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The USDA and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics announce new effort to bring dietetic interns to child nutrition.

The USDA and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy) are excited to announce a brand new effort to bring dietetic interns to child nutrition!

Dietetics students, you know who you are!  You’re studying hard to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist so you can help Americans live healthier, happier lives.  You have the most up-to-date education in nutrition science, a fresh perspective and lots of creative energy, and you’re looking to put it to work in an internship with maximum impact.  The federal Child Nutrition Programs are where you need to be.

We serve infants, children and even seniors through meals served at schools, day care homes and centers, and community settings.  In 2010, The Healthy-Hunger Free Kids Act launched lots of major changes, including updates to the school meal programs. And this year, USDA rolled out the first improved nutrition standards for the Child and Adult Care Food Program since the program’s start in 1968.  Our recipients will soon be enjoying meals bursting with more delicious fruits and vegetables and filled with more exciting variety than ever before!  Reaching all the providers who serve USDA-funded meals with training on how to buy, prepare and serve more nutritious and appealing meals is a lot of work.  And we need all hands on deck to help get the job done.

USDA and the Academy are making it easier than ever to find the Child Nutrition Program rotation that’s right for you.  We’ve created a toolkit of resources to help state agencies get ready to host and to help you get ready for your rotation.  Check them out at http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/dietetic-internship-opportunities-child-nutrition.

By the way, dietetics leaders at the state and local agencies who administer Child Nutrition Programs, who have already hosted dietetics interns, know how valuable you are! But don’t just take my word for it:

We very much enjoy working with dietetic interns at the Iowa Department of Educations’ Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services.  We take the opportunity to encourage their future work in Child Nutrition Programs.   During their time with us, they may participate in an administrative review, assist with current projects, meet partners, and get a glimpse of what is involved in the administration of the Child Nutrition Programs at the state level.  We try to tailor their experience to their specific area of interest.  This is a great opportunity to form a relationship with interns who are interested in working in Child Nutrition Programs in the future.  We learn a lot from each other! – Patti Delger, RDN, LD, Iowa Department of Education

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in serving as a preceptor site for public health nutrition graduate students completing their dietetic internship requirements. While MDE has been able to open students’ eyes to the possibilities for registered dietitians to work with USDA Child Nutrition Programs, the student interns have opened our eyes to the creativity, capacity and potential of our state’s up and coming nutrition leaders, often helping us to see our everyday opportunities and challenges from a new perspective. — Kara Mitterholzer, MPH, RD, Minnesota Department of Education

Work alongside our team and help bring up the next generation of healthy eaters!

The USDA and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics announce new effort to bring dietetic interns to child nutrition.

December 8th, 2016|Tags: big trees|0 Comments

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By Robert T. Leverett, National Cadre of Tree Measuring Experts

The Saheda white pine. Credit: Robert T. Leverett.

On November 27, 2016, my wife, Monica, and I visited the Elders Grove in Mohawk Trail State Forest (MTSF) to walk off Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing. However, I had another mission: to re-measure the huge Saheda white pine, in order to record its end-of-2016 statistics. Saheda is perhaps my favorite of the species. The surviving turkeys at Mohawk scattered at the sound of my whoop of elation: Saheda registered an eye-popping height of 171 feet and an impressive girth of 12. At 171, Saheda is the second tallest tree in New England, but throw in girth and Saheda becomes even more special. Only one other pine in the Northeast makes the 170 x 12 club: the Seneca Pine, Cook Forest State Park, Cooksburg, Pa. Monica and I celebrated that evening. A champion tree does that for us.

The White Pine in New England

Lea Sloan, American Forests’ Vice President of Communications, and Monica Leverett with the Saheda pine. credit: Robert T. Leverett.

I started to think about Saheda’s long journey to this extraordinary achievement. By the mid-1800s, New England was largely cleared of its original forest cover. However, since the early 1900s, the forests have grown back, and a beneficiary of the 1800s clearings has been the eastern white pine, which generously seeds abandoned fields. Saheda sprouted up over 190 years ago in an abandoned sheep pasture.

The white pine is the tallest of our native New England species. Today, 100-footers are common as weeds, but pines reaching 150 feet need to be on highly favorable sites and are usually 120 years in age or older. In today’s largely regrowth forests, there will be a few sites with 150-footers, but 170 is a different matter. There are only two.

