USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a new plan to strengthen its collaboration with tribes and help them build more sustainable food systems.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now testing the nation’s milk supply for the bird flu virus known as H5N1. The virus has spread through dairy cattle in 16 states, including most of the Mountain West.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is spending $60 million to help tribal farmers in the Mountain West use less water amid drought – and still grow their crops.

Some government-backed food distribution programs are experiencing supply chain issues nationwide. This is having a significant effect on Indigenous communities. In response, the USDA is providing emergency grants for Tribes.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a federal order to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The highly contagious disease has been detected in dairy cattle in the U.S.

Recently, the federal government updated a key gardening tool to reflect temperature changes across the country. The Department of Agriculture’s new "plant hardiness zone map" measures the ability of plants to survive cold temperatures.

The Biden administration is kicking off a barrage of visits to promote federal spending packages like the Inflation Reduction Act – and the rural Mountain West is a big part of the itinerary.

Farm and ranch lands across the West face many threats – like inflation and outside development. But the federal government is working with agricultural producers to preserve open space and the benefits it provides.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for its Grassland Conservation Reserve Program, a voluntary program that pays landowners and agricultural producers to maintain grass habitats critical for local ecosystems.

As chronic wasting disease and avian influenza spread among wildlife and livestock in the Mountain West, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is targeting new funding at efforts to keep these and other deadly diseases in check.