Agriculture Department

  • Agencies have stepped up the pace of their data center consolidation efforts, leading to predicted data center closures numbering well above what the Office of Management and Budget predicted earlier this year.

    July 21, 2011
  • The latest news affecting federal workers and government contractors. Find out what you need to know to start your day.

    July 05, 2011
  • Lisa Shames is director of natural resources and environment at the Government Accountability Office and shares tips for your agency.

    June 30, 2011
  • The House voted on a spending bill that will slash the Food and Drug Administration\'s budget by nearly 12 percent.

    June 16, 2011
  • With funding from USDA Rural Development\'s Rural Utilities Service (RUS), rural electric cooperatives are leading the way in smart grid deployments. We get details from USDA\'s Jessica Zufolo.

    June 15, 2011
  • Federal CIO Vivek Kundra said there are more than 1,000 of these back-office systems and moving them to private cloud providers could save billions. Several agencies, including Labor and EEOC, already have moved their financial systems to a private cloud. Kundra envisions an interagency effort similar to the one for email where agencies commit to using a governmentwide contract for these services.

    June 10, 2011
  • Bill Bransford is a partner at the law firm, Shaw, Bransford & Roth. He joins the Federal Drive with information on the legal rights of employees who may feel targeted to accept buyouts.

    June 09, 2011
  • USDA\'s Rodger Matthews discusses records management of social media, balancing open access with security requirements, and quick wins that federal agencies can do to improve their programs.

    June 08, 2011
  • FAR Council issues an interim rule to change the acquisition regulations. Agencies and contractors must start meeting new requirements for goods and services.

    May 31, 2011
  • The Agriculture Department is the first cabinet-level operation to offer early retirement and buyouts to employees. And it won\'t be the last. So what are your odds of getting an offer? Senior Correspondent Mike Causey has the exclusive.

    May 31, 2011
  • Obama administration officials told Congress agencies are taking a more aggressive stance than ever in their efforts to cut improper payments. The White House has set a goal of reducing such payments by $50 billion by next fiscal year.

    May 26, 2011
  • Agencies asked 125 annuitants for help last year with Army leading the way, bringing 44 retired federal workers back to help with acquisition processes.

    May 19, 2011
  • Brent Elrod, the national program leader of military and veterans programs at USDA, talked to Federal News Radio about some of the programs that will be offered through the initiative.

    May 05, 2011
  • Federal CIO Vivek Kundra expects GSA to issue a solicitation by May 10 for a $2.5 billion contract for email-as-a-service. It\'s part of how the administration wants agencies to move to cloud computing. Kundra said five of seven short-term IT reforms efforts are on track.

    April 28, 2011
  • The Government Printing Office has named Charles Riddle as the new chief information officer. Riddle brings a background in information technology and most recently worked at the Agriculture Department.

    April 20, 2011