This year, USDA is offering two pre-forum field trip opportunities on Wednesday, February 26.:  A field trip to local farms and a tour of USDA headquarters and the museum See details below.

Farm Tour 

Tentative itinerary

Wednesday, February 26, 7:20am: Depart Crystal City Gateway Marriott

Stop 1: Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD. This stop focuses on USDA honey bee and pollinator research. Coffee, pastries, and fruit provided

• We’ll get a brief into on the importance of pollinators and then split into 3-4 rotating group to hear from top USDA biologists and research leaders about the latest in pollinator research.

Stop 2: Catoctin Mountain Orchards, Thurmont MD. Arriving mid-day. Lunch provided.

• Meet the Black family that operates CMO, and has been farming in Thurmont for four generations. We’ll hear about the challenges and economics of fruit production in the Mid Atlantic.
• Meet  Chris Dardick from USDA ARS (Kearneysville, WV) to discuss USDA’s NASA research collaboration, figuring out ways to grow applies in space and hopefully have some of these special trees on display
• Enjoy a hard cider tasting from a local mid-Atlantic producer and learn about this emerging beverage sector.

Stop 3: Hart Hemp Company, Adamstown, MD.

• While there won’t be hemp in the fields in the winter time, participants will get to meet Andy Bennett, and see some of his hemp harvesting equipment and hear his story. We’ll discuss production, economics, and legalities surrounding this newly legalized crop. This is strictly an industrial hemp business, so the discussion will focus on the different uses of industrial hemp, the challenges around marketing and legal compliance, and outlooks for the industry.

Return to DC Approx. 6:00-6:30pm

A fee of $65 covers transportation and a boxed lunch.

You can signup and pay for the Farm Tour when you register for the conference.

USDA Headquarters Tour

On Nov. 3, 1929, Washington’s Sunday Star newspaper featured a front-page story that called USDA’s newly built administration building "the most satisfyingly harmonious building in the world." That was shortly after construction finished on the building, which was later named the Whitten Building and honors the only U.S. government agency located on the National Mall.

Take a walking tour of USDA’s headquarters and hear intriguing stories about its history. The tour will end in USDA’s South Building at the USDA Museum.

Is your curiosity piqued? Then come join us!

Details

There will be two walking tours of USDA headquarters on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Each tour lasts about an hour and concludes at the USDA Museum, where you can explore at your leisure. Each tour is limited to 20 participants; however, a waitlist will be available, and we will notify you the afternoon prior if space opens up. There’s no fee to attend. 

To register for the USDA headquarters tour, please email your name to stephanie.ho@usda.gov by February 20. If you require mobility assistance or have other needs, let us know by February 17, 2025.