US Department Of Agriculture National Research Articles

Grassroots agroecology advocates challenge funding objectives focused on U.S. Department of Agriculture

First paragraphs: In the spring of 2023, members of the organiza­tions in La Via Campesina’s North America region who participate in the Seeds, Agroecology, and Biodiversity Collective became aware of plans for a summit on agroecology to take place in Missouri in May 2023. At the time, the Summit website stated that “The primary goal of the meeting is to elevate agroecology in the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) portfolio and ulti­mately increase the quality and quantity of public funding available for agroecology research.” Although this goal was later edited, the U.S. Agroecology Summit 2023 was partially funded by USDA NIFA. As members of the global peasant movement La Via Campesina, and as supporters, promoters, and practitioners of the principles of agroecology, we recognize the dangers of involving the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in our growing but fragmented movement, especially through funds allocated by the USDA for research into agroecology. Here in the United States, it is our responsibil­ity to ourselves and to peasants around the world to insist that any research, promotion, or discus­sion of agroecology be grounded in food sover­eignty, feminism, Indigenous knowledges, and bio­diversity, and to defend its fierce demand to end imperialism, capitalism, patriarchy, neoliberal market-based economies, free trade, false climate solutions, and corporate control of globalized food systems and resources. . . .

Rates of Historical Anthropogenic Soil Erosion in the Midwestern United States

AbstractErosion degrades soils, reduces crop yields, and diminishes ecosystem services. The total amount of soil that has been eroded since the initiation of farming is unknown in most agricultural landscapes, which hinders assessment of soil erosion trends. In the Midwestern U.S., erosion has caused native prairie remnants to become perched above surrounding farmland, providing an opportunity to measure historical soil erosion rates. We use high‐resolution topographic surveys conducted across erosional escarpments at the boundary between 20 prairies and adjacent agricultural fields and show the median reduction in soil thickness ranges from 0.04 to 0.69 m, corresponding to erosion rates of 0.2–4.3 mm year−1, with a median value of 1.9 mm year−1. We used an association between the measured reduction in soil thickness and topographic curvature to predict regional soil erosion integrated since the beginning of farming to the present. We estimate a median historical erosion rate of 1.8 ± 1.2 mm year−1, which is nearly double the rate considered tolerable by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Current soil loss predictions from the USDA National Resources Inventory (NRI) and the Daily Erosion Project (DEP) are lower than our historically averaged erosion rate by a factor of 3 and 8, respectively. We suggest that the NRI and the DEP underpredict soil loss rates because they do not include tillage erosion, a process shown to be important throughout the Midwestern U.S. Our findings indicate that further implementation of conservation practices is needed to reduce the high centennial‐averaged soil erosion rates that we measure to sustainable levels.

The Need to Incorporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Reflections from a National Initiative Measuring Fruit and Vegetable Intake

The Need to Incorporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Reflections from a National Initiative Measuring Fruit and Vegetable Intake

Methodology for developing a nutrient and food pattern equivalents database for selected branded foods in the USDA National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey-1

The objective was to develop Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI) nutrients and food pattern equivalents (FPEs) for about 3500 branded foods that were among the foods collected in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey-1 that could not be directly linked to foods in the USDA nutrient and food pattern equivalents databases. Computation of the HEI requires energy, total fat, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, sodium, and USDA Food Pattern Equivalents for each of the foods. This study used food label data, USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Legacy Release (SR-Legacy), USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) 2013–2014, and USDA Food Patterns Equivalents Databases (FPED/FPID) 2013–2014. Food labels do not contain FPEs. At the time of the study, added sugars was not included in food labels. However, added sugars is one of the 37 components of FPED/FPID. This study illustrates the stepwise process for estimating nutrient and food pattern profiles, with examples such as frozen vegetables, cake mix, fruit and nut bar, and dry dinner mix with rice and seasonings by using publicly available USDA food databases mentioned above.

The perception of school food-service professionals on the implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010: a mixed-methods study.

