Urban Agriculture A Growing Priority For USDA

During the month of March, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack talked about efforts to grow what farming means in the United States, and beyond.

"We're expanding the notion of agriculture.  That it just doesn't have to happen in a rural area, they can happen in a big city, too."

And Vilsack said the USDA wants to help would be urban farmers. According to one USDA official:

"There's a lot of help needed in our urban sector," said Terry Cosby, head of USDA's NRCS, which houses USDA Special Office of Urban Agriculture. He told a Souse Ag Subcommittee hearing that urban producers do have challenges.

"From access to land, to understanding how to grow fresh fruits and vegetables," Cosby noted. "Also we're looking at the type of soils that these fruits and vegetables will be grown in.  And so we have a lot of help that we can offer."

And not just from agencies in the Ag department, "but the federal family to pull together to support urban agriculture."

To that end there's a new federal advisory committee for urban agriculture and innovative production, which recently had their first meeting.

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