Author: Site Owner

The gopher tortoise is the keystone species of longleaf pine forests as its burrows provide shelter to 360 other species.

The gopher tortoise earned its name for good reason – because it likes to dig and spends much of its time underground. The gopher tortoise, the Southeast’s only land-dwelling tortoise, burrows in the sandy soils below longleaf pine forests where it can escape heat and danger.

Its burrows are popular. About 360 other species, from rattlesnakes to rabbits, toads, and northern bobwhite take advantage of the underground real estate provided by the tortoise, what biologists call a keystone species because other species depend on it.

But the gopher tortoise has suffered population declines, parallel with the loss of its habitat, America’s longleaf pine forests. Longleaf pine forests once stretched from Texas to Virginia, but in the past two centuries their range has declined by almost 97 percent.

The biodiversity of longleaf pine forests, especially their lush forest floors, rivals the Amazon rainforest.

By restoring and better managing longleaf forests, landowners are stepping up to help the gopher tortoise. Here’s how landowners are voluntarily providing shell-ter for the gopher tortoise:

Use of prescribed fire: Landowners carefully burn forests, mimicking historic conditions where natural fire frequently swept through the landscape. Fire keeps woody competition in check within longleaf pine stands and promotes the growth of a lush understory, filled with an assortment of wildflowers and native grasses.

Managing brush: Fire is not the only way to promote the growth of a healthy understory. Invasive and undesired plants can be removed mechanically or using EPA-approved chemicals. This stimulates new plant growth, easy-to-reach for the gopher tortoise, which stands about a foot high.

Restoring forests: Landowners are planting new forests, helping expand the longleafs’ footprint back out to its original range.

Use of prescribed grazing: Livestock and longleaf can live in harmony. By preventing the overgrazing of pastures and using silvopasture (a practice where landowners produce trees and livestock in the same place), landowners are improving the health of the longleaf landscape.

Protecting forests: Landowners are taking advantage of conservation easement programs, receiving payment for their protection of key habitats.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical and financial assistance to landowners to help restore and better manage longleaf forests. Through this assistance, NRCS works with landowners to plan and implement conservation practices, and even covers part of the costs.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the gopher tortoise as threatened in the western part of its range in 1987, and it is now a candidate for listing in the remainder of its range. With 80 percent of gopher tortoise habitat falling on private lands, this voluntary work by landowners is critically important to conserving and recovering the species so that further regulation is not necessary. This work also benefits many other game and non-game species, including northern bobwhite, white-tailed deer and an assortment of migratory birds.

NRCS is focusing habitat restoration for the gopher tortoise through Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW), the agency’s science-based effort to aid species in need. Because of the work of landowners through WLFW, species like the greater sage-grouse and New England cottontail are on the rebound. Since 2012, landowners have restored 278,000 acres of gopher tortoise habitat.

During the next two years, NRCS plans to work with landowners to restore, enhance and protect more than 200,000 additional acres, outlined in a new implementation strategy that the agency released in October. This strategy uses new priority areas for conservation, which were developed in concert with partnering agencies and non-government organizations to best align efforts and net the highest biological returns.

Landowners interested in receiving assistance to aid the gopher tortoise by restoring, enhancing and protecting longleaf forests should contact their local USDA service center.

Through Working Lands for Wildlife, NRCS is focusing habitat restoration efforts for the gopher tortoise in these priority areas for conservation.

Chefs Dan Blumenthal and Nick Wallace of the Up in Farms Food Hub ownership team standing on the dock of the food hub in Jackson, MS. Photo courtesy, Soul City Hospitality

“Not today,” said Mr. Leonard Keyes as he and Dr. John Stanley surveyed the plot of land on Keyes’ farm in Mize, Mississippi. “Too dry.” Stanley stood beside him holding a tray of squash transplants and nodding his head in agreement.