Discovery of Saheda

In August 1995, timber framer/architect Jack Sobon and I measured a conspicuously tall white pine in MTSF. We later named the tree the Saheda Pine for a Mohawk ambassador murdered by the Pocumtucks in the late 1600s. Saheda’s death set off a war between the Mohawks and Pocumtucks. Since Saheda was on a mission of peace, I thought it appropriate to name the pine in his honor.

Jack and I confirmed the unexpected height of 160.0 feet, tallest we’d measured in Massachusetts. Jack recorded a circumference of 10 feet, 8 ½ inches at breast height. Eventually, the Jake Swamp tree, also in MTSF, proved taller. In 1998, Will Blozan, President of the Native Tree Society, climbed and tape-drop-measured Saheda to 158.3 feet. Jake was measured to 158.6 feet. Why had Saheda’s height dropped from 160.0?

Saheda splits into two trunks near the top. Will measured the trunk on the downhill side. The uphill top is now the taller and may have been then as well. The crown also may have sustained damage. Regardless, they are now No. 1 and No. 2.

A comparison of the 1995 measurement and my latest one follows including trunk radius and volume calculations.

How Saheda Compares to Its Competitors

Today, many New England white pines have girths over 12 feet. Most grow in fields, cemeteries or other places where light is abundant. They branch low and are bushy in form. By contrast, stand-grown forms have long, more slender trunks.

Currently, we know of only six pines reaching 170 feet in the entire Northeast. More remarkably, only one other combines a height of 170 feet and a girth of 12, the Seneca Pine, previously mentioned. The list of 170-footers in the Northeast follows:

 

The post Saheda: Profile of a Great New England White Pine appeared first on American Forests.

Isabella Gerard accompanied by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) performs her winning poem from Senator Crapo's Contest before the lighting of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree in Washington DC, Dec. 6, 2016. (U.S. Forest Service photo by Cecilio Ricardo)

The American public doesn’t have to sneak a peek at the Christmas present the U.S. Forest Service has given them this year because it’s on full display just below the U.S. Capitol dome on the building’s West Lawn.

A gift from the Forest Service’s Payette National Forest, this year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, aptly titled “An Idaho Mountain Gem”, was twinkling like a million facets of a bejeweled royal scepter after Isabella Gerard, a fifth grader from Boise, Idaho, who was chosen to do this honor by winning an poem contest, flipped the switch to illume the great tree.

The Engelmann spruce, towers nearly 80 feet, and is adorned with yet more gifts…thousands and thousands of handmade ornaments children from all over Idaho lovingly crafted for the tree that will be seen by millions this season and will be forever commemorated in pictures, news stories and videos.

As is the tradition for over 50 years, the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker, Paul Ryan last night, presided over the lighting and reminded those gathered that he “couldn’t feel more hopeful about our country than I do tonight.”

“I just don’t mean that I’m optimistic, though I certainly am,” Ryan said. “What I mean is, to see so many people work so hard for so long just to give our Capitol some Christmas cheer – well, it’s nothing short of inspiring.”

December 7th, 2016|Tags: urban forests|0 Comments

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By Doyle Irvin, American Forests

With far more than 100 parks credited to his design, encompassing some of the American public’s most beloved spaces, the impact of Frederick Law Olmsted upon our ability to merge nature and the urbane cannot be overstated. Olmsted is credited with founding what is considered the first ever landscape architecture firm. Because he set such a fine example, cities across the world began to consider green spaces as important requirements for the common good.

Here are nine examples of the green spaces he designed that you can still visit today:

Back Bay Fens, Boston. Credit: Ed Lyons via Flickr.

 

The Biltmore, Asheville, N.C. Credit: Jennifer Boyer via Flickr.

 

Central Park, New York. Credit: Ralph Hockens via Flickr.

 

Delaware Park Japanese Garden, Buffalo, N.Y. Credit: Tom Bastin via Flickr.

 

Prospect Park, Brooklyn, N.Y. Credit: Jorge via Flickr.

 

Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. Credit: Steve Jurveston via Flickr.

 

University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, Calif. Credit: Daniel Parks via Flickr.

 

United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. Credit: Daniel Mennerich via Flickr.

 

Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass. Credit: Soe Lin via Flickr.

The post Urban Nature: The Legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted appeared first on American Forests.

