practice of treating trees in the spring, developing treatments for nursery stock that allow it to be moved safely out of ALB-infested areas, gaining better information on ALB’s ability to attack and develop on different kinds of trees, DNA analysis, and understanding how ALB infestations grow and spread in different types of habitats.  This kind of information can help the ALB program decide where to carry out key activities such as surveys and control treatments.

All ALB-related research supports the goal to eradicate the pest from the U.S. and protect hardwood forests and park lands, trees within affected communities, and many different forest product industries.

You can help.  When you are outside, take a look at a tree and see if it has round holes on the trunk and/or branches – these holes are caused by the adult beetle when it exits the tree.  The holes are a little bit smaller than a dime and just a bit bigger than the circumference of a pencil.  You may also see an adult beetle on the tree itself or surrounding surfaces.  If you see signs of ALB, please make a report online because the sooner we know about an ALB infestation, the sooner we can do something about it.

Conservation Easement Enables Landowners to Restore Wetland, Help Protect Fish

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Spencer Miller, Natural Resources Conservation Service, on March 24, 2014 at 1:00 PM

Oregon landowner Dave Budeau said he dreamed of protecting wetlands. An NRCS-led conservation partnership helped Budeau restore and enhance these wetlands, providing habitat for native fish and birds. NRCS photo.

Through conservation easements, people like Dave Budeau are able to protect and restore important landscapes, like wetlands, grasslands and farmlands.

Budeau wanted to restore and protect a wetland. When the wildlife biologist searched for a new home in 2003, his passion for wildlife and nature led him to purchase what may have seemed to some as an unfriendly plot of land for wildlife. But a conservation program helped him change that.

The recently passed 2014 Farm Bill continues to provide financial and technical assistance for farmers, ranchers and forest landowners wanting to put their land into easements. But rather than separate programs, the major easement programs offered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service have been bundled into one – the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, or ACEP. One additional easement program, the Healthy Forests Reserve Program, remains separate.

ACEP streamlines the conservation easement options into two primary components: a working lands component where NRCS provides assistance to partners with farmland protection programs to purchase agricultural land easements, and a wetlands reserve component where NRCS works directly with the landowner, like Budeau, to restore and protect their agricultural wetlands.

The pasture in Marion County, Ore., that caught Budeau’s eye was dominated by one species of plant, bentgrass. Bentgrass can be invasive in the state’s wetlands, but Budeau knew the land could be transformed from a one-species landscape, or monoculture, to a wetland haven that gives sanctuary to a variety of wildlife, including a threatened Oregon fish.

“I saw signs of tufted hairgrass and other wetland indicators growing, and I knew this was the place,” Budeau said.

Tufted hairgrass thrives in moist soil and provides cover to small mammals, song birds and waterfowl.

After learning about conservation easement programs from his local NRCS district conservationist, Budeau decided to enroll 30 acres into the former Wetlands Reserve Program, one of the three programs now combined under ACEP. The other two are the Grassland Reserve Program and Farm and Ranchland Protection Program.

Conservation easements enable landowners to voluntarily restore and protect wetland ecosystems. Landowners may select either a permanent or 30-year easement while retaining ownership of the land. In the past 20 years, more than 2.6 million acres of wetlands have been restored through conservation easements.

Through the easement program, Budeau began restoring the wetlands in 2008, converting an existing pond and other low-lying areas into wetlands.

“Wetlands are home to so many species,” said Les Bachelor, NRCS district conservationist in Salem, Ore. “We need to make sure that wildlife has a place to live.”

The restoration work created the ideal habitat for the Oregon chub, which was listed as endangered at the time. Budeau wanted his land to serve as a sanctuary for them. Loss of key wetland habitat had pushed the chub to the brink of extinction.

Scientists with NRCS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitored the depth and temperature of Budeau’s ponds for two years to ensure they provided suitable habitat before introducing 623 chub in 2010. By May 2012, more than 10,000 chub lived in the ponds.

Wetlands like the ones on Budeau’s property are integral to the increasing chub population. Since 2010, the Oregon chub has joined more than a dozen other species that were downlisted from endangered to threatened.

Chub isn’t the only success linked directly to Budeau’s property. Plant and wildlife diversity is steadily increasing. “Every year it seems like a new bird shows up,” Budeau said. “I’ve also seen red-legged frogs, long-toed salamanders and amazing invertebrate diversity.”

Budeau is excited with how the conservation easement with NRCS has led to so much success.

“This is the (conservation) easement we all dreamed of,” Budeau said. “It turned out as good as I could have ever expected.”

To get started with NRCS, visit your local USDA Service Center or www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted.

The new Farm Bill bundles major easement programs into one – the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. NRCS photo.

A Wisconsin TV Crew Sees How Dairy Farmers May Soon Turn Manure into Money

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Rebecca Wallace, Forest Products Lab, U.S. Forest Service, Madison, on March 24, 2014 at 11:00 AM

U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Lab researcher John Hunt (front, right) shows panels made with manure to former USDA Under Secretary Harris Sherman (front left). Jim Jensen and Caleb Walker, representatives from Noble Environmental Technologies, an agency partner, look on. (U.S. Forest Service)

A film crew from Discover Wisconsin, a television program showcasing the many treasures of the Badger State, recently visited the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wis., as part of their America’s Dairyland series. This series takes a look at Wisconsin’s largest and most important industry.