Earlier that morning, Stanley, sourcing manager for Up in Farms Food Hub, had visited the farm of Mr. James Gregory about 30 miles down the road in Florence. He’d brought Gregory some of the same transplants—some nice-looking seedlings from Standing Pine Nursery in Byram. John had stood beside Gregory, too, and surveyed that plot of land. “Not today,” said Gregory. “Too wet!”

Keyes and Gregory are part of a community of African-American farmers in Mississippi who have had full lives and careers outside of farming but never lost touch with the land. Growing food better than anyone else is what gets Gregory—a Vietnam War veteran—up every morning. “This is my life. It’s my passion. No one grows a better watermelon than James Gregory!”

James Gregory of Gregory and Sons Farm in Florence, MS, contemplates the morning harvest. Photo courtesy, Soul City Hospitality

But Stanley reflects on the conundrum these farmers face. “They are resilient. And they grow amazing produce. But they are constrained by their current inability to manage the water on their land. That constraint disrupts the timing, quality and quantity of their harvest, making it very difficult for them to fill consistent commercial contracts.”

That’s where Jackson-based Up in Farms comes in. It’s the first business to emerge from Soul City Hospitality, started in 2014 by entrepreneurs, restauranteurs and chefs to develop and support businesses that lead to Mississippi having a resilient and sustainable local food system—one that contributes to the health and wealth of all Mississippians.

Gregory and Keyes are just two of the farmers Up in Farms is working with who face similar irrigation and drainage issues. The harvest-timing issues also pose a challenge for the hub as it tries to fulfill orders placed by a group of local grocery stores who are supporting the hub’s fall growing plan.

Vowell’s Marketplace, McDade’s Marketplace, Ramey’s Grocery and Piggly Wiggly are excited to support their local producers, but stressed the need for consistency in the timing and quality of the orders. “We want to help redevelop the communities our stores serve,” says Todd Vowell, president of Vowell’s Marketplace, “and we depend on Up in Farms Food Hub to get local product at the price and the quality that our customers expect and deserve.”

With these concerns in mind, Up in Farms approached USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) about irrigation and drainage improvements for 23 of its farmers. Walter Jackson, a conservation agronomist for NRCS in Mississippi said, “It’s not just about the water wells and irrigation; the fundamental opportunity for these farmers really lies in good soil management—which can simultaneously reduce the need for irrigation and protect against drought.”

Now Up in Farms and NRCS are working together on a proposed suite of Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), a voluntary program that helps private landowners plan and implement conservation practices that improve soil, water, plant, animal, air and related natural resources on agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland. “We recognize the quality of these smaller scale producers,” says NRCS State Conservationist for Mississippi Kurt Readus. “They’ve been terrific stewards of their own land for decades. Including them in our EQIP program will help them address some significant resource concerns with respect to water quantity and sedimentation—while also helping them reach their productivity potential.”

This kind of collaboration is exactly what Jacqueline Davis-Slay, director of public and private partnerships for NRCS, had in mind when she helped forge a cooperative agreement with Soul City Hospitality—the parent company of Up in Farms Food Hub.

Soul City is a Value Chain Coordinator in the USDA Food LINC program, helping strengthen and grow local and regional food supply chains for both economic and social good. They literally connect farms to tables by working with producers, transportation, packaging, processing, storage and retailers.

“We saw an opportunity working with them to connect the dots on the ground between environmental and economic sustainability. Through this partnership, we’re using conservation stewardship to promote economic growth in some rural communities that truly need it,” said Slay.

David Watkins, Jr. represents Soul City in the Food LINC program. He said, “Our primary goal is to help producers in economically distressed areas earn a living growing food at a price the people in that community can afford. But the farmers can’t do it alone. That’s why it’s so exciting to see government agencies, academic institutions and local buyers come together to help solve this.”