USDA Rural Development Puerto Rico State Director Jose Otero-Garcia speaks on USDA’s opportunities to spur economic development in the Roosevelt Roads region of Puerto Rico. Behind him (L-R) are USDA Rural Business Service Administrator Sam Rikkers, White House Puerto Rico Task Force member Fred Pfaeffle, and Leonardo San Román of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

When Roosevelt Roads Naval Base ceased operations in 2004, the surrounding region suffered a significant population and financial loss. The land transfer process from the Navy to the local government created the Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA), entity with the responsibility of leading the rebuilding process and revitalization of the former base and the adjacent communities of Ceiba, Fajardo and Naguabo. The collaboration between the LRA and the communities seeks to improve public infrastructure and renovate economic activity in the area, as well as improve access to health care, improve educational opportunities, reduce crime, and spur job creation.

The area served by the Roosevelt Roads LRA in eastern Puerto Rico was recently designated a Promise Zone by President Obama. This designation made the region eligible for funding that can help them develop job training for a modern workforce, improve access to education, and provide for the development of improved public safety and affordable housing.

I was able to take part in a very productive meeting recently, where I was joined by our Administrator for Rural Business Services, Sam Rikkers – who co-chairs the Promise Zone steering committee – as well as Fred Pfaeffle Arana, Representative of the Puerto Rico White House Task Force and USDA Rural Development’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, other Federal agency partners, and the members of the Roosevelt Roads LRA.

In this session, the LRA explained its goals and plans for the impacted region, and shared case studies and program snapshots on ways to be successful in the rejuvenation of Roosevelt Roads. We listened intently, and then provided overviews on ways our programs in the USDA as well as Small Business Administration can be leveraged with local investment and hard work to make very real progress towards improving the economic conditions in the area.

We are very grateful with President Obama for his recognizing the challenges we face here in Puerto Rico, and his designation of a Promise Zone is a shot in the arm for improving rural growth in the Eastern side of the island. As we recover from the worst economic crisis in our history, we have high expectations for the future plans for what once was Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, and I feel confident the blueprint we make here can later be replicated in other distressed areas of Puerto Rico.

En la foto José Otero-García, Director Estatal de USDA Rural Development, explica las oportunidades que ofrece USDA para el desarrollo económico de la región de Roosevelt Road en Puerto Rico. Detrás de el de izquierda derecha esta Sam Rikkers, Administrador del Programa de Cooperativa y negocios y también Co-Presidente del Comité Directivo de la Zona Prometida, Fred Pfaeffle Arana, Representante de Puerto Rico en el Comité de Desarrollo de Casa Blanca y Sub Secretario de Derechos Civil de USDA Rural Development, y Leonardo San Román del Departamento de Comercio Federal.

Cuando la Base Naval de Roosevelt Road cerró operaciones en el 2004, el área cercana sufrió una baja poblacional y una gran contracción. Como parte del proceso de transferencia de terrenos de la Marina de los Estados Unidos al gobierno local, se creó la Autoridad de Redesarrollo de Roosevelt Roads (LRA). Esta organización es la encargado de dirigir el proceso de planificación y revitalización de los terrenos de la antigua base junto a los municipios de Ceiba, Fajardo, y Naguabo.

El trabajo de colaboración entre estas comunidades y  la LRA busca mejorar la infraestructura pública y renovar la actividad económica del área, mejorar el ofrecimiento de servicios médicos y educativos como también crimen y la creación de empleos.

El área que sirve LRA en la zona oriental de Puerto Rico fue recientemente designada como Zona de Promesa por el Presidente Obama. Esta designación le permite tener prioridad de acceso a fondos para ayudar a desarrollar entrenamiento de empleo de alta tecnología, acceso a educación y proveer el desarrollo de infraestructura y de vivienda asequible.

Hace unas semanas participé de una reunión muy productiva junto nuestro Administrador del Programa de Negocios y Cooperativas- Sam Rikkers – el cual también Co-Preside el Comité Timón de la iniciativa de Zona Prometida – y Fred Pfaffle Arana, Representante de USDA en el Grupo de Trabajo de Casa Blanca para Puerto Rico y Sub Secretario de Derechos Civiles de USDA Rural Development y otros funcionarios Federales y miembros de LRA.

La agenda del día incluyo la discusión de los planes y objetivos del LRA para la región junto a presentaciones de ofertas de programas de varias agencias federales y estatales. Varias organizaciones sin fines de lucro y universidades se dieron cita para compartir sus ideas y planes de integración a la iniciativa. Rural Development y SBA  presentaron programas de acceso a fondos de los cuales pueden ser pareados con inversiones privadas.