So, what does this have to do with forest products?

A key component of the dairy industry is, well, cows. Cows produce a lot of milk, but they also produce a lot of waste. That’s right, good old fashioned manure. Lab engineer John Hunt has found a way to make composite panels from cow manure mixed with other materials, such as recycled paper or cardboard.

The Discover Wisconsin crew dug right in, getting down and dirty with this research project.

But it’s really not so bad. The manure Hunt uses has gone through a process called anaerobic digestion, in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process reduces the manure to raw fiber (and produces energy as seen in this USDA video) which is not unlike other natural fibers used in composite products.

U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Lab researcher John Hunt loads recycled panel scraps into a tank where it will be broken down and used to press a new board. (U.S. Forest Service)

The resulting product is strong, lightweight, recyclable, biodegradable, and incredibly versatile. A similar panel product (sans manure) has found considerable success through Forest Products Lab partner Noble Environmental Technologies. The company produces a high-value recycled panel product based on Hunt’s research called ECOR, which was recently touted for its use in building the first 100 percent sustainable Hollywood studio set.

We here at the lab had a great time with the Discover Wisconsin crew, and are excited to see the results. The episode is scheduled to air in June, so stay tuned…

Mixing recycled paper or cardboard with anaerobically digested cow manure is one of the first steps in the panel-making process. (U.S. Forest Service)

USDA Supports Schools in Implementing Updated Nutrition Standards

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, on March 21, 2014 at 4:00 PM

New foodservice equipment makes preparing and serving healthier meals easier and more efficient for hardworking school food service professionals.

Each and every school day, over 30 million children participate in USDA’s school meals programs; many of these children consume two or more of their daily meals at school.  There’s no denying that school food plays a critical role in children’s diets, and USDA takes this responsibility very seriously.  We are committed to doing our part to ensure a healthier next generation!

Given public concern about our children’s current and future health, USDA has issued updated school meal standards stemming from the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. These science-based standards call for increasing fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and whole grains, while at the same time limiting less healthy fats, sugar, sodium and excess calories.  Schools across the country are stepping up to the plate.  In fact, about 90% of schools across the country are already meeting the updated standards!  That’s not to say that their work is done.  Some schools have found that they lack the necessary equipment or tools to prepare healthy meals for all students.

Yesterday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack along with Jessica Donze Black, Director of the Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project (a collaboration of The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) hosted a national media call to address the progress our schools are making in implementing the new standards.  Ms. Black highlighted the number of schools successfully meeting the meal standards, but also explained that investments in new equipment are needed for further implementation.  She detailed the types and costs of kitchen upgrades that each state would need in order to serve healthier meals in all schools.

USDA has already been taking active strides to fill this void and ensure that schools have the support they need to implement the new meal requirements.  Just this past December, USDA announced $11 million in grants to 16 states and territories; these grants are specifically to help schools purchase the food service equipment needed to make serving and preparing healthier meals easier and more efficient.  This isn’t the first investment that USDA has made, though.  Since the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, USDA has provided $135 million in equipment grants, and another $25 million will be available later this spring.  It’s also important to note that the President’s budget request for 2015 includes an additional $35 million for school kitchen equipment grants.

USDA remains focused on improving child nutrition and empowering families to make healthier food choices by providing science-based information and advice, while at the same time expanding the availability of healthy food.  Secretary Vilsack also touched on these recent USDA commitments during today’s conversation:

• Extending the exemption for school districts with strong meal programs and excess operating balances from the Paid Lunch Equity requirement of HHFKA through the 2014-2015 school year.

• $5.5 million in new grants announced earlier this month for “Smarter Lunchrooms” and other strategies that support the healthier meals. Smarter Lunchrooms use behavioral economics to increase student selection of healthy meal options.

• Offering flexibility on portion sizes for grains and proteins, made permanent in January 2014.

• Expanding Community Eligibility nationwide.  Starting this fall, every state in the country will have the option to employ Community Eligibility, an alternative method of operating the school meals program in low-income areas.  The community eligibility method has been successfully piloted in 14 states.

• Providing $30 million for up to five demonstration projects to test innovative strategies to prevent hunger and food insecurity among children. The funds will allow USDA to partner with State agencies and Indian Tribal Organizations to develop solutions centered around improving delivery of healthy foods to low-income children through USDA’s nutrition programs.

USDA works closely with schools and partners to address implementation challenges, and to provide grants and technical assistance to overcome barriers.  Today’s call reinforced that vital commitment to our children’s health.

Forest Service Applauds the United Nations' Second Annual International Day of Forests

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Robert Westover, Office of Communication, U.S. Forest Service, on March 21, 2014 at 3:00 PM

The forests that cling to the steep slopes and cliffs of New Zealand’s Milford Sound are an example of the many pristine forest lands protected throughout the world (U.S. Forest Service/Robert Westover)

A world without forests would be pretty bleak. Life as we know it couldn’t exist. In fact it would, more than likely, be a dead planet. That’s because everything we take for granted; clean air and water, abundant wildlife and nearly every product we use in our daily lives, from the roof above our heads to pencils, wouldn’t exist.

It would be a challenge just to live one day without using a product derived from a tree. Aside from paper, you might not even be able to sit in a chair or desk at school or work. These things are part of our everyday existence because of forests.