To: (i) understand the nutrition attitudes, self-efficacy, knowledge and practices of school food-service personnel (SFP) in Nebraska and (ii) identify potential barriers that schools face in offering healthy school meals that meet the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition standards. Convergent parallel mixed-methods study. Kindergarten-12th grade schools in Nebraska, USA.ParticipantsSFP (260 survey participants; fifteen focus group participants) working at schools that participate in the USDA National School Lunch Program. Mixed-methods themes identified include: (i) 'Mixed attitudes towards healthy meals', which captured a variety of conflicting positive and negative attitudes depending on the situation; (ii) 'Positive practices to promote healthy meals', which captured offering, serving and promotion practices; (iii) 'Mixed nutrition-related knowledge', which captured the variations in knowledge depending on the nutrition concept; and (iv) 'Complex barriers', which captured challenges with time, support and communication. The study produced relevant findings to address the barriers identified by SFP. Implementing multicomponent interventions and providing training to SFP may help reduce some of the identified barriers of SFP.

A partnership for public health: USDA branded food products database

“A Partnership for Public Health: USDA Branded Food Products Database” is a public-private partnership between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the North American Branch of the International Life Sciences Institute, GS1 US, 1WorldSync, and Label Insight. The goal of the public-private partnership is to enhance public health and the sharing of open data by augmenting the USDA National Nutrient Database with nutrient composition and ingredient information on branded and store-brand food products. The USDA Branded Food Products Database officially launched on September 16, 2016, and is publicly available.

Identification of Type A Influenza Viruses from Wild Birds on the Delmarva Peninsula, 2007-10.

Wild waterfowl and shorebirds in the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia (Delmarva) Peninsula region within the Atlantic Flyway were sampled as part of the Early Detection of Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza (AI) in Wild Migratory Birds program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and state wildlife agencies submitted 7858 samples for AI virus (AIV) testing by real-time reverse transcription PCR (rRT-PCR) to the University of Delaware Poultry Health System from April 2007 to March 2011. Virus isolation attempts were performed on samples with matrix gene cycle threshold (Ct) values ≤33.9. Using rRT-PCR, AIV was detected in 14% (1091/7857) of the samples. In species with sample sizes >100, American black duck ( Anas rubripes ; 28%), ruddy turnstone ( Arenaria interpres ; 27%), American green-winged teal ( Anas crecca ; 21%), semipalmated sandpiper ( Calidris pusilla ; 27%), greater snow goose ( Chen caerulescens atlanticus; 12%), mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ; 10%), and northern pintail ( Anas acuta ; 14%) showed the highest rates of AIV detection. Forty-two AIVs were recovered from eight species: American black duck, mallard, ruddy turnstone, American green-winged teal, greater snow goose, Canada goose ( Branta canadensis ), ring-necked duck ( Aythya collaris ), and mallard × American black duck ( Anas platyrhynchos × Anas rubripes ). Recovered H5 (n = 2) and H7 (n = 2) viruses were found to be low pathogenicity by the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory. Additional AIVs represented a diversity of subtype combinations: H1-H4, H6, and H10 and H11 and N subtypes N1-N9 and N6-N9. The rate of AIV recovery from swabbings was inversely related to Ct value, ranging from 50% for Ct values of 16.0-18.9 to 5.1% for Ct values of 31-33.9.

Eating away at climate change – substituting beans for beef to help meet US climate targets

Numerous climate change analyses have highlighted the role of food consumption in achieving the required greenhouse gas reductions. We quantify an idealized example of this role, the greenhouse gas reductions from exchanging one food for another. We calculated the greenhouse gas savings from replacing beef, a popular high carbon footprint food, with a low carbon footprint food, black beans. The carbon footprint of beef was derived using total US consumption data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and greenhouse gas emissions factors from a published meta‐analysis of 52 life cycle assessments on meat and meat alternatives. The amount of replacement beans is calculated based on full energy and protein equivalency, using nutrient data from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. The results show that nationally substituting beans for beef, on an equal energy and protein basis, can achieve 25%–50% of the reductions needed to meet the US 2020 greenhouse gas target. The ‘beans for beef’ scenario illustrates that replacing animal with plant foods in the US diet offers policy makers simple, high climate change mitigation potential options. In addition to climate benefits, the substitution will offer population health benefits, starting with increasing vegetable and dietary fiber consumption, currently below government recommended levels nationwide. Other co‐benefits include reducing chronic disease such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers exerted by red meat consumption.

