Washington DC -May 14- As communities and organizations get behind the First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign to solve the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation, one group that could have a tremendous impact on the health and well being of children are the Nation’s chefs.

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Washington DC - April 9 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the presence of Guignardia citricarpa, or citrus black spot, in Florida. Citrus black spot causes early fruit drop, reduces crop yield and renders the highly blemished fruit unmarketable.

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Washington DC - March 10 - Corn harvested area declined 10,000 acres in Michigan, but was unchanged in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Corn production in the U.S. is estimated at 13.1 billion bushels, down fractionally from previous estimates.

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Washington DC - March 1 - Agriculture Deputy Secretary Merrigan announced the availability of $5 Million in funding for the Farmers Market Promotion Program with a goal of improved food access in local, rural and underserved communities to promote the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms.

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Washington DC - February 19 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration are working together to achieve the goals of enhancing the safety and quality of fresh produce in ways that take into account the wide diversity of farming operations.

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Washington DC - February 1 - USDA announces the availability of approximately $55 million for block grants to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).

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Washington DC - February 1 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced USDA’s intention to purchase $29.1 million worth of blueberry, pear, potato, peach and mixed fruit products for federal food nutrition assistance programs.

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Washington DC - November 12 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced USDA’s intention to purchase $82.6 million worth of pork, cherry, plum and apple products for federal food nutrition assistance programs.

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Washington DC - October 16 - Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced the award of 55 grants totaling approximately $49 million for 745 projects to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.

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Washington DC - October 9 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack launched the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) with a major speech regarding the role of science and research at USDA.

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Washington DC - October 8 - Agriculture Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Rajiv Shah announced more than $11 million in Coordinated Agricultural Project awards to significantly advance research, education and extension in applied plant genomics.

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Washington DC - October 6 - USDA’s fresh produce chief will join FDA to develop new food safety rules, as part of a cooperative initiative between FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

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Washington DC - October 5 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the number of farmers markets in the United States is up more than 13 percent from a year ago. A recent update of the online Farmers Market Directory lists 5,274 markets nationwide, up from 4,685 reported in 2008.

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Washington DC - October 2 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is conducting the USDA Fruit Chemical Use Survey. This survey, last conducted in 2007, provides data about agricultural chemical use on fruit crops in the United States.

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Washington DC - September 18 - The U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service released “Opening a Farmers Market on Federal Property: A Guide for Market Operators and Building Managers.”

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