Category Archives: Features

Researcher Find Way to Extend Shelf Life of Tomato

Posted on February 22, 2011 by tanya brown

Nearly 20 percent of all tomatoes are lost due to spoilage, according to the USDA Economic Research Service. To help alleviate that problem and give the fruit a longer shelf life, researchers are manipulating compounds known as polyamines that play … Continue reading →

Posted in Features | Comments Off on Researcher Find Way to Extend Shelf Life of Tomato

Exports on List of Topics During 2011 Ag Forum

Posted on February 16, 2011 by tanya brown

Exports will be the focus of two highly anticipated sessions on Thursday, Feb. 24 during this year’s Agricultural Outlook Forum in Arlington, Va. USDA’s latest quarterly export forecast will be released that same day and will surely serve as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Features | Comments Off on Exports on List of Topics During 2011 Ag Forum

FSA Has Timely Presence at Cattlemen’s Convention

Posted on February 7, 2011 by tanya brown

 Nearly 6,000 producers and cattle industry representatives attended the 2011 National Cattlemen's Beef Association Convention in Denver. Colo. to glean the most up-to-date information pertaining to the complex industry that is livestock production. By Brenda Carlson, regional public affairs specialist, … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Regional Posts | Comments Off on FSA Has Timely Presence at Cattlemen’s Convention

Women Largest Minority Group in U.S. Agriculture

Posted on January 19, 2011 by tanya brown

More than 300,000 women operate farms across the U.S., making them the largest minority group in agriculture. National Public Radio interviewed two female farmers and asked them the role women play in the agriculture industry. (NPR) Listen to the story.

Posted in Features | Comments Off on Women Largest Minority Group in U.S. Agriculture

New Vaccine Saves Poultry from Deadly Disease

Posted on January 18, 2011 by tanya brown

Researchers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service have developed a vaccine that reduces the mortality and severity of a common poultry disease. Newcastle disease attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal or nervous system of chickens and in its severest form can destroy … Continue reading →

Posted in Features | Comments Off on New Vaccine Saves Poultry from Deadly Disease

Japanese Officials Take GIS Lesson from Oregon FSA

Posted on January 14, 2011 by tanya brown

Oregon FSA members welcomed Japanese visitors who came to learn about the Geographical Information Systems. From l to r: Kent Willett, FSA GIS specialist; Hiroaki Shima, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tokyo, Japan; Lynn Voigt, FSA Oregon state executive … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Regional Posts | Comments Off on Japanese Officials Take GIS Lesson from Oregon FSA

Alabama Landowner Grows Produce in Winter, Models Conservation Practices

Posted on January 10, 2011 by tanya brown

On a recent December day, Earl and Clarisse Snell, of Skipperville, Ala., proudly showed off the summer squash and tomatoes they were still growing at the start of winter thanks to the seasonal high tunnel they built earlier in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Regional Posts | Comments Off on Alabama Landowner Grows Produce in Winter, Models Conservation Practices

Best Way to Run Producer Programs an Ongoing Process

Posted on January 7, 2011 by tanya brown

Farm Service Agency programs designed to help producers protect the environment and weather hard economic times have been around for some time and are still popular among farmers and ranchers; however, learning the best way to run these programs is … Continue reading →

Posted in Features | Comments Off on Best Way to Run Producer Programs an Ongoing Process

Indiana FSA Employee Retires After 45 Years of Service

Posted on January 6, 2011 by tanya brown

For 45 years Jay Gould served local farmers and ranchers. Last month, the 71-year-old retired from the Decatur, Ind., Farm Service Agency, where he helped service more than 1,600 producers in the area. For Gould, it was part of his … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Regional Posts | Comments Off on Indiana FSA Employee Retires After 45 Years of Service

Texas FSA Brings Holiday Cheer to Six Needy Families

Posted on December 21, 2010 by tanya brown

Texas FSA state office employees sponsored six families from Snook, TX. Food, toys and clothing were donated to make the holidays better for these families.   The Texas Farm Service Agency (FSA) shared their holiday spirit by making Christmas special … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Regional Posts | Comments Off on Texas FSA Brings Holiday Cheer to Six Needy Families