Watkins added that Mississippi State University’s Truck Crops Experiment Station in Crystal Springs is also playing a vital role in this fall’s growing program. “We had eight crops in our fall suite, until MSU came to us with a proposal for a broccoli trial,” Watkins said. “Members of the Mileston Cooperative took the transplants. Hopefully after this trial, we will know enough about growing broccoli here for it to be a centerpiece of next season’s suite of crops.”

More information about the broccoli trial is available in a short YouTube video titled Up in Farms Food Hub, Fall 2016 Broccoli trail.

Up in Farms Food Hub co-owner Chef Nick Wallace speaks with Charles Beady of the Mississippi Food Network and independent produce stand operator R.L. Lewis on the dock of the Up in Farms Food Hub in Jackson, MS. Photo courtesy, Soul City Hospitality

MyPlate, MyState brings communities together to promote healthy eating and increase awareness and appreciation for local farmers, ranchers, and producers.

Do you enjoy snapping photos of your colorful dinners or trying recipes with fresh, local foods from the Farmers Market or garden? If your answer is yes, you’ll love our latest MyPlate, MyState campaign! This October, we’re kicking things into high gear with a call to action for all Americans:

Show how you use local foods from your state and region to create balanced meals by taking a picture of your plate and sharing on social media using hashtag #MyPlateMyState.

Throughout October, follow MyPlate on Twitter and Facebook for more ways you can engage with #MyPlateMyState; we will highlight state agricultural activities, emphasize seasonal foods, and celebrate fun food holidays, like Pumpkin Day! Additionally, every state and territory has a specific state page on ChooseMyPlate.gov; look to these pages for information on foods commonly grown, raised, or produced in your state and much more. These pages will give you ideas for ingredients to use for your #MyPlateMyState posts or tweets. Here are some examples of easy scenarios to snap a #MyPlateMyState photo:

• Picking apples at a local orchard? Post a picture of the bounty you picked and the meal you made using the apples when you got home.
• Heading down to the wharf to buy local seafood? Snap a photo of your fresh purchase and the creative recipe you used for your balanced seafood dinner!
• Use your CSA (community-supported agriculture) goodies to make a MyPlate-inspired dish! Share your plate with a #MyPlateMyState pic.

The goals of MyPlate, MyState are to:

• Connect people to their local farmers and farmers markets
• Support local and regional agriculture
• Celebrate homegrown pride, foods, and recipes
• Motivate Americans to move towards healthier eating and living
• Bring communities together around healthy eating

MyPlate, MyState aligns with our MyPlate, MyWins campaign, which is designed to help Americans find a healthy eating style that works for them through small changes that can be maintained over time. MyPlate, MyState expands on this by focusing on local foods, flavors, and recipes. Personalizing your plate with your favorite local and seasonal foods may be the key to help you create recipes and balanced meals that work for your healthy eating style that you can use into the future! Additionally, MyPlate, MyState brings communities together to increase awareness and appreciation for local farmers, ranchers, and producers.

We hope everyone shows pride in their state, their local foods, and their plates by posting #MyPlateMyState photos. When you post, consider including a list of the local foods pictured on your plate. Show creativity, be colorful, and get healthy!

For more information on MyPlate, MyState, visit www.choosemyplate.gov/mystate

Colorful displays highlight nutritious choices in school lunchrooms.

Teenagers at several schools across the country are working together with school nutrition staff to make changes to the school cafeteria.  Informed by Smarter Lunchrooms’ research, these students are promoting healthful foods to their peers and having a say in menu offerings.  Team Nutrition Training Grants help fund a number of school activities that engage students in nutrition education and wellness activities.  To learn more about Team Nutrition Training Grant activities, visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/team-nutrition-training-grants.

The following guest blog describes how Iowa high school students worked with school nutrition staff to alter the way fruits and vegetables are offered in their school cafeteria. Following the changes, other students have taken notice of the new colorful displays, creative menu names, and signs promoting the salad bars. Reading their story, you’ll learn about innovative ways to engage youth in school wellness efforts.