Since trees are important for everyone around the world, the United Nations (U.N.) has designated every March 21 as the International Day of Forests.

The U.S. Forest Service has a long history of knowledge-sharing with international partners and recognizes the importance of the International Day of Forests in showcasing the role of forests in the health of our diverse and interconnected global ecosystem.

“International Day of Forests helps continue the conversation about the importance of forests throughout the year,” said Dave Cleaves, climate change advisor for the U.S. Forest Service. “Climate change is one of the most serious environmental issues confronting the world today and the environmental stressors on forests from our changing climate do not stop at international borders.”

Lands managed by the Forest Service provide 20 percent of the nation’s clean water supply – a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. In addition, U.S. forests alone absorb 11 percent of carbon dioxide emissions – a significant cause of global warming. These lands also contribute more than $13 billion annually to the U.S. economy through tourism.

The Forest Service’s International Programs also works with other countries to promote sustainable forest management and conservation. One example of this work is the effort to eradicate invasive species, such as the emerald ash borer which has caused enormous damage to nation’s ash trees.

Because the ash borer originates in China, the Forest Service collaborates in eradication efforts with the Agriculture Research Service and scientific institutions in China where the pest has natural enemies. Finding natural predators for the ash borer, which is far more effective than other suppression methods, can be a practical way to control its spread in the U.S.

Only through this type of international collaboration can the Forest Service work to combat the destructive impacts of forest pests brought into the United States accidentally from other countries.

Minnesota Farm Uses Conservation to Make Each Acre Count

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Julie MacSwain, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Minnesota, on March 20, 2014 at 1:00 PM

Sarah Woutat founded Uproot Farm because of her love for farming. Photo courtesy of Uproot Farm

When studying abroad in France and Spain, Sarah Woutat developed a love for organic farming after working on farms in both countries. The love was so strong, she retired from her New York City life working for an environmental publishing business and returned to farming.

After an apprenticeship at Fort Hill Farm in Connecticut, she returned home to her native state of Minnesota to run Uproot Farm.

Uproot Farm is a small vegetable farm just one hour north of the Twin Cities. This farm turns a profit on just five acres. The farm sells community supported agriculture, or CSA, shares to people in nearby Cambridge, Minn. as well as Minneapolis. When a person buys into a CSA, they’re guaranteed a certain amount of the farm’s harvest and the farm receives financial support up front.

Not long after she founded Uproot Farm, Woutat visited her local USDA service center. There, she met with Josh Bork, a district conservationist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Bork worked with Woutat on a conservation plan, which is a roadmap of her objectives for her farm that integrates conservation practices that benefit the farm and the nearby environment. Through this technical assistance, she wanted to address natural resources concerns such as plant condition, soil condition because of compaction and organic matter depletion.

To address these resource concerns, Woutat decided to apply for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, a Farm Bill program that offers financial assistance to farmers and ranchers, including farmers like her who are newer farmers and manage small- and mid-size farms.

As a beginning farmer, EQIP made sense, she said. The financial assistance enabled her to install a high tunnel and field borders.

While high tunnels may look like greenhouses, growers manage them quite differently. In high tunnels, plants are grown directly in the ground.  High tunnels don’t use heaters and lights. Opening and closing the high tunnel regulates the sun’s heat. Right after it was built in September, she planted a crop of spinach.

Her first crop yielded 126 pounds. The following spring she planted and harvested several vegetables, including tomatoes, carrots, beets, spinach, salad mix and radishes.

“She was very happy with the spinach crop that she harvested in the fall of 2011, just two months after the seasonal high tunnel was set up,” Bork said.

Field borders are strips of plants, typically native grasses that help catch sediment and nutrients, keeping them from entering waterways. The Isanti Soil and Water Conservation District and NRCS helped her implement these strips of plants to catch sediment and nutrients.

“Working with a beginning young farmer such as Sarah helped me learn more about the CSA operations and how it could fit into NRCS technical assistance and programs,” Bork said.

To get started with NRCS, visit your local USDA Service Center or www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted.

Vivian Wauters interned on Uproot Farm in 2013, where she got to help farm a variety of produce, including turnips. Photo courtesy of Uproot Farm

The Growth of an Industry - 18,000+ Certified Organic Operations in the U.S. Alone

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Miles McEvoy, National Organic Program Deputy Administrator, on March 20, 2014 at 3:00 PM

Across the U.S., there was about 4 percent increase in the number of certified organic operations in the last year, and nearly a 245 percent increase since 2002.

American organic farmers and producers are at the forefront of innovation and entrepreneurship.  Organic production contributes to building a stronger rural America by creating economic opportunities for farms and businesses of all sizes. In the U.S. alone, there are now 18,513 certified USDA organic operations, representing nearly a 245 percent increase since 2002.  And there are over 25,000 certified organic operations in more than 120 different countries around the world.

Each year, the National Organic Program (NOP), part of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, publishes the official list of certified operations. Through this online tool, you can search to see whether an operator is certified, find certified farms and operators in a particular state, or get a list of certified operators that produce a specific product.  The data listed in the database is also available for download in Excel format going back to 2010.

The newly released 2013 data shows that the largest number of U.S. certified organic operations remain on the west coast, in New England, and in the upper Midwest. The data also shows an increased rate of domestic growth of about 4 percent throughout U.S. regions, resuming previous trends.

