On July 2, 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed Justin Morrill's second agriculture-school bill into law. Along with another measure he championed, in 1890, it created a system of land-grant colleges that rooted agriculture firmly in university research and helped democratize American higher education, creating institutions not for the sons and daughters…

"Every boy and every girl...should be a producer. The growing of plants...should therefore become an integral part of the school program." With these words, the federal Bureau of Education launched the United States School Garden Army (USSGA) during World War I, targeting urban and suburban youth. It represented one of the earliest federal efforts…

Study after study documents the skills the American workforce needs to stay competitive in a global marketplace, yet increasingly employers are compelled to look overseas for those skills. The authors advocate for a different manner of thinking, focused on engaging students in work that is relevant to the world they see, encouraging them to take…

Reviewed are trends in birth rates and food production energy requirements. Concludes that control of human numbers would prevent a threatened serious food shortage. (SL)

The near daily news reports on food-borne diseases caused by contaminated produce, dairy, or meats suggests to the public that the safety of the U.S. food supply is in jeopardy. These reports, as well as a general distrust in federal agencies due in part to mad cow disease and toxigenic forms of "E. coli" in ground beef, have resulted in an…

These guidelines offer recommended topic areas and content for training local-level food service personnel. The recommended topic areas for training school food service directors/supervisors and food service managers are nutrition requirements, menu planning for school meals, procurement, financial management, marketing, food production, program…

Scientists are not sure of how corn was created. There were two competing genetic theories about how corn came to be. One theory maintains that corn had been teased out of a wheatlike grass called teosinte (genus Zea), and the other contends that one now-extinct ancestor of corn had crossed with another grass, "Tripsacum," several millennia ago.…

The Project was begun in 1979 by the Meals for Millions/Freedom from Hunger Foundation to help bring about changes leading to improvements in the food and nutrition conditions, and overall health, of Papago people living on the reservation. Goals of the Project were to initiate a comprehensive and integrated approach to food and nutrition problems…

Compiled to give readers information on current research in household production, this special issue focuses on the family as a provider of goods and services. It includes five feature articles, a summary of a survey of American farm women, and a brief analysis of sources of time-use data for estimating the value of household production. Covered…

California's degree gap is a growing concern. According to recent reports and news articles comparing the number of degrees awarded with the jobs expected in the coming decade, California will not have enough university graduates to meet the needs of the labor market. Previous work by the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) showed…

In the locale of Hanford, California, this 1968 nutritional study was made to explore and evaluate the nutritional beliefs and food practices of Mexican American mothers among low-income agricultural working families. Some 35 mothers whose children attended the Hanford Child Day-Care Center were interviewed at home to determine family…

These charts present an overview of the current economic health of American agriculture. The charts move from the national and international arenas to farm economic health measures and crop and livestock trends. A small amount of descriptive narrative accompanies most of the charts. Charts depicting the economic picture of U.S. agriculture include…

This document was compiled by the Specialist, Life Sciences, Science Policy Research Division and the Analyst, Biological Sciences, Science Policy Research Division of the Library of Congress in response to a request of the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs. Submitted under the general title, "A Compilation of Key Papers for Use…

Intended to familiarize American Indian tribal leaders, planners, and community leaders with the programs available to Indians through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this brochure provides information on program benefits, application procedures, and who to contact for further information for 49 programs in the areas of agriculture, community…

The programs and policies of the Agency for International Development (AID) in administering American foreign aid are briefly described in this booklet. Short introductory sections discuss the reasons for foreign aid, the interdependence of today's world, and the history of American foreign aid since World War II. The remaining parts of the…