Resources are available to producers affected by the severe weather affecting most of the United States. A reminder was issued last Friday by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack reassuring farmers hit by floods, tornadoes, drought and fires, that USDA is working hard to assist those in need. "America's farmers and rural communities are vitally important to our nation's economy and our values, and my heart goes out to all who are facing hardships because of severe weather and natural disasters," said Vilsack. Learn more.

While most teens are trying to keep busy this summer, Jacob Schindler is on the speaking circuit and applying for research grants. The 17-year-old has invented a way to combat Kudzu, an invasive plant that has taken over millions of acres of land throughout the Southeast and is on Federal Noxious Weed List.

A taskforce designed to streamline day-to-day FSA operations in response to department-wide budget constraints is joining forces with the latest employee feedback initiative.

The Best Practices Taskforce was initiated in March 2011 to develop innovative ideas that could generate cost-savings and incorporate greater efficiencies throughout FSA’s state and county offices. State executive directors served as primary participants on the taskforce, which was started by former acting FSA Administrator Val Dolcini and chaired by Julia Wickard, Indiana state executive director.

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Staff searching for a central location to find solutions to their software questions have a place to turn.

The Quick Tips and Resource Links site, or QTips is now available to help answer specific questions about Microsoft Office programs such as Word, PowerPoint or Outlook, and other software applications. Want to know how to use formulas in an Excel spreadsheet or how to change margins in a Word document, just connect to QTips. Learn how to shorten a long URL or get assistance on  Adobe Acrobat Reader. Whatever the problem, QTips can help assist in  identifying a resource.Employees can ask or answer any type of query, post targeted tips and guide sheets or recommend external resource links. The site is indexed, easily searchable and is run by employees for employees.

To sign on to QTips, visit the FSA SharePoint site at https://fsa.sc.egov.usda.gov/QTips/default.aspx.

More than 17,000 complaints of employment discrimination were filed by federal employees and applicants during fiscal year 2010, a 3.75 percent increase over last year. According to the Annual Report on the Federal Work Force issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, retaliation was the most common allegation followed by age and race. Each federal agency is responsible for handling their own complaints. Read more (FedSmith).  

Federal pay raises and bonuses are on a short leash. A memo issued last month by Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry told agencies not to give within-grade step increases to employees who are rated lower than fully successful. Another memo, issued a couple of days later, placed restrictions on employee bonuses beginning in October. The measure comes as part of the budget belt-tightening and political pressure from critics that site a generous federal pay system. Read more (Federal Times).  

The Florida orange forecast for the 2010-11 growing season was reduced to 139 million boxes, but still remains above the 133.6 million produced in 2009-10. According to a report by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, grapefruit production remains at 19.9 million boxes while tangerine production is steady at 4.6 million boxes. Review the report.