By Carrie Scheidel, MPH, Team Nutrition Co-Director, Iowa Department of Education

As teachers prepared their classrooms for the new school year, school nutrition professionals and students in Iowa were working to make their lunchrooms smarter.   A partnership between the University of Iowa Public Policy Center – College of Public Health, Iowa Department of Education, and five Iowa high schools worked to apply Smarter Lunchrooms’ techniques to make healthy choices easier at school.

Smarter Lunchrooms’ techniques apply simple and low-cost changes to school cafeterias based upon principles developed by the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs (BEN). Often times, a few low or no cost changes can make a difference in what students eat and how they feel about their school lunch choices.  The key ingredient in Iowa’s Smarter Lunchrooms’ efforts: student participation.

“The Smarter Lunchroom movement has been implemented across the country, but we are enhancing the process by bringing students in from the start,” says Natoshia Askelson, assistant professor and project lead at the College of Public Health.

After meeting with each school individually to train teachers, school nutrition directors and students on Smarter Lunchrooms’ techniques, researchers from the College of Public Health prompted students and school staff to complete a Smarter Lunchrooms self-assessment.  Students answered questions about how well their cafeteria focused on fruit, promoted vegetables and salads, and displayed low-fat, unflavored milk, and then photographed what they observed. The students then worked with the school nutrition director to make changes based upon their self-assessment findings. Students at the participating schools soon started noticing the changes made in their lunchrooms, such as newly named menu items, posters and murals, and more vegetable and fruit offerings.

After the changes were made, students in the participating high schools had more favorable perceptions about the foods served at school meals. Students involved in the Smarter Lunchrooms assessments demonstrated an increased understanding of the opportunities and constraints facing school nutrition staff in offering healthy school meals.  School nutrition directors also reported gaining insight into the types of foods that appeal to students and what students want in a lunchroom designed to promote healthy choices.  Askelson says, “We want students to walk into a lunchroom where the healthy choice is the fun and easy choice, not the choice they have to think about.”

The schools that were part of the project are excited to maintain the changes and look to make more throughout the new school year.  The University of Iowa has developed an infographic highlighting student and food service experience and perceptions, identified changes and most common lunchroom additions, and created a student survey for other schools interested in implementing Smarter Lunchroom practices.

Forest Service Research Botanist Jonathan Palmer holds a DNA sequencing chip. Photo credit: US Forest Service

When a little brown bat discovered near North Bend, Washington, in March tested positive for White-nose Syndrome or WNS, scientists had a lot of questions.

The bat was found nearly 1,300 miles from the nearest confirmed case of WNS in eastern North America, so the most pressing question was about the strain of fungus causing this disease: was this a known strain of the WNS-fungus, was this an entirely new strain from elsewhere in the world, or was this the same clone of fungus that has been spreading throughout the eastern United States since 2006?

Forest Service scientists in Madison, Wisconsin, helped answer that question. They worked with other scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center to isolate and perform next-generation DNA-sequencing of the entire organism from the fungus found on the bat in Washington, as well as from multiple other strains of the fungus found in eastern North America and Europe.

Research Plant Pathologist Dan Lindner and Research Botanist Jonathan Palmer of the Forest Service’s Northern Research Station performed the sequencing and analysis of the DNA, discovering that the fungal strain in Washington matched the same strains of fungus that has ravaged bat populations in the eastern United States.

Lindner has been quoted saying that because of these scientific advances, information on biology, in the near future, could produce more information than many big-data generators such as YouTube or Twitter.

“It’s exciting to be in the biology field right now,” Lindner said. “Advances in the last five years have revolutionized our ability to quickly sequence and analyze vast amounts of DNA, which has created a renaissance of information. Obviously, it’s very satisfying for scientists to use new DNA tools to answer questions that can help determine how to manage and potentially offset the devastating effects of this disease.”