Lack of Correspondence between Experimentally Determined Values of Vitamin E in Carrot (Daucus carota L.) and Those Reported in the USDA National Nutrient Database

Vitamin E compounds, known collectively as tocochromanols, are essential nutrients found in plant tissues. These compounds are present in fruits and vegetables at lower levels than in nuts and oils. However, since fruits and vegetables are frequently consumed in the diet, they represent important contributions to vitamin E intake. Knowledge of nutrient levels in fruits and vegetables is important in making dietary recommendations and in planning menus. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database (NNB) reports levels of vitamin E in carrot of 6.6 µg·g−1 on a fresh weight basis and similar levels of vitamin E for food products containing carrots, such as baby food and carrot juice. We collected data on four tocochromanol compounds using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection on both fresh carrots and on commercially available food products containing carrots. Our data revealed that levels of vitamin E in fresh carrot and food products containing carrot were in the range of 0.007–0.12 µg·g−1 converted to a fresh weight basis. These levels were consistent with several published research studies for carrot, lower than several other published studies, and significantly lower than values reported in the NNB. Data from our studies show actual vitamin E values for this vegetable may be significantly lower than levels published in the NNB, but large discrepancies exist in the published reports for measurement of tocochromanol levels for this vegetable. Dietary guidance based on vitamin E values for carrot reported in the NNB could lead to inaccurate nutrient recommendations and should be clarified and standardized.

Protein, fat, moisture and cooking yields from a U.S. study of retail beef cuts

Nutrient data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are an important resource for U.S. and international databases. To ensure that data for retail beef cuts in USDA's National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) are current, a comprehensive, nationwide, multi-phase study was conducted. Samples were collected and analyzed in three phases based on primal category. Using a statistically based sampling plan, 72 beef carcasses per phase were obtained with nationally representative quality and yield grades, genders and genetic types. Retail cuts were fabricated, cooked and dissected to obtain component weights. Nutrient values were determined by validated laboratories using quality assurance procedures. Full nutrient profiles were made available in SR (http://www.ars.usda.gov/nutrientdata). Results for 16 beef retail cuts were compared for cooking yield and protein, fat and moisture concentrations. For example, cooked fat levels differed among three roasted cuts and among three grilled cuts from chuck, rib and loin (p<0.01). Cooking yield for roasted ribeye (76%) was lower (p<0.001) than for grilled ribeye (83%) or for chuck eye grilled (80%) or roasted (84%). This study demonstrates the importance of maintaining data for a variety of retail beef cuts due to their unique properties and different cooking methods.

Updating USDA's Key Foods List for what we Eat in America, NHANES 2011–12

The Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) uses the Key Foods approach to select foods for nutrient analyses, allowing NDL to concentrate analytical resources on foods that contribute significant amounts of nutrients of public health interest to the diet.The Key Foods approach uses food composition data from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR26) for 14 nutrients of public health significance identified in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, intake data from NHANES, What We Eat in America (WWEIA) 2011–12, and the USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS 2011–2012) to connect food composition with consumption data. For each food, NDL multiplies the nutrient content by the grams consumed. NDL then ranks all Key Foods for each nutrient and divides the foods into quartiles. The current Key Foods list contains 576 food items, similar to the list generated from NHANES-WWEIA 2007–08,although the number of foods per quartile and rankings of some foodshave changed slightly. Key Foods help NDL provide current, representative data for researchers, policy makers, the food industry, and consumers. This article describes the Key Foods list that NDL developed using data from SR26 and 2011-12 consumption data from NHANES-WWEIA.