Internationally, there appears to be a decrease in the number of operations in areas with equivalency agreements, because operations in those countries no longer need dual certification. By minimizing duplication of certifications, equivalence agreements can provide great cost-saving for even the smallest of producers.

The database increases the transparency and integrity of the organic system, allowing consumers and stakeholders to search for information pertaining to organic certification, and increases the NOP’s oversight ability of accredited certifiers. It provides a way to identify and connect organic stakeholders across the supply chain.

Through the NOP, USDA has helped farmers and businesses create an industry that has grown to $35 billion annually in U.S. retail sales. USDA has a number of new and expanded efforts to connect organic farmers and businesses with resources that will ensure the continued growth of the organic industry domestically and abroad.  We help organic stakeholders access programs that support conservation, provide access to loans and grants, fund organic research and education, and mitigate pest emergencies.

The new Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill) includes provisions that will make a big difference to the organic community, including additional funding to assist organic producers and handlers with the cost of organic certification, and funding to improve the NOP’s certified operations database and technology systems. Greater Federal support could mean even more organic farms and production in the U.S. to meet continued growth in consumer demand.  Additional information about USDA resources and support for the organic sector is available on the USDA Organics Resource page.

The 2013 list of certified organic operations reflects the continued increase in domestic operations. There are now 18,513 certified operations in the United States.

In Texas, Small Things Lead to Big Success

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Cassie Bable, Public Affairs Specialist, FSA Office of External Affairs, on March 20, 2014 at 2:00 PM

Anthony Micheli and daughter Scarlett stand ready to sell their vegetables at a Texas Farmers Market. The vegetables are grown on Micheli and his wife’s (Brittany Davis) niche market operation financed by an FSA Microloan.

This post is part of a Microloan Success feature series on the USDA blog.  Check back every Tuesday and Thursday as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s Farm Service Agency.

When Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack hosted a town hall meeting in San Antonio, Texas, in January 2013, he shared information about USDA’s microloan program.  The program allows beginning, small and mid-sized farmers to access up to $35,000 in loans using a simplified application process.

Beginning farmers Brittany Davis and Anthony Micheli were in the audience and they were listening.  The two were inspired to meet with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) representatives to apply for a microloan.

Davis and Micheli own a vegetable, egg and honey operation in Hays County, Texas, where they grow seasonal vegetables that are sold at several farmers’ markets throughout the area. They also run a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. CSA programs allow consumers to purchase a share from the farmer and in return, the consumer receives fresh vegetables each week. The couple currently has 60 CSA members. They stopped accepting new members temporarily, so they could expand and improve their operation. They plan to resume the CSA program this spring when they are fully operational.

Davis and Micheli grew their operation this year by adding 2.5 acres. FSA approved them for a Microloan that they used to make several improvements to the property.

The Microloan helped them do many things: bring an old well back into working condition; add a bigger storage tank and run pipe for irrigation from the well to the field; and it enabled them to add a cold storage room, high-fence the property and purchase a tractor and equipment.

“We worked with the ladies in the Guadalupe County FSA office to secure our Microloan and they were just awesome,” said Micheli. “You can tell that the employees work for us. It’s a government program where the people really care and try to get you set up quickly.”

Davis and Micheli are already talking about paying off this Microloan and applying for another Microloan to build a barn.

“This loan program gives hard working people the opportunity to move their business forward several huge leaps to become more successful,” said Micheli. “Without the equipment and improvements we made with the Microloan funds, it would have taken us 10 to 15 years to get where we are now.”

Texas led the country with the highest number of microloans, 268 totaling $5,377,100. To date, USDA has issued more than 4,900 microloans totaling $97 million.   Visit the FSA website to learn more about our farm loan programs.

Anthony Micheli and Brittany Davis operate a farmers’ market stand in Texas, selling vegetables grown with the aid of an FSA Microloan.

Teaching Kids Food Safety Tips for a Healthy Next Generation

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by James Croxon, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Congressional and Public Affairs, on March 20, 2014 at 11:30 AM

US Department of Agriculture’s mobile Discovery Zone is a hands-on vehicle that travels the nation educating children and parents about the four main principals of home food safety – clean, separate, cook and chill. For more information see www.fsis.usda.gov/foodsafetymobile/

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) ensures that America’s meat, poultry, and processed egg products are safe and wholesome. Educating the public on proper food handling practices is a core agency mission as well. It’s even more important when one considers the impact safe food handling practices have on children.

With a generation of children brought up relating the word “celebrity” to chefs just as readily as they do to athletes, food safety education has a more receptive audience among teens and young adults than ever before. With the help of parents and guardians, the current generation of children could have fewer preventable cases of foodborne illness than ever before.

The four food safety steps of Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill from the Food Safe Families campaign are key to achieving this goal and are easily taught to children. But we need your help getting those four words to become part of the lexicon of every American. Go ahead, say it with me: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill; Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill. Say it when you prepare every meal and demonstrate it to your children.

If you have questions, FSIS provides a number of resources that can provide answers. For consumer information about preventing foodborne illness, safe food handling and storage, and the safe preparation of meat, poultry and eggs, you can go on-line and ask Karen, FSIS’ food safety avatar. Ask Karen is an automated system containing answers to thousands of typical hotline questions with live chat available during specified weekday hours. Ask Karen is also available as a mobile app, available for Android and iOS devices.