Lindner went on to say, “Bats are critical parts of our ecosystems, consuming vast numbers of mosquitoes and agricultural pests, so we are doing everything we can to understand and combat this disease.”

October 5th, 2016|Tags: recreation|0 Comments

.fusion-fullwidth-1 {
padding-left: px !important;
padding-right: px !important;
}

By Doyle Irvin, American Forests

The Northeast is simply one of the most beautiful places to be during the fall season. Add a dash of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and our fall foliage guide will help you explore the best views the northern U.S. has to offer. Relish in the magnificent hues of crimson, amber and gold this fall in these special locations picked by American Forests.

Mohawk Trail, Massachusetts

The Mohawk Trail is renowned as one of the premier destinations in the Northeast for nature-loving vacationers, and any traveler who finds themselves there during the fall season should count themselves lucky. Given that the trail accesses more than 50,000 acres of state parks, our guide will be very useful for those planning the perfect afternoon, day or weekend in this incredible scenery.

Places to stop along the trail:

View from the Bridge of Flowers. Credit: Jim Liestman via Flickr.

• Greenfield, Mass.
  The town of Greenfield is an ideal location to begin your journey, with a number of charming cafes to help fuel you up before you set off.
• Bridge of Flowers
  From Greenfield, you will want to head east to the Bridge of Flowers, which during October will be blooming with dahlias, Montauk daisies, roses, Russian Sage and a whole variety of other foliage.
• “Hail to the Sunrise” statue
  The next destination is the “Hail to the Sunrise” statue located in Charlemont, Mass. Honoring the five Mohawk Nations that lived in Massachusetts, the monument is an iconic stop on the trail.
• Williams College
  Your final destination will be Williams College, in Williamstown, Mass., home of the Purple Cows and one of the most beautiful campuses in America. There you will find varieties of maple, beech, magnolia, birch, pine, ash and oak — and if you decide to venture indoors you can find original copies of the Four Founding Documents of the United States in the library of rare books.

Lake of the Clouds Overlook, Michigan

Easily reached by road, this boardwalk offers a phenomenal view of the marvelous Lake of the Clouds in the Porcupine Mountains. Girdled by yellow birch, eastern hemlock, sugar maple and rarer stands of white pine, red oak, white cedar and green ash, arborists will find trees to admire in all shapes and sizes. It also serves as a good launching point for more than 80 miles of beautiful hikes in the region.

Great ideas for visiting the Lake of the Clouds:

There are many great trails off the Lake of Clouds. Credit: Keith Burrows via Flickr.

• Hike nearby trails
  Take the exquisite North Mirror Lake Trail down to Mirror Lake and then the Big Carp River Trail back. You will pass hidden lakes and crystal-clear waterfalls. Backpackers who want to go on multi-day hikes can make a large loop from the Lake of the Clouds, over Government Peak, down the Little Carp River Trail and then traverse along Lake Superior back to the Lake of the Clouds Overlook.
• Find the wildlife
  You can spot up to 388 species of birds, including the rare peregrine falcon, in this area. Some will run into a friendly black bear, and, if you are especially lucky, you may even run into a moose!
• Explore the old-growth forest
  The Porcupine Mountains are home to an old-growth hardwood forest that is the largest west of the Adirondacks.

Stowe, Vermont

Hemmed on both sides by the Mt. Mansfield State Forest and the CC Putnam State Forest, Stowe, Vt. clearly has plenty of fall foliage for the intrepid explorer. Located just beneath Vermont’s tallest peak and painted by thousands of vibrant trees, it has been a destination for fall travelers for more than 100 years.

Things to do in Stowe:

View from the top of Mt. Mansfield. Credit: cgc76 via Flickr.

• Stowe Recreation Path
  Hikers and bikers will want to coast along the Stowe Recreation Path, a graceful 5-mile paved path that takes you through woods, meadows, lodges and arched wooden bridges.
• Gondola Ride
  Later that afternoon you will want to ride a gondola up to the top of Mt. Mansfield, where there are paths to hike, views to savor and a fine restaurant to finish off your evening.

