USDA

USDA Saved Millions So Far Due to Centers of Excellence

The Agriculture Department has avoided $26 million in spending due to the first phase of its modernization effort.

  • By Frank Konkel

12 Companies Tapped For Phase II of Agriculture’s Centers of Excellence Journey

The real work begins as a dozen companies sign on to implement the modernization strategies developed in the first phase of the program.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Will Electric Co-ops Close the Digital Divide?

The Federal Communications Commission seems to think they’re part of the solution.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

Next Agency to Host GSA Centers of Excellence Will Be Announced by October, Departing TTS Director Says

Outgoing Technology Transformation Service Director Joanne Collins Smee shares the strengths of her organization, what’s next for Agriculture’s Centers of Excellence and when the effort will jump to a new agency.

  • By Aaron Boyd

USDA Wants One Hub to Connect Agency Leaders to Every Employee

The agency wants to pull disparate intranets together and allow two-way communications with employees.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Improving Customer Experience Doesn't Always Mean More Money and Tech

But it can help.

  • By Aaron Boyd

GSA: Phase II Centers of Excellence Bids Will Begin in July

Officials from the General Services Administration and Agriculture Department met with industry about the next phase of IT modernization efforts.

  • By Frank Konkel

The U.S. FDA Says It’s Taking the Lead on the Regulation of Cell-Cultured Meat

A different kind of meat could get a different kind of regulation.

  • By Chase Purdy, Quartz

First Modernization Fund Winners Offer Cheat Sheet for Future Pitches

The first three awardees of the Technology Modernization Fund offer a window into the kinds of projects and pitches the board is looking for.

  • By Aaron Boyd
Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.

Lawmaker Threatens USDA Officials with 'Legislative Metrics' to Preserve Telework

Rep. Gerry Connolly calls Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s recent rollback of telework at the agency “retrograde.”

  • By Erich Wagner

Planned Food Stamp Recipients Database Sparks Hacking Fears

Critics say the database is unnecessarily expansive and would be a major draw for hackers.

  • By Joseph Marks

Survey: Nearly 30 Percent of Feds Report Greater Resistance to Telework

Nearly half of employees who underwent a change in telework policy said the new rules don’t fit their needs.

  • By Erich Wagner

Centers of Excellence Are A 'Cultural Intervention' For USDA, Says CIO

The department shows a renewed energy and shift in strategic thinking even in the first phase of the program, Agriculture CIO Gary Washington said.

  • By Aaron Boyd

USDA to Block Social Media Following IG Report Showing an Uptick in Porn Watching

Employees will be barred from visiting 400 websites "not related to official department communications or business," starting Wednesday.

  • By Erich Wagner
A central Illinois farmer deposits harvested corn outside a full grain elevator Virginia, Ill. A central Illinois farmer deposits harvested corn outside a full grain elevator Virginia, Ill.

Here’s How Agriculture Plans to Overhaul Its Tech

The department will cut data centers down from 39 to two—and that’s just the start, according to CIO Gary Washington.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Farmers to Congress: We Need Broadband, Too

Agriculture and energy companies in rural areas want to find efficiencies with internet of things devices, but lack of high-speed access is a problem

  • By Jack Corrigan
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue

USDA Mobile App 'Reaffirms' Trump Ethics Standards

The app gives employees easy access to federal ethics guidelines.

  • By Jack Corrigan

A Farmer-Focused Agency Wants to Ditch Data Centers Completely

"Farmers don’t care that I run a data center," an Agriculture Department chief information officer said.

  • By Frank Konkel

Some Agencies Spend More Than 90% of IT Budgets on Legacy Systems, Report Finds

Some agencies are spending even more on legacy IT than you think.

  • By Frank Konkel

Q&A: The Nanotech Future of the American Farm

USDA's nanotech team thinks small sensors could help farmers grow more with less.

  • By Mohana Ravindranath