Washington, DC, February 14, 2011 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today made the following statement on the proposed FY 2012 budget:

"President Obama and I share a vision for building an economy that works for all Americans; one that makes, creates, innovates and expands the middle class.

"Since coming to office, we have taken important steps to avoid the potential economic collapse, turning around the economy to create private sector jobs each month for the past year. At President Obama's direction, USDA focused on stimulating growth, creating jobs, and setting in place a framework for a robust future for the rural economy: investing in new technologies like broadband, opening new markets for agricultural producers, supporting production of renewable energy and making better use of our natural resources.

"But as President Obama said in his State of the Union address, these are challenging times. We face tough competition from countries around the world. We need to step up our efforts and get serious about winning the future.

"Our goal must be to lay a foundation for sustainable economic growth and job creation by out-educating, out-building, and out-innovating our competitors. At the same time, we cannot ignore growing deficits accumulated over the past decade through increased spending and tax cuts without offsets. To afford the strategic investments we need to grow the economy in the long term while also tackling the deficit, this budget makes difficult cuts to programs the President and I care about. It looks to properly manage deficit reduction while preserving the values that matter to Americans.

"USDA already showed our commitment to deficit reduction by providing $4 billion last year to help pay down the debt through negotiation of an agreement with crop insurance companies. Our proposed FY 2012 budget cuts discretionary funding to $24 billion, about $2 billion below our FY 2011 request.

"In this budget, we are cutting programs not because we want to, but because we have to. American families have been forced to tighten their belts and government must do the same. The budget fulfills the President's pledge to completely eliminate earmarks. We are promoting good government and streamlining agency operations in a host of programs. And we have reduced or terminated selected programs.

"In the end we must cut to grow. And we are working to do it as responsibly as possible for American agriculture and the American people.

"At the same time, we are making investments to lay a foundation for a successful future for agriculture and for the American people. This budget includes targeted investments and program increases in key areas to support job creation and economic competitiveness. We will invest in research to spur innovation, promote exports, support renewable energy and conservation, and enhance critical infrastructure in rural communities.

"We are proposing some targeted reductions in farm program payments which would save $2.5 billion over 10 years, while only affecting 2 percent of participants. These savings would come on top of earlier work to institute procedural improvements that reduced the error rate in payments from 2 percent to under 0.1 percent, as well as a partnership with the IRS to eliminate improper payments to high-wealth individuals. At the same time, we are pursuing strategies to grow the next generation of farmers.

"Just as importantly, this budget pursues priorities that will spur job creation and innovation in rural America.

"Increasing exports is critical to growing our economy – every billion in increased exports supports 8,000 American jobs. To support President Obama's National Export Initiative, we will provide an additional $20 million to help expand agricultural trade.

"To promote the domestic production of renewable energy, we invest in renewable energy programs related to commercialization; research and development; education and outreach; and energy efficiency and conservation. We are also focusing our loans to rural electric cooperatives to support the development of clean burning low emission fossil fuel facilities and renewable energy deployment. Developing a nation-wide renewable energy industry will create hundreds of thousands of jobs in rural America, while helping us reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and reducing risks to our environment.

"Overall, we propose cutting our Rural Development budget by $535 million, reflecting targeted reductions and eliminations of programs. The most important thing we can do to support thriving rural economies is to provide credit to entrepreneurs and communities – which is why we will better target our investments to high growth rural businesses. And to out-build rival nations – and at no cost to the taxpayer – we are more than tripling our direct loan support to help communities build and repair hundreds of hospitals, libraries, and police and fire stations.

"Our budget also recognizes that successful and effective rural economic development will occur on a regional basis. Rural communities have different attributes, and when they find ways to connect and cluster their economies geographically and based on these strengths they are able to efficiently increase productivity and build more robust, sustainable economies. Despite the overall reduction in funding, our budget for Rural Development works through existing programs to fund regional pilot projects, strategic planning activities, and other investments to improve rural economies on a regional basis.