Estamos muy agradecidos con el Presidente Obama por reconocer la situación difícil que tenemos en Puerto Rico, y la designación de Zona Prometida que nos brinda una oportunidad única para el crecimiento económico de la zona oriental de la isla.  A medida que nos recuperamos de la peor crisis que hemos tenido en nuestra historia, tenemos una expectativa bien alta de los planes futuros para convertir la base Naval de Roosevelt Road en lo que fue en el pasado. Estoy confiado que en el futuro esta plan de desarrollo se podrá replicar en otras áreas en desventajadas de Puerto Rico.

From left to right: Bruce Summers – Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA); Travis Hubbs – Assistant Regional Director, PACA Division, Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA); Yowei Peralta – Senior Marketing Specialist, PACA Division, Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA); Elise Golan – Director of Sustainable Development, Office of The Chief Economist (USDA); Christine Hofmann – Marketing Coordinator, Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market; Dan Kane – General Manager, Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market; Rose Harrell – Deputy Director of Maryland Food Center Authority & President of National Association of Produce Market Managers

Did you know that nearly one-third of the food available to U.S. retailers and consumers never makes it to the dining room table?  That’s 133 billion pounds of food going to waste–all of which has far-reaching impacts on food security, resource conservation, and climate change.  Experts have projected that reducing food waste by just 15 percent would provide the equivalent of enough food for more than 25 million Americans every year.

That’s why my agency, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), decided to help tackle the problem by sponsoring the Terminal Market Food Waste Challenge.  Produce markets across the U.S. joined the friendly 90-day competition by making sure that usable fruits and vegetables were not thrown away.  While these fresh foods weren’t picture-perfect supermarket quality or simply didn’t sell, they were healthy, wholesome foods that could be made into juices, added to animal feeds, used for compost, or donated to charity.

The Terminal Food Waste Challenge prompted a total of 83 produce companies from seven different terminal markets to divert more than 1.6 million pounds of fruit and vegetables into alternative uses.  The competition, just one part of the larger U.S. Food Waste Challenge, began March 29, 2016, at the Maryland Food Center Authority in Jessup, Md., and concluded June 30, 2016.

The top competitor, the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market (PWPM), enlisted its 22 produce companies to divert 1.2 million pounds of food into better uses during the Challenge.  PWPM was recognized in a ceremony at USDA headquarters, receiving a certificate signed by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and taking the opportunity to showcase their successful efforts.

USDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the U.S. Food Waste Challenge initiative on June 4, 2013, calling on stakeholders across the food supply chain – including producer groups, processor, manufacturers, retailers, communities, and other government agencies – to join the effort to reduce, recover, and recycle food that would otherwise be wasted.

By participating in this challenge, and finding other ways to reduce waste, produce markets and other USDA partners throughout the U.S. are helping more wholesome, healthy foods make it to our tables.

December 6th, 2016|Tags: End-of-Year Campaign 2016, Longleaf Pine, wildfire, wildlife|0 Comments

The post Home for the Holidays: The Gopher Tortoise and Longleaf Pines appeared first on American Forests.

Anni Brogan, owner and president of Micro Aerodynamics, inspects vortex generators (VGs) on the wings of a small aircraft used in studies by ARS engineer Dan Martin. Martin found that the dime-sized metal clips can help ensure more accurate targeting of pesticides. Brogan’s firm provided the VGs used in the research.

Hitting your target—and only your target—is a top priority when spraying pesticides from an airplane. And the use of a small object could be a big help in making sure that happens.

That’s the focus of the research being conducted by Daniel Martin, an engineer with Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Aerial Application Technology Research Unit in College Station, Texas. Martin has shown that attaching dime-sized metal clips to airplane wings—a technology known as “vortex generators”—can reduce pesticide drift.

Vortex generators (VGs) are common on commercial airliners as well as on smaller aircraft to provide pilots better control of the aircraft. Now, thanks to Martin and others, VGs are reducing the drift of pesticides sprayed by agricultural aircraft.

“It’s a matter of aerodynamics,” Martin says. An airplane gets lift from an area of high pressure passing under the wings and an area of low pressure passing over them. But as air passes over and under the wings, it moves up and around them in chaotic whirlwind patterns, particularly at the wing tips. VGs are T-shaped, and when they are attached to the edge of the wing, each one becomes a focal point (a vortex) that stabilizes the flow of air as it passes over and under the wing.

