Power outages that last for hours mean you will probably need to throw out a lot of food in your refrigerator and freezer.
The Office of Management and Budget is taking aim at approximately 30 agency financial management modernization systems. Part of the new oversight is a Financial Systems Advisory Board made up of CFOs and CIOs across the government. The administration\'s goals are lower costs and improve performance by addressing long standing project problems.
A new USDA report says American farmers continue to choose genetically engineered crops over their conventional counterparts. A July USDA Economic Research Service report finds the rate of adoption of Genetically Engineered soybeans is up to 93 percent this year; the adoption of all Genetically Engineered cotton climbed to 93 percent; and the adoption of all biotech corn reached 86 percent in 2010. An April report from the National Research Council notes, many U.S. farmers who grow genetically engineered crops are realizing substantial economic and environmental benefits - such as lower production costs, fewer pest problems, reduced use of pesticides, and better yields. In 2009, 330 million acres of biotech crops were planted in 25 countries by 14 million farmers.
This week\'s guest is Jonathan Alboum, chief information officer at the Agriculture Department\'s Food and Nutrition Service. July 8, 2010
The New York Times reports that the Agriculture Department has banned a leading American inspector of organic foods in China for conflicts of interest.
A recent GAO report looked at agencies\' policies for choosing the locations of conferences and found that cost was the number one factor when it came to planning. Details from GAO\'s Lorelei St. James.
The military is performing a proof of concept in Utah by putting transit benefits on employees\' Common Access Cards. USDA is implementing technology to require the use of HSPD-12 cards to log onto applications.
Every year, one distinguished federal IT acquisition manager receives the coveted John J. Franke award for career excellence. The award last night went to Jim Williams, who recently retired from the GSA as the Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service.
Over a year ago, the U.S. Army, and other branches of the military, were experimenting with the use of the virtual worlds social media site \"Second Life\" as a recruitment tool. Since that time, the military has branched out into using virtual worlds technology as a tool for collaboration. Now, civilian branches of government are looking to do the same thing. Federal News Radio\'s Max Cacas has our exclusive coverage of the Third annual Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds Conference, which concludes today at the National Defense University here in D.C..
Agency wants to use crowdsourcing to help kids eat healthier.
New White House guidance calls for agencies to submit data feeds to OMB\'s Cyberscope tool. Federal CIO Vivek Kundra hopes the information will give agencies a better idea of vulnerabilities and threats to computer networks. Agencies may have to shift money away from traditional reports to upgrade systems to meet new FISMA requirements.
Agencies across the federal government are embracing the tools of social collaboration to become more accessible to citizens. An IT industry group that includes many federal IT officials heard from three of the top government experts in the field.
An outdated way of running the government is how one industry expert describes Uncle Sam’s preparation concerning telework. While most government agencies and businesses have continuity plans in case employees need to work from home,…