Aug 28, 2024

How can the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) build on innovation to better support sustainable American agriculture? Tackling that complex question was the driving force behind our inaugural USDA Innovation Symposium. USDA’s diverse mission requirements in technology and tools make creativity essential in leveraging today’s challenges into opportunities for innovation.

Held on July 16 and 17, our virtual event gathered over 1,400 leaders, industry experts, and innovators from the federal sector to explore the latest transformative technologies. The symposium explored the key technology and cultural enablers for federal agencies to adopt technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, big data, and cloud-based technologies.

The event also featured the impact innovation is making inside many USDA agencies. Rural Development (RD) staff shared their lessons learned from the digital transformation of their Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program, which helps agricultural producers generate new products and create and expand marketing opportunities. Forest Service (FS) gave a behind the scenes look at how innovative data and digital tools can improve collaboration and build real-time wildland fire response capabilities.

To learn innovation best practices from other federal agencies, presentations also included the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) adoption of emerging technologies, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) digital experience team’s innovative approaches and technological advancements, and the Department of Defense (DOD) platform for learning, acquiring, and delivering technology.

A special congratulations to the USDA Tech Innovation Hackathon winners that were announced at the symposium’s second day. Participants developed new prototypes in the three-week hackathon, including dashboards for USDA open data, a universal funding application, and more. I’m so encouraged by their enthusiasm for thinking outside the box to innovatively address current and future challenges for our Department.

Thanks to all of our event speakers for their insightful presentations, which are continuing to foster dynamic discussions and collaborative exchanges. Our attendees learned innovative approaches to tackle challenges head-on, optimize resources, and pave the way for a brighter future. The connections and collaborations forged during this symposium will undoubtedly propel new innovations and initiatives.

We can look forward to continued collaboration as we strive to meet the evolving needs of our stakeholders and advance innovation and sustainability in agriculture. Using innovation and data will help make programs not only easier for USDA employees to administer but also improve our customer interaction and experience. Working together across mission and business domains, we can help deliver new technology solutions for USDA.