Agricultural Research is published by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. In this month’s issue the results are in for a peanut taste test and the United States wins! The competition was China and Argentina. Let me hear you, “We will, we will, rock you!”
New USDA Communications Staffers
The USDA office of communications has some new staff members. Kristin Scuderi will serve as Deputy Press Secretary; Harry Phillips serves as Director of Speechwriting and Jessie Nicholson as Speechwriter in the department.
Welcome to the staff!
New Checkoff Board Appointments
U. S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, was in an appointing mood this week. He made quite a few appointments. I’m just posting the new ones. You’ll have to visit their website to find the re-appointments.
Almost 1.1 million U S Farms Have Internet Access
It’s really official that 51 percent of U S farms have internet access now! That’s up 3 percent from 2003. The percentage of increase is smaller than in past surveys showing some levelling off in farms obtaining internet access. This makes some sense when you consider that the average age of a farmer continues to move upward. I can’t see the number declining though and at 51 percent that means that almost 1.1 million farms are online! That’s a significant number.