Changes in Nutrient Levels for Three Fresh Pork Loin Cuts between 1992 and 2010

Since nutrient composition of pork has changed over the past two decades, a collaborative study was conducted by scientists at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Texas Tech University and the National Pork Board to determine current nutrient values. The purpose was to obtain analytical nutrient data for three highly consumed fresh pork products in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) and to compare the results to data obtained in 1992. Bone-in baby back ribs (BKR), boneless sirloin roast (SRB), and bone-in blade chops (BCB) were purchased from 12 retail outlets using a nationwide sampling plan developed for USDA's National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program. Nutrient values for proximate, cholesterol, and minerals were determined by commercial laboratories using validated methodology including quality control procedures. The 1992 data used for comparison were derived from analyses of samples of raw fresh pork retail cuts which were obtained from supermarkets in 15 cities across the US in a nation-wide market basket study. Nutrient values from 1992 and 2010 for equivalent cuts were statistically evaluated using a paired two-tailed T-test (critical value p<0.05). Comparing 2010 values to 1992 values, moisture was significantly higher (p<0.001) while total fat was lower (p<0.001) in all three cuts. Cholesterol was significantly less in two of the three cuts. Sodium values for 2010 were higher in all three cuts by 7-24% but still below 90mg/100g. Phosphorus was higher (p<0.05) in 2010 whereas iron was lower (p<0.001). Values for potassium, calcium, and zinc varied between the two data sets. This research updates the values in SR and provides current and accurate data for use in nutrition monitoring and policy.

Coordinated responses to honey bee decline in the USA

In response to successive years of high honey bee mortality, the United States Congress mandated the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase funding for research and education directed at reducing honey bee decline. The funding follows two administrative streams within USDA — one through the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and another through the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA). ARS is funding an Areawide Project operated by the four ARS honey bee labs, and NIFA is funding through a competitive grant process a Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) operated by scientists and educators heavily represented by state colleges of agriculture. Each project — Areawide and CAP — is characterized as a consortium of investigators working in a coordinated manner to reduce institutional redundancy and optimize the discovery and delivery of sustainable bee management practices to client beekeepers.

The New USDA: Cultivating Change

In proclaiming the week of August 23–29 National Community Gardening Week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack noted, “Community gardens provide numerous benefits including opportunities for local food production, resource conservation, and neighborhood beautification. But they also promote family and community interaction and enhance opportunities to eat healthy, nutritious foods. Each of these benefits is something we can and should strive for.” Vilsack’s statement was the latest in a string of signals in the past 7 months that suggest significant changes are afoot at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). On 29 July 2009 Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan inaugurated a new rooftop garden at the offices of the USDA Economic Research Service. In early spring, Vilsack “broke pavement” for a vegetable garden known as the People’s Garden, which was planted in front of USDA headquarters across from the National Mall. And a March 2009 planning meeting to discuss the People’s Garden and other sustainability initiatives, chaired by Vilsack, included people not typically seen at USDA meetings in the past: representatives from community garden associations, local food policy councils, botanical gardens, and the Rodale Institute, a nonprofit organization in Pennsylvania dedicated to organic farming research. Vilsack “talked about sustainability, linking agriculture, food, and human health in a way that you haven’t heard [from USDA],” recalls Rose Hayden-Smith, a fellow at the Minneapolis-based nonprofit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and master gardener for the California Cooperative Extension service.

Hungary joins REEEP

“A Partnership for Public Health: USDA Branded Food Products Database” is a public-private partnership between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the North American Branch of the International Life Sciences Institute, GS1 US, 1WorldSync, and Label Insight. The goal of the public-private partnership is to enhance public health and the sharing of open data by augmenting the USDA National Nutrient Database with nutrient composition and ingredient information on branded and store-brand food products. The USDA Branded Food Products Database officially launched on September 16, 2016, and is publicly available.