"To reform USDA so it's leaner, more efficient and ready for the 21st century, we will support efforts to better streamline operations and deliver results – at lower cost – for the American people. While many of our payment programs are operating at historic levels of accuracy, this budget continues to support efforts to reduce improper payments. We have cut $80 million in administrative expenses from across the Department including travel, shipping, printing, advisory contracts and supplies. This budget establishes a training program to help our procurement officers make the best use of taxpayer dollars. It looks to reduce staffing in areas that are seeing program cuts, or where we have created new process efficiencies. We are also seeking to recover the cost of operating a number of programs by collecting user fees from those that directly benefit from the services being provided. And we invest in IT to modernize critical systems in our Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Rural Development agencies.

"This budget will help drive innovation by investing in basic and applied science. While we have eliminated all earmarks in our research programs – saving $183 million – we have proposed a 24% increase in funding for our competitive grants program to support the most worthy projects. Our in-house research programs are re-directing nearly $59 million to higher priority research areas like agricultural production, food safety, and building a green economy.

"We are also focused on raising a healthier generation of young people who will enter our classrooms ready to get the world-class education they'll need to out-compete the rest of the globe. This budget ensures that all of America's children have access to safe, nutritious, and balanced meals. It fully funds the expected participation in all the Department's major nutrition assistance programs including WIC, the National School Lunch Program, and SNAP and the improvements implemented in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. It restores the SNAP benefit from the Recovery Act. It also makes appropriate investments to help us continue to improve the safety of the food Americans eat each day.

"This budget increases support for various Farm Bill conservation programs, including CRP, on 335 million acres – an average increase of 20 million acres annually since 2009. These programs provide critical benefits to the American people, filtering our water, cleaning our air and improving our wildlife habitats. For our National Forests, this budget improves the ability to restore forest resiliency and health, while supporting sustainable economic development and job-creation essential to growth in rural America.

"All told, this budget takes important steps to grow the economy while taking our responsibility for our deficit. The targeted investments we are making will be critical to building a robust economy for years to come. There are serious trade-offs in this budget, but by focusing on programs with the greatest potential to drive innovation, build critical infrastructure, and generate job growth, we will set this nation on a path to out-compete our rivals and win the future."

Washington, DC, May 25, 2011 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today applauded The Office of the First Lady's Let's Move! initiative and the launch of Let's Move! in Indian Country (LMIC). LMIC is an effort designed to support and advance the work that tribal leaders and community members are already doing to improve the health of American Indian and Alaska Native children. As a part of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative, LMIC brings together federal agencies, communities, nonprofits, corporate partners, and tribes to end the epidemic of childhood obesity in Indian Country within a generation by everyone playing a role. The launch was held at the Menominee Nation in Keshena, Wisconsin.

"This is a special day for the Tribes and for USDA. Let's Move! in Indian Country, will help promote healthy eating and physical activity among Native Americans and is an important part of the effort to reduce teen and childhood obesity rates," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "USDA is committed to working with native communities to create a healthy start for children, and providing the nutrition assistance that will lead to healthy lives."

The Let's Move! in Indian Country initiative seeks to support and advance the work that Tribal leaders and community members are already doing to improve the health of Native American children. As a part of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative, LMIC brings together federal agencies, communities, nonprofits, corporate partners, and tribes to mitigate childhood obesity in Indian Country within a generation.

USDA continues to work with tribal governments to expand their access to the full range of USDA programs by supporting and establishing local and regional food systems. USDA is helping build strong and resilient American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian farming and ranching enterprises that will create jobs and strong economies in Native communities across the country. Additionally, the department is collaborating to increase the number of food policy councils in Indian Country to improve food production opportunities and the availability of locally grown foods.

"We are committed to working with Tribal nations to improving access to healthy, affordable foods on Indian Reservations and tribal lands," said Janie Hipp, Director of USDA's Office of Tribal Relations, "Let's Move! in Indian Country will help support and expand efforts on the ground that will make great strides in improving the nutrition and health of tribal members."

USDA has a long history of supporting the goals of LMIC by working with Tribal nations through a variety of rural development and nutrition assistance programs including the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the National School Lunch Program, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. LMIC will build on the success of these widely used programs and focus on expanding participation in other federal nutrition programs including the School Breakfast Program, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Program which provides healthy snacks to school children, the Child and Adult Care Food Program which can now reimburse schools and afterschool programs providing an evening meal, and the Summer Food Service Program which feeds children and teens when school is out. Additionally, our Rural Development Programs have financed numerous projects in Indian Country, ranging from teacher housing to small businesses such as restaurants and grocery stores.