Another resource is the Meat and Poultry hotline, where our food safety experts can personally answer your questions over the phone, live chat or through email on topics including safe food handling, product dating, product content, power outages and more. The hotline can be reached at 1-888-MPHotline (674-6854) or via e-mail at mphotline@fsis.usda.gov.

But wait. Like a late-night infomercial, there’s more. The agency’s food safety education exhibit, known as the Food Safety Discovery Zone (FSDZ), will be traveling to state and county fairs, community health fairs, festivals, and a host of other public events. When it stops, unpacks and opens its doors, volunteers greet visitors and pass out a variety of materials including coloring books, story books and food safety education pamphlets. The schedule will soon be posted on the agency’s website and tweeted from @USDAFoodSafety.

Whether in person at your local fairground, through a game on your iPhone or hopefully because Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill is now stuck in your head, FSIS is trying get the word out on safe food handling. We’ll continue to keep the meat heading to the supermarket and restaurants safe and wholesome; however, from there, we need your help.

Wetland Provides Sanctuary for People, Wildlife

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Renee Bodine, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Florida, on March 19, 2014 at 3:00 PM

Kelly McPherson walks the Spanish moss draped trail, where hikers view a variety of wildlife throughout the year. NRCS photo.

About 20 minutes south of downtown Gainesville, Fla. lies 1,060 acres of fresh water marsh, home to bobcat, wood duck, muskrat, bald eagle, sandhill crane and other wildlife species. This public land features six and a half miles of trails, which weave through Florida’s unique wetland landscape.

But the Levy Prairie wetland basin hasn’t always been a recreation getaway.

In the late 1960s, ranchers built levees around the area, dug canals and continually kept it drained for pastures to raise cattle. Then in 2001, one of the ranchers in the area decided to return the land to its natural state with the help of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

The landowner enrolled the land into a conservation easement through the former Wetlands Reserve Program, which provides financial assistance for farmers, ranchers and forest landowners who transform working lands into wetlands. The 2014 Farm Bill merged this program with two other easement programs, forming the Agricultural Conservation Easements Program.

NRCS specialists oversaw the restoration, repairing the levees and installing water control structures to give managers the ability to change the water levels and lessen downstream flooding. Re-flooding the marsh allowed native plants to get a foothold and return the system to an herbaceous marsh.

After the restoration was underway, Alachua County purchased the property for public use in 2009 as part of a land conservation program called Alachua County Forever. Kelly McPherson, Alachua County Environmental Protection Department land manager, works with NRCS to continue restoration and manage the property.

“Levy Prairie is a mosaic of diverse native vegetation,” she said. McPherson visits the marsh weekly to monitor the water levels, vegetation and wildlife habitat.

McPherson can describe how each season brings distinctive colors and unique wildlife to the wetland. In spring pink sprays of Decodon verticillatus dot green grass fields, in summer light green habenaria orchids open, and in fall cadmium yellow bur marigolds can be seen next to deep purple asters.

Birdwatchers head to the marsh to see sandhill cranes nesting in late winter and early spring. Bald eagles can be viewed between May and October. Members of the Alachua Audubon have caught sight and sound of willow flycatchers, an endangered species.

Recently, the county added a new kiosk on site that explains the ecological highlights of the marsh and painted bike stands sculpted into metal snakes teach visitors the differences between poisonous water moccasins and their look-alike harmless Florida water snakes.

The work isn’t done. Another leg of trail, perhaps a boardwalk is planned for a future phase. And, of course, wetlands evolve over the years and this one is already more than a decade in the making. But there is plenty of time, as the conservation easement protects the Levy Prairie easement forever.

To get started with NRCS, visit your local USDA Service Center or www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted.

NRCS installed water control structures that lessen downstream flooding. NRCS photo.

Produce Safety University: Supporting a Healthier Next Generation through School Food Safety!

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Brenda Halbrook, Director, Office of Food Safety for the Food and Nutrition Service, on March 19, 2014 at 2:00 PM

PSU students interact with a local farmer during one of the program’s field trips.

Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our children.  To reinforce that value, USDA is constantly working to ensure that kids are only being served safe, high quality meals.   That’s why we launched Produce Safety University (PSU) in 2010, to address the food safety issues related to fresh produce, particularly as it pertains to school food service.

A joint venture between USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and the Agricultural Marketing Service, PSU conducts five week-long classes each year to instruct school nutrition professionals and State Agency program directors.  The sessions focus on facts about the produce industry, produce safety, and produce use in school foodservice.  Last week we wrapped up our first session of 2014, at this highly informative event in Fredericksburg, Va.

Since schools are increasing the amount of fresh produce provided to their students, the training naturally attracts a great deal of interest.  And while fresh produce provides countless benefits, it must be handled safely to reduce the risk of food borne illness.  Harmful bacteria can reside in soil or water and come in contact with fresh produce at any point during growth, harvest, processing transportation, storage, preparation, or service.  And that’s why this education is so essential!

The curriculum addresses how to apply safety standards, including good agricultural practices, negotiations with local farmers, and ways to write specifications for both fresh and fresh-cut produce.  For those who have received Farm to School grants, PSU provides advice to help them establish Farm to School programs within their respective school districts.

Students receive materials to use at regional, state, and local trainings to include the key topics addressed during the PSU classes.  And by the end of fiscal year 2014, USDA will have trained some 750 school nutrition professionals over a four-year period.