Boston Public Garden, Massachusetts

Considered one of the must-see places in Boston, this stunning public garden spans across 24 acres in the center of the city. This park is a dream for artists and photographers, who will find a lush variety of wildlife, artistic installations and statues to capture. Whether you are casually strolling about the park or having a picnic, you will be surrounded by 40 magnificent varieties of trees in all their golden glory.

Activities in the Boston Public Garden:

Salute the statues in Boston Public Garden. Credit: Bill Ilott via Flickr.

• Salute the statues
  The most prominent statue in the garden is the equestrian statue of George Washington, but there are many other monuments to be found within the garden. Those honored include abolitionist activists Charles Sumner and Wendell Phillips, clergymen William Ellery Channing and Edward Everett Hale and foreign-born heroes of the military Thomas Cass and Tadeusz Kosciuszko.
• Make Way for the Ducklings
  The enormously popular children’s book has been memorialized in the garden by sculptor Nancy Schön.
• Swan boats
  Ride on the iconic swan boats to the island in the center of the lagoon. A long-time destination for couples across the city, you may even find yourself floating by a wedding party.

The post Best Fall Foliage Views in the U.S.: Northeast & Midwest appeared first on American Forests.

SNAP E&T provides in-demand job training and skills to low-income and low-skilled individuals.

Getting a good job these days takes more than good intentions because today’s jobs require a higher level of skills than ever before.  This is why the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program’s Employment and Training Program (SNAP E&T), administered by states across the country, has such an important role to play in helping SNAP recipients gain the skills they need to find and keep good jobs.  This is also why the U.S. Department of Agriculture is committed to supporting this effort.

USDA demonstrated that commitment in two new initiatives launched just this week, the SNAP E&T Learning Academy and a new website for the innovative SNAP to Skills Project, led by the Food and Nutrition Service. The Academy breaks new ground, as a first-ever opportunity that will help address an identified need. You see, though SNAP E&T programs operate across America, we’ve found that there is an opportunity for further sharing of best practices and lessons learned by developing resources that spread the knowledge base throughout the country. The two new projects launched this week will use a “train-the-trainer” model to create new leadership capacity to build the next generation of SNAP E&T programs.

The Academy, operating as part of the SNAP to Skills project, will provide an opportunity for a select number of individuals to gain technical expertise on SNAP E&T that prepares them to work within their state or across multiple states building job driven SNAP E&T programs.  FNS will select up to 35 participants for the eight-month engagement, drawing applicants from state and local government, along with advocacy, research and other organizations that have a significant stake in issues related to education and training strategies for SNAP participants.

The new SNAP to Skills website is designed to be a “soup to nuts” resource for states and their partners to learn about SNAP E&T and how to build a job training program that addresses the comprehensive needs of SNAP participants. USDA established the broader SNAP to Skills Project last year to provide states with the tools they need to build job-driven programs. The new online resource announced this week will feature a range of helpful information, including updates on the 10 states receiving direct assistance from FNS through SNAP to Skills, best practices, success stories from participants, plus SNAP E&T policy and official guidance.

Coming soon, the website will post a comprehensive workbook to guide states and their partners through the steps needed to build a program that helps SNAP participants obtain and retain jobs. Topics covered include how to identify qualified training providers, how to build SNAP E&T into a career pathways effort, how to use data systems to streamline partnerships between training providers and states — and much more.

Without access to job-driven education and training programs, today’s workers won’t have the skills to fill tomorrow’s jobs. In fact, by 2020, experts estimate that two-thirds of all jobs will require more than a high school degree—yet many SNAP participants have not reached this level of education. Few federal programs offer as many opportunities as SNAP E&T to provide in-demand job training and skills to low-income and low-skilled individuals. As we move forward, SNAP E&T will play a vital role in preparing SNAP recipients to meet the looming need for skilled workers.