The goals of LMIC are complemented by USDA's efforts including:

Creating a healthy FDPIR food package

• To improve the FDPIR food package, USDA has taken a number of actions to increase the nutritional quality of FDPIR food offerings, including a 1995 partnership with the Department of Defense to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for the distribution on almost 100 reservations. This past year alone, USDA worked with DOD to expand the number of fresh fruit and vegetable offerings in the food package from 23 to 35. New items offered include avocados, seedless grapes, cherries, kiwi, honey dew melon, nectarines, and plums. The FDPIR Food Package serves over, 70,000 people each month in Indian Country.
• A recent nutritional analysis concluded that individuals consuming FDPIR foods would achieve a Healthy Eating Index score of 81 out of 100, well above the average American diet. (58 out of 100). This underscores the program's success in providing a benefit to FDPIR clients that is not only cost-effective but nutritionally effective.

Grants to develop creative, self-initiated nutrition projects

• In April, USDA announced that 15 Indian Tribal Organizations were selected to receive approximately $1 million in grants this year. The grants will help develop creative, self-initiated projects designed to enhance the nutrition knowledge and to foster positive lifestyle changes of low-income households living on Indian reservations and to American Indian households residing in approved areas near reservations or in Oklahoma.
• Projects chosen this year for the grants include a recipe toolkit containing menus, shopping lists, and snack ideas featuring more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; summer camp programs for youth to teach healthy cooking techniques; nutrition education sessions held during scheduled food deliveries for participants in remote reservation areas; and community gardens to promote fruit and vegetable consumption. Among the recipients is the Menominee Indian Tribe of Keshena, Wisc., where the launch of LMIC is being held. The Menominee Indian Tribe will use their grant to offer cooking and canning classes to FDPIR eligible participants and assist 30 families in developing home vegetable gardens.

Passage of Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act

• The passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act signed by President Obama in December 2010 allows USDA, for the first time in over 30 years, the chance to make real reforms to the school lunch and breakfast programs by improving the critical nutrition and hunger safety net for millions of children. This will help native communities win the future by having healthier lives. The bill also expanded the afterschool supper program to youth in low-income areas in all 50 states, including reservations. It will improve the food environment at schools participating in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, including tribal schools, by providing USDA with the authority to set nutritional standards for all foods sold in schools, including in vending machines, the "a la carte" lunch lines, and school stores. It also enhances universal meal access for eligible children in high poverty communities by eliminating paper applications and using census data to determine school wide income eligibility.

Let's Move! is a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady, dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. Combining comprehensive strategies with common sense, Let's Move! and USDA are working to put native families on the path to a healthy future.

FDPIR and the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs are among 15 nutrition assistance programs overseen by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. Many households participate in the FDPIR as an alternative to the Special Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as Food Stamps, because they do not have easy access to SNAP offices or authorized food stores. These programs touch the lives of one in four Americans each year and work together to form a national safety net against hunger.

Washington, DC, September 7, 2011 - USDA Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Under Secretary Kevin Concannon today announced the results of USDA's Household Food Security in the United States, 2010 report that found that the percentage of very low food security declined from 5.7 percent of households in 2009 to 5.4 percent in 2010. The USDA study indicated that in 2010, 17.2 million households in America had difficulty providing enough food due to a lack of resources. The number of food insecure households in 2010 was relatively consistent with statistics released in 2008 and 2009.

"This report underscores the critical role that federal nutrition assistance programs play in helping struggling American families put food on the table until they can get back on their feet," said Concannon. "Many families receive assistance not because they want to, but because they need it as a last resort to make ends meet. As the economy continues to recover and jobs are created, we hope to see the number of families in need of nutrition assistance shrink."

The report released today indicates that 59 percent of all food-insecure households participated in one or more of the three largest nutrition assistance programs near the time of the survey.

In fiscal year 2010, these programs provided much needed food assistance to millions of individuals, children and families in need:

• In an average month of fiscal year 2010 (Oct. 1, 2009 through Sept. 30, 2010), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provided benefits to 40.3 million people in the United States.
• In fiscal year 2010, the National School Lunch Program provided meals to an average of 31.6 million children each school day.
• In fiscal year 2010, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children served an average 9.2 million participants per month.