Quality-control materials in the USDA National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP)

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) develops and maintains the USDA National Nutrient Databank System (NDBS). Data are released from the NDBS for scientific and public use through the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) ( http://www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/ndl ). In 1997 the NDL initiated the National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP) to update and expand its food-composition data. The program included: 1) nationwide probability-based sampling of foods; 2) central processing and archiving of food samples; 3) analysis of food components at commercial, government, and university laboratories; 4) incorporation of new analytical data into the NDBS; and 5) dissemination of these data to the scientific community. A key feature and strength of the NFNAP was a rigorous quality-control program that enabled independent verification of the accuracy and precision of analytical results. Custom-made food-control composites and/or commercially available certified reference materials were sent to the laboratories, blinded, with the samples. Data for these materials were essential to ongoing monitoring of analytical work, to identify and resolve suspected analytical problems, to ensure the accuracy and precision of results for the NFNAP food samples.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) activities concerning nutrition research related to food composition databases

Approximately 4% of the research expenditures for the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) is used to support nutrition research and training within NIH laboratories (intramural program) and in research institutions in the US and abroad (extramural program). In fiscal year (FY) 2000, the funding for NIH nutrition research and training was $694.9 million for 3150 projects. The research areas are broad and include the functions of nutrients and other food components in biological systems, the dietary intakes needed to prevent disease and/or promote optimal health, variables that affect nutrient functions and requirements, and genetic differences in needs and responses. The results of the many nutrition research projects and programs may help the Agriculture Research Service (ARS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) establish priorities for analyzing food components and including them in USDA food composition databases. NIH research projects are described and tracked through the Human Nutrition Research Information Management (HNRIM) system. A recent search for the key word antioxidants, food components of great interest to database developers and users, identified 131 projects, many with direct relevance to specific foods. NIH, along with other government agencies, provides financial support for the ARS, USDA National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP), which began in 1997. NIH support for NFNAP amounted to $1 850 000 in FY 2001. NIH is currently providing support for four NFNAP complementary databases: Native American foods, USDA commodity foods, choline, and fluoride. NIH provides support for segments of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). NIH support for NHANES was about $5.3 million in FY 2001 (about 12.4% of FY 2001 costs for the survey), and discussions are underway to assure continued NIH support for this survey.

Quality Control for USDA NRCS SM–ST Network Soil Temperatures: A Method and a Dataset*

In 1991, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) established its Soil Moisture–Soil Temperature (SM–ST) Pilot Network consisting of 21 stations in 19 states in the contiguous United States. At each station, soil temperatures were measured at up to six different depths from 5.08 to 203.20 cm (or 2–80 in.) below the surface. Before 1997, the observations were made every 6 h, and they increased to hourly beginning in 1997. The goal of this network is to provide near–real time soil temperature and soil moisture observations in different regions across the United States for agricultural and water use management as well as for climate research. To improve the usefulness and increase the value of both the data and this network, a quality-control method for the soil temperature data was developed. The method used a soil heat diffusion model and its solution at individual sites to screen and distinguish erroneous soil temperature data and to provide their estimates. Evaluation of the quality-control method showed its accuracy and reliability, particularly when it was applied to hourly data. Application of this method to the data has yielded a high-quality, high-resolution soil temperature database from 1994 to 1999 for the network, which is accessible at the USDA National Water and Climate Center's Web site.

The Agricultural Economics Profession at the Crossroads: Discussion

The agricultural economics profession is under severe pressure in the face of tight budgets everywhere. Economic Research Service staffing has been cut proportionately more than other U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies. The position of assistant secretary for economics has been downgraded. Congress has proposed phasing out the Council of Economic Advisers and eliminating social science research funding from the National Science Foundation's budget. When the USDA's National Research Initiative has funded the rural

A Century of Monitoring Weather and Crops: The Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin

Abstract Publication of a national weekly weather summary called the Weekly Weather Chronicle began in 1872. This summary was the precursor of today's Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin (WWCB), a publication that reports global weather and climate conditions relevant to agricultural interests, as well as current national activities and assessments of crop and livestock conditions. The WWCB is produced by the Joint Agricultural Weather Facility (JAWF), a world agricultural weather information center located in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) headquarters in Washington, D.C., and jointly staffed by units of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climats. Analysis Center and USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board and National Agricultural Statistics Service. Besides featuring charts and tables (e.g., temperature and precipitation maps and crop progress and condition tables), the WWCB contains summaries and special stories highlighting significant weather events affecting agriculture, ...