USDA works tirelessly to support a healthier next generation, and ensuring food safety for our future leaders is an important step in that direction.

Farm to School Grants Offer New Opportunities to Serve healthy Local Foods in School Meals

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Matthew Benson, Program Analyst, USDA, FNS, Farm to School Program, on March 19, 2014 at 9:30 AM

On March 7, 2014, students at J.C. Nalle Elementary School sampled three different kinds of spinach. After the taste test, they cast their vote to decide which type they like best. The winner? Spinach salad! (Photo courtesy of D.C. Central Kitchen)

It’s not every day that I get the opportunity to hang out with a group of cool elementary school students.  Which is why I was so excited for the chance to spend a few hours at J.C. Nalle Elementary School in Southeast Washington, D.C. You see, it was “Fresh Feature Friday” and D.C. Central Kitchen was coordinating a taste test to see which type of spinach the students like best. “Fresh Feature Friday” is their way of getting kids to try healthy new foods while improving student nutrition and decreasing school food waste.

D.C. Central kitchen manages the school meals program at J.C. Nalle and has been involved with serving healthy school meals for years. In fact, in 2013, the USDA Farm to School Program awarded funds to D.C. Central Kitchen to develop a year round farm to school program. The funds helped purchase school kitchen equipment to process and serve local foods, train staff to prepare school meals using local foods, and develop key partnerships with D.C. Public Schools, the D.C. Farm to School Network, and several regional farms in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Recently, the USDA Farm to School Program also awarded funds to the D.C. Office of State Superintendent (OSSE) to support its farm to school efforts in under-served schools. Like the “Fresh Feature Friday,” OSSE is partnering with local and regional growers to coordinate a “Harvest of the Month” program that will promote local and regional foods to students and cafeteria staff. Their efforts will also include educational programs that teach students about horticulture and the importance of eating healthy foods. These are just two local examples of the fantastic efforts underway across the county to source more local foods in school meals. During the 2011-12 school year, schools in Washington, D.C. spent approximately $2.6 million dollars on local foods for school meals.

The USDA is currently soliciting proposals for the third round of its Farm to School Grant Program. In addition to planning grants, implementation grants, and support service grants, this year USDA has created a separate funding track to support farm to school trainings and events. Proposals are due on April 30, 2014 by 11:59 p.m. EST for the planning, implementation, and support service grants while letters of intent are due on April 2, 2014 by 11:59 p.m. EST for the new conferences/events track. More information about the Farm to School Grant Request for Applications is available at the USDA Farm to School Grant Program website.

Editor’s Note: To learn more about the USDA Farm to School Program, sign-up for the Farm to School E-letter.

USDA, Partners Work to Expand SNAP Access at Farmers Markets

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Kevin W. Concannon, USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, on March 18, 2014 at 4:00 PM

More than 4,200 markets and direct marketing farmers now redeem SNAP benefits across the country. Farmers’ market incentive programs, which couple access to healthy foods with incentives to purchase healthy products while at the market, help SNAP recipients consume a healthy diet.

As spring marches closer, farmers markets across the country are ramping up or reopening for the season. In addition to year-round staples like local milk, meat, and grains, the stars of the season—asparagus, onions, new potatoes, lamb, and greens of all varieties—are beginning to make their debuts. In a few months’ time, the markets will be in full swing, bursting with berries and zucchini and other summer fruits and vegetables. Here at USDA, we’re working hard to ensure participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have access to this healthful, local bounty.

Remarkable progress has been made in providing better access to the nation’s 8,200 farmers markets and farm stands; more than 4,200 markets and direct marketing farmers now redeem SNAP benefits.  Beyond providing heightened access to farmers markets, we know that coupling access with incentives to purchase healthy products while at the market helps SNAP recipients consume a healthy diet. A new report from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service makes clear that private sector organizations share the goal of increasing access and incentives, and are willing to dedicate financial resources to ensuring the success of this approach. Researchers for the Farmers Market Incentive Provider Study interviewed representatives from more than 100 organizations that provide financial incentives to SNAP participants redeeming their benefits at farmers markets.  Wholesome Wave is a great example of a not-for-profit organization that partners with 305 farmers markets in 24 states with nutrition incentive programs for doubling SNAP, WIC, and Senior Farmers Market vouchers at farmers markets.

The USDA report researched how these organizations design and run their incentive programs, how they choose markets to participate, and how they evaluate the success of their efforts. The study also identified challenges that they face; it’s no surprise that securing sustained funding topped the list.

Farmer’s market incentive programs are discovering new partnerships and affinities with health care organizations, local public health efforts, philanthropies, donors, and others in support of their work.  But the need for institutional local support far exceeds current private reserves.  In that regard, I am happy to report that the new Agriculture Act of 2014 enacted and signed by President Obama provides additional support for incentive programs.  Although the details are still being finalized, the legislation includes $100 million in grant money to provide federal matching funds for incentive projects that increase the amount of fruits and vegetables bought by SNAP households.  State, local, and tribal agencies; nonprofits; SNAP-authorized retailers; and economic development agencies, among others, are eligible to apply for the grants.

I’m encouraged by the efforts of the many incentive providers and partners highlighted in the study, and pleased that soon USDA will be able to contribute much needed financial resources to augment the impact of these important programs. It’s clear that in working together we can help SNAP participants fill their farmer’s market baskets with items sure to support a healthy diet and a healthy farm economy in communities across the country.

