Agriculture Department
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We now turn to hopes of restoring native plants, preserving bird habitats and helping farmers cut pollution. The Agriculture Department has approved the first set of projects under a new program designed to get the rest of us investing in conservation. Congress squeezed the regional conservation partnership program into last year's mega farm bill. Jason Weller, chief of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, joined Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive with more on the new program and its projects.
January 27, 2015 -
GSA has made it clear the follow-on to Networx, called Network Services 2020, will live up to its name with most agencies not completely migrating to the new contract for another five years.
January 19, 2015 -
USDA, DHS and Transportation are taking steps to implement OMB's May 2013 open data policy. Each agency faces policy and process challenges, but they say progress is starting.
December 12, 2014 -
The total price for professional services contracts at the Agriculture Department is about $2 billion over the last four years. The Office of Management and Budget says those types of contracts can be very risky for you to use. Anne-Marie Fennell is Director of Natural Resources and Environment Issues at the Government Accountability Office. On In Depth with Francis Rose, she said with risk factors in mind, USDA needs to strengthen its oversight of professional services contracts.
November 03, 2014 -
Experiments with agile development are underway at the Agriculture Department's Food and Nutrition Service. The agency is borrowing ways to run some technology projects from agencies like the Health and Human Services Department, but the concept might not be one-size-fits-all. Rory Schultz is Deputy Chief Information Officer of FNS. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said his agency still has a lot of testing to do, and also needs to double-check to make sure it's legal.
November 03, 2014 -
The National Academy of Public Administration has elected a new class of fellows. They'll take on some of the most complex management and policy issues in government, and reporting to Congress. Newly elected fellow Mike Espy is the former Secretary of the Agriculture Department, and now a county attorney in Mississippi. He joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive.
October 29, 2014 -
There's a new resource to help those in the agricultural community adjust to the challenges of climate change. The USDA Climate Hubs website launched last week. The site provides a wealth of information from the latest research data, conservation programs and financial assistance to emergency contact information and procedure for each region. Bill Hohenstein, director of USDA's Climate Change Program Office, joined Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive with details.
October 27, 2014 -
Federal employees donated 14.4 million pounds of food to food banks nationwide as part of Feds Feeds Families summer campaign.
October 15, 2014 -
Cheryl Cook, USDA's CIO, said the Forest Service awarded a contract to AbilityOne for tier one helpdesk services. This is one of several enterprisewide services the agency is creating to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
October 06, 2014 -
Mika Cross received a 2014 Causey Award for raising the level of workforce issues at the Department of Agriculture.
August 05, 2014 -
Federal News Radio's Causey Awards honor top achievers in federal human resources. It's named after our own Mike Causey, in tribute to his career spent reporting on issues that matter to the federal workforce. This year, judges have selected four winners. One is Mika Cross, the work-life and wellness program manager at the Agriculture Department. She joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss how she convinced USDA to use telework as a strategic tool. View more about our 2014 Causey Award winners.
August 04, 2014 -
The Agriculture Department is trying to bring new and younger blood into farming and ranching. It has launched a website to serve as a one-stop resource for new farmers. That's just the latest move. Krysta Harden is deputy secretary at the Agriculture Department. She joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive and said a lot of initiatives are needed, considering the average U.S. farmer or rancher is 58 years old.
July 01, 2014 -
Federal employees at the Department of Agriculture donated more food during the 2013 Feds Feed Families campaign than any other large agency. USDA is now sharing its secret weapon with other agencies in the hope it will help the government, as a whole, reach its goal of 10 million pounds of donated food in 2014.
June 17, 2014 -
It's time to rummage through your pantry. Feds Feed Families is in full swing. The annual food drive is a collaborative effort led by the Agriculture Department with help from the Chief Human Capital Officers Council and other agencies. Last year federal employees donated nearly 9 million pounds of food. Karen Comfort, national program manager for Feds Feed Families, joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to talk about this year's goals. Read a related story.
June 17, 2014 -
The sixth annual Feds Feed Families campaign is now underway for the summer after a kick-off event on Monday. The theme of this year is to "Help Knock Out Hunger."
June 03, 2014