MyPlate, MyState activities, including this sample coloring sheet, can bring the joy of local foods into the classroom year-round.

Hello Teachers of America!

Are you looking for resources for your classes that combine topics such as food and nutrition, farmers and farmers markets, and your state’s agriculture?

The USDA Center for Nutrition Policy & Promotion (CNPP) – the group responsible for MyPlate – recently launched MyPlate, MyState – a mini-campaign that encourages consumers to personalize their healthy eating style with local and regional foods and flavors. MyPlate, MyState is part of MyPlate, MyWins, a consumer education campaign designed to help Americans find healthy eating styles that work for them through small changes that can be maintained over time. MyPlate, MyState brings home – literally and figuratively – the messages of MyPlate, MyWins by personalizing eating styles with local flavors, local foods, and local recipes.

Just in time to celebrate National Farm to School Month as well as a unique opportunity to promote the overlap between nutrition and agriculture in the classroom, CNPP is launching a MyPlate, MyState toolkit for teachers. This toolkit will provide links to lesson plans around gardening, agriculture and nutrition, as well as new MyPlate, MyState activity sheets that can be used this month and throughout the school year.

Teachers of younger students can download and print their state’s or territory’s MyPlate, MyState coloring sheets and include lessons on state history, geography, and agriculture, as well as to reinforce the concept of eating locally grown or locally produce foods. The MyPlate Grocery Store Bingo is a fun and interactive game that preschoolers and other young children can play while grocery shopping with adults. (It could also keep their minds occupied when passing by the candy aisle.) Other activities include a Taste Test Tuesday where new foods exploration can be encouraged inside or outside the classroom.

For slightly older children, a lesson by National Agriculture in the Classroom on fresh fruits is sure to keep the interest of the children – especially when accompanied with tasty snacks. A Local Foods MyPlate Menu can help children to think not just about foods and food groups, but how to put together basic meals. Drawing a sample menu is encouraged! A MyPlate to MyFamily activity fosters thinking about foods and family time.

Older children can design 5-day menus using as many local or state foods as they can think of, play a farm to plate game where they trace foods along the agricultural route to their tables, and also play a fun game called the Geography of Thanksgiving – which is complete with lessons on food sources and a hint of a geography lesson thrown in.

Using the MyPlate presence on Facebook and Twitter, USDA will also promote a series of stories, tips, and calls to action aimed at inspiring consumers of all ages to take advantage of the healthy foods availability in their communities while supporting rural economies. Coloring sheets and MyPlate Menus encourage the use of social media posting using #MyPlateMyState. We would love to see your school activities on social media with #MyPlateMyState too!

So visit ChooseMyPlate.gov/MyState for ideas and resources and to help reinforce healthy eating. It’s important to remember that foods from every state and territory in this nation can help us all uniquely personal ways to eat, eating styles that we can enjoy. And that can make all the difference!

MyPlate, MyState US map

Despite the overwhelming challenges faced by its members and descendants over nearly 200 years, the MBCI continues to cultivate their heritage, freedom and self-determination.

USDA invited A-dae Romero-Briones, member of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), to be a guest author for this blog. The NOSB provides critical support to the USDA and the organic community.  We thank the NOSB for their commitment to the organic community, and the integrity of the organic label.

In 2012, members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI) established Choctaw Fresh Produce to help overcome employment and health challenges on their reservation.  Today, by creating jobs and producing healthy foods on tribal lands, Choctaw Fresh Produce is also helping empower and transform their tribal communities.

The MBCI is a Federally-recognized Indian tribe of approximately 10,000 members that reside in eight reservation communities on 35,000 acres of trust land across ten counties in east central Mississippi.  The MBCI are the descendants of the Choctaw that refused to be removed from their ancestral lands and relocated to land in what is now Oklahoma.  Prior to the mass relocations known as the Trails of Tears that began in 1830, the Choctaw were dedicated to agriculture, hunting, and trade over what is now most of Mississippi.