Food insecurity rates were substantially higher than the national average for households with incomes near or below the current federal poverty line ($22,350 for a family of four), households with children headed by single women or single men, and black and Hispanic households. Food insecurity was more common in large cities and rural areas than in suburban areas and other outlying areas around large cities.

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs including the Summer Food Service Program; SNAP; NSLP; WIC; and the Emergency Food Assistance Program. Together these programs make up the federal nutrition safety net. USDA administers these programs in partnership with state and local agencies and works with faith and community-based organizations to ensure that nutrition assistance is available to those in need. Additional information about the programs can be found at www.fns.usda.gov.

Dallas, TX, May 25, 2011 - USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, Janey Thornton today recognized 154 Dallas schools for their efforts to expand nutrition and physical activity opportunities, the largest group of honorees from one district to date. USDA and its partners, the National Football League and the National Dairy Council, joined students, teachers, foodservice professionals, and community leaders for the HealthierUS School Challenge celebration. This is the largest number of awards ever presented to a single school district and the state of Texas leads the nation in the highest number of awards.

"HealthierUS Schools have taken an active role in combating childhood obesity by incorporating healthier menus and introducing more physical activities during the school day," said Thornton. "The strong foundation these schools have built supports a clear path for our nation's young people to win the future."

The Challenge and Fuel Up to Play 60 are key components of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative to end childhood obesity within a generation. Last year, the First Lady and USDA called on stakeholders to double the number of HUSSC schools within in a year and add 1,000 schools per year for two years after that. As of May 9, 1,001 schools are certified, well on the way toward the goal of 1,250 schools in this school year. Schools participating in the HUSSC voluntarily adopt USDA standards for food they serve at their schools, agree to offer nutrition education and to provide opportunities for physical activity. Other Let's Move! child nutrition initiatives include Fuel Up to Play 60, a customizable in-school program that empowers youth in more than 70,000 schools to improve nutrition and physical activity at their school and for their own health. It encourages youth to consume nutrient-rich foods (including low-fat and fat-free dairy, fruits, vegetables and whole grains) and achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

USDA recently announced that it will be investing $5.5 million in grants with approximately $2.5 million set aside to provide non-competitive grants (up to $50,000) to each State Agency that commits to specific strategies to increase the number of HealthierUS School Challenge applications submitted for approval. Up to $350,000 may be requested to include both competitive and non-competitive grants.

"First Lady Michelle Obama and USDA believe that schools can take a leadership role in helping students learn to make healthier eating and active lifestyle choices for better health," said Janey Thornton, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. "Today, we honor their commitment and encourage other schools to emulate their efforts in fostering these environments."

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service oversees 15 nutrition assistance programs that touch the lives of one in four Americans over the course of a year. The programs work together to form a national safety net against hunger. The National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs provide nutritionally balanced, free and low-cost meals to nearly 32 million school children each school day. SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, puts healthy food in reach for more than 44 million Americans each month, half of whom are children.

Washington, DC, May 5, 2011 - As part of an effort to reduce hunger and food insecurity, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grants to improve sustainable regional and local food systems.

"More than 17 million American households lacked the resources to access sufficient food in 2009, and the people living in one-third of these households went hungry at least once during the year," Merrigan said. "The grants we are announcing today will help us win the future by understanding the needs of low-income communities in order to better meet their food and nutrition needs."

The grants were awarded by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). Many regional and local sustainable food system programs across the country address food insecurity by developing small food economies in diverse ways. Projects funded through this program explore ways to improve food systems on a local level, by helping disadvantaged communities in urban and rural areas establish sustainable food systems (food sheds).

Fiscal year 2010 awards include:

• University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, $1,124,664: To increase food security and improve diet quality in Alaskan communities and to strengthen local and regional markets for sustainably harvested fish.
• University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, $48,845: To organize a conference to explore the constraints and opportunities for developing a sustainable red meat industry in Alaska.
• Michigan State University, Lansing, Mich., $50,000: To organize a national conference: Making Good Food Work: A Conference on Local and Regional Food Distribution.
• North Dakota State University, Fargo, N.D., $4,892,158: To establish a program to increase food security for Native people on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation.
• Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa., $4,999,829: To evaluate regional food systems in the Northeast and enhance food security of underserved populations in the region.
• Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va., $2,041,100: To strengthen, sustain and expand the South-Atlantic Appalachian region foodshed of Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina with the dual aim of improving food security and local-regional food economies.
• University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis., $4,944,748: To examine existing food systems and identify barriers to increasing local access to nutritious food, making recommendations that are responsive to local needs.
• University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo., $4,983,481: To identify, develop and evaluate community organizing strategies for sustainable food systems for food security.