And that is the kind of ‘yield’ that both farmers and consumers alike can applaud.

Editor’s Note: To further enhance SNAP redemptions at farmers markets, USDA also recently funded the creation of MarketLink.org, a website that assists farmers markets in becoming SNAP-authorized and helps them determine whether they are eligible for no-cost Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) equipment.

ERS' Food Environment Atlas Maps the Interplay of Farmers' Markets and SNAP

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Jay Variyam, Director, Food Economics Division, Economic Research Service, on March 18, 2014 at 3:00 PM

About one in every four farmers’ markets across the country reported accepting SNAP benefits in 2013, according to statistics found in ERS’s updated Food Environment Atlas.

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.

As economists, we recognize that people respond to incentives, and prices are among the strongest incentives. So as the price of something falls, people will generally purchase more of it. It’s a principle that policymakers and health advocates sometimes apply to encourage healthy dietary choices—such as eating more fruits and vegetables. The Agricultural Act of 2014 sets up a new grant program to support projects that encourage participants in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to buy more fruits and vegetables. The grants will provide Federal matching funds to nonprofit and governmental organizations for projects that reduce the cost of fruits and vegetables to SNAP recipients. Many of these efforts currently focus on increasing SNAP recipients’ buying power at farmers’ markets.

Researchers at my agency, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), have harnessed the power of Geographic Information Systems to visually display where U.S. farmers’ markets are located and what portion of those markets reported accepting SNAP benefits as payment.  The farmers’ market data on SNAP benefit acceptance, based on reporting by the farmers’ markets, are among 22 new statistics recently added to ERS’s popular Food Environment Atlas.  The Atlas is an interactive tool for mapping a wide range of county-level indicators of the food environment, food assistance, and affordability—indicators such as distance to full-service grocery stores, incomes and poverty rates, health outcomes, and State-level participation rates for food assistance programs.

In 2013, about one in every four farmers’ markets reported accepting SNAP benefits. But, the proportion of SNAP-accepting farmers’ markets isn’t uniform across the country. In 156 counties, all farmers’ markets reported accepting SNAP benefits, and in 242 counties, over half of farmers’ markets reported accepting SNAP.  However, in about two-thirds of the counties with at least one farmers’ market, no markets reported accepting SNAP. Areas in the Northeast, Southwest, and along the West Coast have a relatively high percentage of farmers’ markets that report accepting SNAP.

The other new statistics in the Atlas include:

• Farmers’ markets that accept WIC vouchers and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program benefits
• State-level policies related to SNAP eligibility and reporting requirements (for example, allowing online application or simplified reporting for households with earnings)
• Food distribution sites operating on Indian reservations
• State-level rates of very low food security

By observing patterns of these and other food environment indicators and of health outcomes, such as diabetes and obesity rates, we can identify disparities, associations, and maybe, eventually, causes and solutions.

We encourage you to visit the U.S. Food Environment Atlas on the ERS website.

Young Farmers Build a Network to Grow Connecticut's Farming Future

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Carolyn Miller, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Connecticut, on March 18, 2014 at 2:00 PM

This committee planned the “Build Your Network, Grow Our Future.”

Getting the younger generation interested in farming is important for the future of American agriculture, and a recent event in Connecticut served as an education and network opportunity for beginning farmers.

The “Build Your Network, Grow Our Future” event held last month in East Windsor, Conn. attracted about 60 people to share resources and learn.

The purpose of the event was to help people new to the world of agriculture meet, make contacts, compare notes, give advice and inform others of services.

So, why focus on newcomers? Nationally, agricultural census figures from USDA show the fastest-growing group of farmers and ranchers is the segment over 65. With the population continuing to grow globally, there is a need for younger people to heed the call to farming and ranching.

At the conference, Wes Hannah, with the National Young Farmer Coalition, delivered a thought-provoking talk about the group and their efforts around the nation to bring together other people with the same goal – building communities.

Hannah talked about some of barriers that new and beginning farmers are experiencing, including lack of financing for start-ups, access to land for sale or lease, legal concerns and technical assistance once the farm is up and running. He also addressed the positives, including what he believes are exciting changes coming for these entrepreneurs with the 2014 Farm Bill.

“The sky is the limit with these types of networks popping up across the country,” Hannah said.

Following a series of breakout sessions, representatives from farm service providers including staff from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA), met one-on-one with farmers to answer questions, explain services their agencies provide and listen to issues.

“Small and beginning farmers face significant challenges in the coming years,” said Lisa Coverdale, state conservationist for NRCS in Connecticut. “It’s important for them to visit their local NRCS office and find out what kind of technical and financial assistance we can offer them in order for them to meet those challenges head on,” she said.

Asked about the efforts in her state, Coverdale says, “The approach used in Connecticut can be used as a national model for how service providers and industry work with beginning, new farmers to interact and move forward, together.”

NRCS offers technical and financial assistance to farmers and ranchers wanting to implement conservation on land they own or lease. To get started with NRCS, visit your local USDA Service Center or www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted.

Participants left with a list of 10 next steps, including signing up for NRCS’ email blast and visiting agency’s Web Soil Survey.

