Author Archives: tanya brown

USDA Master Gardeners Tour Village of Herbal Healing

Posted on July 28, 2010 by tanya brown

  To the untrained eye, a trip through Jim Duke’s Herbal Village in Fulton, Md., looks like a homestead for weeds and other unwanted vegetation. But for a group of master gardeners from the People’s Garden initiative, it was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Regional Posts | Comments Off on USDA Master Gardeners Tour Village of Herbal Healing

Deadline Approaching to Submit Nominations for FSA County Committees

Posted on July 28, 2010 by tanya brown

Producers interested in submitting nominations for local Farm Service Agency County Committees only have a few days to do so. County committees help local farmers by making decisions on commodity price support loans, conservation programs and disaster programs, and by … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Comments Off on Deadline Approaching to Submit Nominations for FSA County Committees

New Books 24×7 Feature Seeks Inner Genius

Posted on July 28, 2010 by tanya brown

A new feature has been added to Books 24×7 in AgLearn that will allow USDA employees to seek out and collaborate with other employees to gain insight and generate new ideas. InGenius enables learners to add content, including notes, comments … Continue reading →

Posted in Features | Comments Off on New Books 24×7 Feature Seeks Inner Genius

Virginia FSA Donates 1.5 Tons of Watermelons to Needy

Posted on July 28, 2010 by tanya brown

 FSA and NRCS employees harvested and donated 1.5 tons of watermelons. Pictured l to r: Roger Hobson, NRCS; Sharon Rust, FSA; Walker Jones, FSA; Ken Upshaw, FSA; Robert Taylor, FSA. More than 1.5 tons of watermelons have been harvested and … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Regional Posts | Comments Off on Virginia FSA Donates 1.5 Tons of Watermelons to Needy

General Sign-Up for Conservation Reserve Program Opens Aug. 2

Posted on July 26, 2010 by tanya brown

USDA will launch a general sign-up next month that will give farmers and ranchers a chance to offer their land to help protect millions of acres of topsoil from erosion and improve the nation’s natural resources. Producers enrolling in the Conservation Reserve … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Comments Off on General Sign-Up for Conservation Reserve Program Opens Aug. 2

Illinois People’s Garden Donates 700 Pounds of Produce to Food Bank

Posted on July 23, 2010 by tanya brown

A People’s Garden in Springfield, Ill., donated more than 700 pounds of produce to a regional food bank this week. Loads of sweet corn, green beans, summer squash, green peppers and tomatoes were donated to the Central Illinois Foodbank that … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Comments Off on Illinois People’s Garden Donates 700 Pounds of Produce to Food Bank

Report: Foreign People Own 1.7 Percent of Private U.S. Agricultural Land

Posted on July 22, 2010 by tanya brown

A report of foreign holdings of U.S. agricultural land shows that foreign people own 1.7 percent of all privately held U.S. agricultural land and 0.98 percent of all land in the United States. That’s a 1.3 million acre increase from … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Comments Off on Report: Foreign People Own 1.7 Percent of Private U.S. Agricultural Land

FSA Farm Loan Manager Remembered

Posted on July 22, 2010 by tanya brown

David E. Kessel was buried Wednesday, July 21, on his family farm in West Virginia.  The 51-year-old Farm Service Agency farm loan manager from Martinsburg, W.Va., was killed last week while traveling to meet one of his farm-loan clients.  FSA … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Comments Off on FSA Farm Loan Manager Remembered

Chef’s Seek Out Personal Farmers to Supply Fresh Fruits, Vegetables

Posted on July 22, 2010 by tanya brown

It used to be that farmers would solicit restaurants to use their fresh fruits and vegetables. Today, more and more restaurants are seeking out local farmers to not only provide everyday vegetables, but plant and grow specialty items like cardoons … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Comments Off on Chef’s Seek Out Personal Farmers to Supply Fresh Fruits, Vegetables

York County in Pennsylvania Named Natural Disaster Area

Posted on July 21, 2010 by tanya brown

USDA has named York County in Pennsylvania a primary natural disaster area due to losses caused by a storm and hail that destroyed fruit crops and wheat. Other counties in Pennsylvania also qualify for emergency assistance as well as several counties … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Comments Off on York County in Pennsylvania Named Natural Disaster Area