Choctaw Fresh Produce, a tribally-owned producer and distributor of USDA certified organic fruits and vegetables, produces its crops under 15 high tunnels at five separate sites at different tribal communities.  While capital intensive at start-up, the tunnels allow for better water control and expand the growing season by approximately two months.  Among other items, Choctaw Fresh Produce produces and distributes beets, bell peppers, carrots, collard greens, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, onions, spinach, squash, tomatoes, watermelons, and zucchini.

The produce is sold in select grocery stores, farmers markets, and through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.  CSA programs enable community members to have access to fresh produce, made available or delivered every week during an operation’s growing season.  Furthermore, CSA programs help revitalize local farm communities, rebuild local food systems, increase the supply of local, fresh and unprocessed foods, and ensure fair returns for farmers.

Choctaw Fresh Produce also produces fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables for Tribal schools, the Choctaw Health Center Diabetes Prevention Program, and a resort on tribal lands.  Furthermore, the company is helping the community to better understand food production systems by providing scheduled tours for schools and other community groups.

Despite the overwhelming challenges faced by its members and descendants over nearly 200 years, the MBCI continues to cultivate their heritage, freedom and self-determination.  Honoring their past, they are creating a better future by producing and distributing USDA organically certified fruits and vegetables.  Congratulations and best wishes for continued success to Choctaw Fresh Produce.

Natural resources professionals from the U.S. Forest Service

Changes in climate and extreme weather are already increasing challenges for forest ecosystems across the world. Many impacts are expected to remain into the future.  This means forest managers, conservationists and woodland owners continually need to address climate change to ensure forests can provide a broad array of benefits and services. The USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub and the U.S. Forest Service provide tools to help address this need.

Collaboration between scientists and managers resulted in the publication Forest Adaptation Resources: Climate Change Tools and Approaches for Land Managers. This publication provides a suite of materials enabling land managers to consider the likely effects of climate change and increase the ability of forests to cope with climate change impacts.

The toolkit was originally developed in 2012 by the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science and partners as part of a pilot adaptation effort in northern Wisconsin entitled the Climate Change Response Framework (CCRF). As the CCRF has expanded in the intervening years, the toolkit has been used by hundreds of land managers and natural resource professionals across the Midwest and Northeast to integrate climate change into planning and decision-making. Today, nearly 200 Adaptation Demonstrations provide examples of how one part of the toolkit, the Adaptation Workbook, has been used in real-world forest conservation and management projects.

A new edition of the Forest Adaptation Resources: Climate Change Tools and Approaches for Land Managers helps natural resource professionals address the potential effects of climate change on forest ecosystems. Photo by U.S. Forest Service

A second edition of the toolkit was recently released by the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science and U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station. The newly expanded guide serves the entire Midwest and Northeast and contains several additional resources for vulnerability assessment and adaptation including:

• a brief guide to help forest managers judge or initiate vulnerability assessments,
• two “menus” of adaptation strategies and approaches that are directly relevant to natural urban forests of the Northeast and Midwest,
• step-by-step instructions to assist land managers in developing and implementing on-the-ground climate adaptation actions, and
• summaries of five real-world adaptation demonstrations showing how these resources have been used to develop adaptation tactics.

When it comes to climate change adaptation, one of the most common questions is, “What should I be doing to address climate change in my forest?”

In reality, there is no single answer for responding to climate change. Every forest is different and needs customized solutions to address the unique needs of any individual landowner and piece of land. Forest Adaptation Resources: Climate Change Tools and Approaches for Land Managers provides a robust toolkit to help those working in forests develop their own solutions.

You can download a pdf or order a printed copy of the document from the Forest Service website.

Natural resources professionals from the U.S. Forest Service consider climate change as part of their management planning and activities. Photo by Maria Janowiak, USFS