USDA

Image of a stream on farm land in Iowa without conservation riparian buffers

Lynn Betts/USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

November 19, 2025

From Fields to Faucets: Fertilizer Overuse Threatens Drinking Water and Health

Stacy Woods
Research Director

aerial photo of two tractors spraying fertilizer on a large brown field divided into many rows; the spray drifts off to the left from a breeze

Charles O'Rear/Flickr

November 19, 2025

Half Wasted: Fertilizer Overuse, Pollution, and the Global Nitrogen Cycle

Omanjana Goswami
Interdisciplinary Scientist

the US Capitol, seen from behind yellow caution tape

Andy Feliciotti / Unsplash

November 19, 2025

The Shutdown Ends, but Threats to Science Go On

Jules Barbati-Dajches
Analyst

photo of a young man reading a shopping list while pushing a cart through the aisle of a food pantry. The shelves in front of him are labeled "Potato," "Apples," and "Onion."

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

September 23, 2025

The USDA Cancels Annual Hunger Study While Trump Policies Drive Up Food Prices

Karen Perry Stillerman
Deputy Director

photo of two US Army soldiers and a Bradley fighting vehicle parked in front of USDA headquarters, on which hangs a long banner featuring an image of President Donald Trump

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

September 2, 2025

Trump Appointees “Reorganize” the USDA, Putting the Department’s Mission at Risk

Karen Perry Stillerman
Deputy Director

photo of a person in a grocery store bending down to reach a carton of eggs. There are a handful of cartons of different colors on the lowest shelves but most of the shelves are empty.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

March 13, 2025

What Does Science Have to Do with the Price of Eggs?

Karen Perry Stillerman
Deputy Director

aerial photo looking down on a green tractor pulling fertilization equipment through a cornfield. The tractor's path has left a pattern of intersecting lines in the dirt.

Jacob Tosch/Porter County SWCD/USDA

March 6, 2025

Farmers Will Pay More for Fertilizer Because of President Trump’s Tariffs

Omanjana Goswami
Interdisciplinary Scientist

photo of Elon Musk on stage at a rally of the Conservative Political Action Committee. Dressed in all black and wearing sunglasses, Musk smiles as he holds a chainsaw over his head with both hands

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

February 24, 2025

USDA Inspector General Firing Is Another Misuse of Musk’s Grotesque Power

Karen Perry Stillerman
Deputy Director

photo of wetlands, with streams meandering through patches of brown grass and a stand of trees on the horizon, set against a blue sky

February 13, 2025

Ask a Scientist: What Value Do Wetlands Provide?

Guest Commentary

Brooke Rollins stands at a podium with a presidential seal on it and speaks to an unseen audience through a microphone; behind her are a group of people including Donald Trump, and a set of four US flags

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

January 21, 2025

Trump’s Pick to Lead the USDA, Brooke Rollins, Is Inexperienced, Anti-Science, and Extremist

Karen Perry Stillerman
Deputy Director

Dairy cattle line up to feed.

David McNew/Getty Images

November 6, 2024

What a Second Trump Administration Means for Food and Farms

Karen Perry Stillerman
Deputy Director

photo of sign for the US Department of Agriculture Whitten Building in Washington, DC; the building is in the background, among trees, a garden, and walkway

Melissa Kopka/Getty Images

September 30, 2024

It’s Time to Institutionalize Equity at the Department of Agriculture

DeShawn L. Blanding
Senior Washington Representative

photo of a US Senate door in a dark brown wood; in gold letters a plaque on the door says "Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry"

Shutterstock/DCStockPhotography

March 18, 2024

Show Me the (Agriculture Appropriations) Money

Melissa Kaplan
Senior Manager of Government Affairs

photo of rows of wilted savoy cabbage in a farm field affected by drought

BearFotos/Shutterstock

January 24, 2024

The USDA’s Climate Hubs Could Help Farmers Adapt to Extreme Weather

Melissa Kaplan
Senior Manager of Government Affairs

photo of Dania Davy smiling for the camera, with woods and filtered sunlight in the background

October 12, 2023

Building a Future for Black Farmers: An Interview with Legal Expert Dãnia Davy

Archie Creech
Outreach Coordinator

photo of two Black farmers, one male and one female, standing side by side looking out at their farm, with woods in the background

Bill Cotter/UCS

September 21, 2023

Heirs’ Property: The Legal Issue That Has Cost Black Farmers $326 Billion

Archie Creech
Outreach Coordinator

photo of a line of farmworkers picking and bagging heads of lettuce to put in many cardboard boxes on a trailer in the background; the workers are all wearing hats and bandanas as protection from the sun and pesticides

Bob Nichols/USDA

August 24, 2023

The Food and Farm Bill Can Do a Lot for Workers

Omanjana Goswami
Interdisciplinary Scientist

Pigs crowded into a CAFO

Mark Stebnicki/Pexels

August 10, 2023

Ask a Scientist: Will the New Farm Bill Transform the US Food System?

Elliott Negin
Former Contributor

close-up photo of one hand reaching out with a bowl of soup and another hand taking the bowl; in the background are other hands dishing out soup and other hands ready to accept the soup

addkm/Shutterstock

May 9, 2023

Food Insecurity Is a Bigger Problem Than Our Government Thinks

Alice Reznickova
Former Contributor

photo of a mobile farmers market set up at a commuter rail station; a man is reaching into his back pocket to pay for groceries that a masked employee is bagging while another masked employee rings up his purchase

Jenna Shea Photojournalism

April 18, 2023

People Won’t Be Able to Eat Healthier Unless We Make It Possible

Alice Reznickova
Former Contributor

photo of three scientists measuring water quality in a marshy area with tall grasses; they are each wearing high rubber boots and holding different pieces of equipment

Peggy Greb/USDA

March 28, 2023

The Agriculture Resilience Act Is a Win for Sustainable Nutrition Science

Alice Reznickova
Former Contributor

close-up photo of a hand holding a mound of dark, moist soil

March 28, 2023

Why Soil Health Is So Important to the Agriculture Resilience Act

Omanjana Goswami
Interdisciplinary Scientist

photo of a smiling US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack holding copies of the 2023 interim report by the USDA Equity Commission; he is flanked by one female and one male member of the commission who are both applauding; the US flag and the USDA flag are in the background

Tom Witham/USDA

March 2, 2023

Will an Equity Commission Report Address Systemic Racism at the USDA?

Alice Reznickova
Former Contributor

photo of a Black family buying fruit from a White female farmer at a stand with many colorful fruits and vegetables on display in the foreground; farm buildings are in the background

February 15, 2023

Could 2023 Be the Year of Sustainable Nutrition Security?

Alice Reznickova
Former Contributor