These grants come on the heels of numerous efforts over the years by USDA and partners across America to end hunger. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act President Obama signed into law on December 13, 2010, is a significant investment in our children and efforts to end childhood hunger. The Act expanded the at-risk meals program (CACFP) which provides supper and after-school snacks to low-income children to all states. The Act also makes it easier for children to receive free meals in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs through more expansive direct certification and community eligibility using existing data sources. USDA also recently announced a series of grants to help state agencies and their partners focus on improving program access for individuals, children and families in need. Those include $5 million in participation grants for SNAP and $5 million to 14 Hunger-Free Communities grantees in multiple states across the nation.

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) oversees the administration of 15 nutrition assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the child nutrition programs that touch the lives of one in four Americans over the course of a year. These programs work in concert to form a national safety net against hunger.

AFRI is NIFA's flagship competitive grant program and was established under the 2008 Farm Bill. AFRI supports work in six priority areas: plant health and production and plant products; animal health and production and animal products; food safety, nutrition and health; renewable energy, natural resources and environment; agriculture systems and technology; and agriculture economics and rural communities.

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation's future.

Washington, DC, July 28, 2011 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced new investments in New Hampshire and Idaho to help eliminate childhood hunger and improve nutrition and health for school-aged kids. The grants are awarded to the two state agencies to reduce paperwork and expedite certification of students for free meals in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs through a process called direct certification.

"Direct certification is a useful tool that allows us to get healthy meals to our kids so that they get access to the nutrition they need to learn and thrive," said Vilsack. "These grants will help states improve their direct certification process so that fewer eligible families will have to fill out duplicative paperwork for healthy school meals."

With direct certification, states and local, educational agencies can automatically enroll students from households already participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations without requiring the child's family to complete an additional application. The investments announced today are intended to help improve direct certification rates for children in households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

Agencies administering the National School Lunch Program in New Hampshire and Idaho were chosen to receive the grants provided by the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Act of 2010. Idaho will receive $513,190 and New Hampshire, $109,916. USDA's Food and Nutrition Service expects to award additional grants to states meeting eligibility requirements each quarter over the next year. Direct Certification Grants totaling nearly $3 million have been made to 15 states since January, including those announced today.

Under Secretary Kevin Concannon underscored the importance of the grants, "Direct certification is a trifecta for schools, parents and children. Schools and parents benefit from reduced paperwork, and children get better access to healthy school meals.," he said. "And these grants help states do that."

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs that, in addition to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and National School Lunch Program, also include the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, and the Summer Food Service Program. Taken together, these programs comprise America's nutrition safety net.

Washington, DC, April 27, 2011 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack welcomed St. Louis Rams Quarterback Sam Bradford to the Agriculture Department today and joined him in urging Native American youth to spend the summer pursuing healthy outdoor activities. Bradford, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, participated with over 30 Native American students at USDA's People's Garden in planting a Native American garden, called The Roots of American Agriculture.

"Through programs like 'Fuel Up to Play 60' and Let's Move!, the Obama administration is helping get kids active in order to help them have a healthy future," said Vilsack. "Our partners at the NFL and across the country are key to engaging kids in an exciting way that teaches them that physical activity can be fun, while also important to their health."

Bradford and Vilsack noted that a recent study of four year-old children found that obesity is more than twice as common among American Indian/Alaska Native children than among white or Asian children. In 2002, nearly 15 percent of those receiving care from the United States Indian Health Service (IHS) were estimated to have diabetes.

The USDA People's Garden Initiative promotes the establishment of school and community gardens to grow healthy food, people and communities across the country. Over 30 Native students helped plant the garden. Those participating included students representing Eastern and Western tribes, Southeast Alaska, and a class from a Native elementary school in Tuba City, Arizona. The garden showcases heirloom Native American crops and planting techniques and celebrates the tremendous contributions Native Americans have made to the foods we eat today.