On most agricultural aircraft, the spray nozzles are attached to booms that hang below the wings. VGs make for a smoother and more controlled flow of air below the wing near those nozzles. “VGs channel the air flow and concentrate it so that it pushes the spray down towards the crop canopy,” Martin says. VGs also are often attached to the plane’s rear stabilizer to produce the same beneficial effect. The overall effect is less pesticide drifting off target.

Martin started evaluating VGs a few years ago in an effort to reduce spray drift. He and his colleagues sprayed a target field near College Station to measure drift and deposition rates of a test spray released from a plane. They placed moisture-sensitive cards at various distances outside the target to measure downwind deposits.

The results showed that the type of clips used in the study, Micro VGs, produced by Micro Aerodynamics, Inc. of Anacortes, Washington, dramatically reduced downwind deposits and drift.

Martin plans to publish his findings soon and is planning future flights and studies with an eye toward finding ways to maximize the technology’s benefits. In the meantime, word is quickly getting out, and some aircraft manufacturers now include VGs on their latest aircraft not only to provide better control of the aircraft but also to mitigate drift. Agricultural aviation supply companies sell VG kits that can be installed on small planes in just a few hours.

“Drift is a huge issue when it comes to aerial spray application, and from what we have seen, this technology could not only help reduce drift into unwanted areas, but it could also help growers save on pesticide costs by ensuring that more of the pesticides reach their target,” Martin says.

USDA has invested $19 billion in research and development since 2009, touching the lives of all Americans from farms to the kitchen table and from the air we breathe to the energy that powers our country. Learn more about the many ways USDA scientists are on the cutting edge, helping to protect, secure and improve our food, agricultural and natural resources systems in USDA’s Medium Chapter 11: Food and Ag Science Will Shape Our Future.

Amy Overstreet, NRCS Public Information Officer, created a video series for the 2015 International Year of Soils to raise awareness and appreciation for everything that soil provides.

Last year during the International Year of Soils (IYS), I had the incredible opportunity to help the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) spread the word about the many life-giving functions of soil. As part of this effort, I traveled to New York City to attend the kickoff ceremony for IYS at the United Nations, which was held on World Soil Day.

In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly designated December 5 as World Soil Day. It is observed this day each year to honor the birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, the world’s longest reigning monarch, who passed away in October. He played a pivotal role in the promotion of soil science and conservation, and was a leader in sustainable land resource management.

It was so exciting to gather with world leaders to salute the soil! I was excited to meet conservationists from across the globe who were committed to protecting and improving the foundation of our world’s ability to produce an adequate and healthy food source. The message was loud and clear; we must do all we can to protect and improve soil resources because the food we eat is directly related to the health of the soil in which it grows. Soil quality impacts so many other critical elements like water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, plant growth, and crop production.

World Soil Day graphic

A growing number of America’s farmers are implementing management systems to improve the health and function of their soil. These soil health farmers understand that soil is alive and they utilize practices that promote a healthy soil ecosystem. Fully functioning soil provides an environment that sustains and nourishes plants, soil microbes and beneficial insects.

These conservation-minded farmers are coming together on social media to share their experiences through groups like Carolina Cover Crop Connection and South Dakota Soil Health Coalition. They are excited to show and tell others about their success with soil health management.

On World Soil Day, I am proud that the work of NRCS’ dedicated conservationists helps farmers plan and implement conservation practices that support a healthy soil ecosystem. Farmers are sequestering more carbon, increasing water infiltration, improving wildlife and pollinator habitat—all while harvesting better profits and often better yields. Soils are vulnerable to carbon loss through degradation, but conservation practices like no-till, cover cropping, and diverse crop rotations can build and restore soil health.

This World Soil Day, take time to thank the soil and all that it provides. Our very existence depends upon it! Whether you are a farmer, a backyard gardener, or live in the city, remember that without soil, we could not survive. Check out this NRCS video series about the many things that depend on healthy soil—many which we take for granted. Whether it’s the food we eat, the homes in which we dwell, or the medicines that heal us, it all started with the soil.

NRCS salutes the farmers and landowners who are doing their part to protect and improve soil health. Happy World Soil Day!

Amy Overstreet, NRCS Public Information Officer, created a video series for the 2015 International Year of Soils to raise awareness and appreciation for everything that soil provides.