FSA offers loans and other program opportunities for farmers and ranchers. These efforts are part of a broader effort of USDA to help small and mid-sized farmers and ranchers.

USDA’s state leaders in Connecticut, Bryan Hurlburt with Farm Service Agency and Lisa Coverdale with Natural Resources Conservation Service, met with Wes Hannah (center), organizer of the National Young Farmer Coalition.

US Forest Service Mobilizes to Save Cavity Birds

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Kristen Nelson, Recreation, Heritage and Volunteer Services, U.S. Forest Service, on March 18, 2014 at 12:00 PM

An owl seems to plead for help after getting stuck in a vault toilet. A movement to save birds from serious injury and death garnered a Wings Across the Americas Award for the Teton Raptor Center of Jackson Hole, Wyo., and employees from several national forests. (Photo courtesy Teton Raptor Center)

Small owls, such as western screech and northern saw whet owls, weigh between 3 and 7 ounces, or about the same weight as a small cell phone or a deck of cards.

They prefer dark, narrow spaces for nesting and roosting, which is why they are called cavity birds. Their habitat preferences make them prone to using man-made features, such as open pipes, that mimic their natural nesting and roosting cavities. But on some public lands, that natural act of finding habitat in ventilation pipes has led to their death.

The resolution that could save thousands of birds resulted in an award from Wings Across the Americas, a program of the U.S. Forest Service and its partners to conserve birds, bats, butterflies and dragonflies across all landscapes and boundaries. The project received the Habitat Management and Partnership Award, shared with Forest Service employees and the Teton Raptor Center in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

Many public agencies use vault toilets to manage sanitary waste on their lands, and the ventilation pipes seem to attract the birds. The small owls enter the hole at the top of the vent, fall down the vertical pipe and land in the waste holding reservoir. The small size and weight of the birds make it impossible for them to gain any lift to escape.

In 2011, the Teton Raptor Center heard about the problem and decided to do something.

Roger Smith, founder of Teton Raptor Center, said a photo of an owl peering up from the reservoir made him realize the need for “…a real, tangible conservation project that people could understand and commit to – preventing bird mortality from a man-made problem by covering the hole with a screen.”

As a non-profit organization with a mission focused on conservation, education and rehabilitation, the Teton Raptor Center resolved to launch a public awareness campaign:  the Port-O-Potty Owl Project. Of course, it quickly gained the nickname “Poo-Poo Project.”

Unbeknownst to Smith was the collaboration between Gerardo Chavarria, a Forest Service regional engineer based in Denver, and Greg Hayward, an agency wildlife ecologist working in Alaska. Hayward sought out Chavarria because he wanted an engineering fix to prevent the bird deaths.

“His concern was contagious and provided a challenge for me to investigate if there was a cost effective way to screen the toilet vent stacks without too much negative effect on air flow out of the stacks.” he said.

Chavarria used his engineering skills to design a screen that would not adversely affect the functional design of a vault toilet. In fact, his work helped to advance the quick fixes the raptor center sought on vault toilets on three national forests in Wyoming. Chavarria’s advance research determined the types of screen that would work, which allowed the raptor center and the Forest Service to immediately cap the toilet vents.

Because the need and resolution were already pre-determined, Forest Service employees Joe Harper of the Shoshone National Forest, Tammy Fletcher of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and Bernadette Barthelenghi of the Bridger-Teton National Forest could more quickly answer the raptor center’s call.

Harper brought the awareness of what happened to the birds to the forest, and all vault toilets are now screened and any new toilets and pipes also will be screened. Fletcher helped to secure grant funding to purchase screens for the Caribou-Targhee and all participating land agencies within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. And Barthelenghi made the work possible on her forest and worked to ensure the project and solution were shared with all agency offices.

Joe Alexander, forest supervisor on the Shoshone, said they partnered with community organizations to help install the necessary screens.  Local chapters of the Audubon Society and Boy Scouts engaged on this real world problem and helped to make a difference.

“The Shoshone National Forest prides itself on being the leader in conservation,” Alexander said. “After implementation of these new toilets it became apparent that some small efforts could go a long ways in protecting our avian resources.

The Wings Across the Americas awards were presented March 12 during the 79^th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. Other award winners are:

• The Barto Fen Restoration Project on the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri received the first Dragonfly Conservation Award for one of the largest and most genetically diverse populations of this dragonfly.

• The Monitoring and Conservation of Black-Backed Woodpecker in Burned Forests project received the Research Management & Partnership award. Since 2008, several organizations, including the Pacific Southwest Regional Office of the U.S. Forest Service and the Institute for Bird Populations, worked to better integrate the habitat needs of the bird into forest management plans.

• The Bat Cave Gating Project on the Mark Twain National Forest also received the Bat Conservation Award. The forest is home to a large gray bat maternity colony, and the project’s goal is to protect the bats by closing nearby trails and installing chute gauges and flyover gates at entrances of bat maternity caves.

• The Migratory Shorebird Project: Connecting Communities of the Americas through Research for Conservation received the International Cooperation Award. The project looks at two species, the Western Sandpiper and the Pacific population of the Dunlin, measures their response to management actions, studies what influence population changes and educates people on the importance of wetland resources all along the Pacific Coast of the Americas.

• The University of Minnesota Monarch Lab received the Communities in Conservation award.  For more than 20 years, the lab has linked academic research with community outreach programs associated with monarch conservation.