Bradford and Vilsack were joined at USDA by Robin Schepper, executive director of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Campaign; Keith Moore, the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Education Director, and Janie Hipp, Senior Advisor to Secretary Vilsack with the USDA Office of Tribal Relations.

The First Lady's Let's Move! initiative, which aims to end childhood obesity, has also since joined in support of Fuel Up to Play 60 and USDA's HealthierUS Schools Challenge, which are both helping to combat this issue and provide access to nutrition information.

Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school nutrition and physical activity program launched by the National Dairy Council (NDC) and the National Football League (NFL), with additional partnership support from USDA. The program encourages youth to consume nutrient-rich foods (low-fat and fat-free dairy, fruits, vegetables and whole grains) and achieve 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Fuel Up to Play 60 is designed to engage and empower youth to take action for their own health by implementing long-term, positive changes for themselves and their schools.

On April 22, 2010, Bradford was selected by the St. Louis Rams as the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. He grew up in Oklahoma and spent his college career with the Oklahoma Sooners. In 2008, Bradford became the second sophomore to win a Heisman Trophy. In his first season in the NFL, Bradford won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award after setting the record for most completions by a rookie in NFL history.

Washington, DC, February 10, 2011 – USDA People's Garden Director Livia Marqués, Washington Capitals Defensemen and 2011 NHL All-Star Mike Green, Comcast SportsNet analyst Alan May and Powell Elementary School Principal Janeece Docal launched a People's Garden Workshop today to design a garden at the school. Teachers, parents and every student in the school – 289 children from pre-Kindergarten to 4th grade – participated in the design process led by USDA employees.

As each group presented its concepts, the session captured the school community's best ideas for elements that were important to the success of the garden. USDA landscape architects, Matt Arnn and Bob Snieckus, will incorporate these concepts to develop the final design for the school garden. The design will be revealed to the school in early March. The school, USDA and the Caps then will get to work building the garden.

"The benefits provided by People's Gardens in this and hundreds of other communities goes far beyond the food that is produced," said Marqués. "The simple act of planting a garden can make real and lasting change in our communities, especially those in greatest need. The aim of the People's Garden initiative is to grow healthy food, people and communities throughout the country."

USDA is a key partner in First Lady Michelle Obama's LetsMove! Initiative and USDA's People's Garden initiative in part emphasizes the link between gardening and healthy lifestyles. A garden can be the first step to help students learn about healthy eating, exercise, environmental education and project-based learning, a main component of a school's curriculum. Learning at school happens beyond the classroom and through this project the whole school environment will be involved in the student's development.

"At Powell Elementary School we are very excited about The People's Garden initiative in partnership with USDA and the Washington Capitals," said Docal. "This will be a collaborative effort in which the parents, staff and students will unite to design the garden for our Powell campus and foster pride in beautifying and sustaining it. It will create teaching opportunities and authentic learning projects for all of our scholars, ages three to fourth grade—about the environment, biology, mathematics and related literature. It also will promote our health and wellness initiatives and enable social and cultural connections among our multicultural Powell community."

The Washington Capitals adopted Powell Elementary School as part of the team's community outreach efforts. Most recently, the Caps held a floor hockey clinic at the school to promote the sport along with exercise and healthy lifestyles. Mike Green, who is on a waiting list to get a plot in an Arlington community garden, was very excited to help the school create a garden. Gardening runs in Mike's blood as his uncle Murray is a gardener and manages greenhouses and Mike grew up on a farm in Canada.

"This is a unique opportunity for me to be able to participate in," said Green. "We have a responsibility to get the younger generation involved in making our community beautiful. I'm excited to hear what the students have in mind for the garden at Powell Elementary School in Washington, D.C."

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack launched the The People's Garden initiative in February 2009 on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, President Lincoln who started the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1862, referred to it as "The People's Department." The initiative aims to engage all USDA employees to create gardens that benefit their communities and highlight sustainable practices that protect the environment. To meet this goal, employees are partnering with hundreds of organizations to create a 'People's Garden' at their USDA office or in their local communities.

Today, over 1,200 People's Gardens across the country are demonstrating how connections are made between providing access to nutritious food, while protecting the landscape where that food is grown, serving communities and helping those in need. These gardens provide educational opportunities for children and adults about nutrition and sustainability as well as introduce younger generations to agriculture and fresh foods.