Agricultural Websites

Recommended Agricultural Websites

• AG Matters! The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, Inc. is dedicated to educating the public on the importance of a sustainable food and agriculture system that is economically viable and environmentally sound.
• AgriClick Agribusiness site with news, information, and reports from leading agribusiness magazines. Affiliated with Soybean Digest, Beef, National Hog Farmer, Hay & Forage Grower, Farm Industry News, Apply and Farm Press publications.
• Agricultural Organization Links Links to organizational websites concerned with the science and art of farming. Organizations include the American Emu Association, the Crop Science Society of America, International Sprout Growers, and Northern Nut Growers Associations.
• AgriSurf! Easy-to-use search engine and index of links to 20,000 agricultural sites. Topics include farm safety, organic farming, agritourism, forestry, and aquaculture. Also links to online agricultural magazines.
• AgWeb Comprehensive, online community for farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness. Up-to-the-minute news, market information, and Farm Journal network of media.
• Alternative Animal Farming Annotated database from the Animal Welfare Institute. Information on raising livestock, full-text articles about farming alternatives, and advice promoting farm animal welfare.
• American Farmland Trust Dedicated to protecting American farmland through publicly funded agricultural conservation easement programs. For more information, see also www.farmlandinfo.org
• American Grassfed Association Organized to protect and promote true grassfed producers and products. Includes links to educational sites.
• Center for Rural Affairs Private, non-profit organization working to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities.
• Community Involved in Supporting Agriculture (CISA) A non-profit organization dedicated to sustaining agriculture in Western Massachusetts and promoting the products of small farms. Community development is fostering through long-term, mutually beneficial relationship between farmers and consumers. CISA offers programs, special events, marketing products and workshops.
• Community Supported Agriculture CSA Resources for Farmers or Producers is published by the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center of the National Agricultural Library (U.S. Department of Agriculture).
• Cornell University Small Farms Program Easy access to information for small-scale farmers and those who work with them.
• Dairy Sheep Association of North America Serves the interests of current or aspiring sheep dairy producers, sellers, suppliers, industry professional, and academic researchers with an interest in sheep dairying, dairy genetics, sheep milk cheese production, and sheep milk based product development. Offers a multitude of links about sheep dairying.
• EarthTrends: The Environmental Information Portal See Agriculture & Food section. International scope. Site includes tables, maps, and excellent links.
• Eden: Sustainability Sourcebook A collection of wisdom about sustainability including permaculture, natural building, simple lifestyles, alternative energy, and sustainable agriculture. This is a work-in-progress and results are not consistent.
• Factory Farms The focus of this website is to "eliminate factory farming in favor of a sustainable food production system which is healthful and humane, economically viable, and environmentally sound."
• Farm Aid Free registration includes access to news, directory of services, and grants programs. The hotline at 800-FARM-AID (800-327-6243) offers financial counseling, technical support, and marketing aid.
• The Farm School Non-profit, educational farm in Western Massachusetts. Promotes farming and the teaching of farming through educational programs for school children and a year-long practical training program for adults.
• Farmers’ Legal Action Group Farmers’ Legal Action Group, Inc. (FLAG) is a nonprofit law center dedicated to providing legal services to family farmers and their rural communities in order to help keep family farmers on the land.
• Farmers Markets in Massachusetts The Federation of Massachusetts Farmers' Markets is a service organization dedicated to the needs of Farmers, Consumers and Communities. Click on All Massachusetts Markets for a listing of all Farmers' Markets of Massachusetts, their days, times, and length of season.
• Farm Landscapes Sites from Harvard University’s Institute for Cultural Landscape Studies offer discussion of farms as “working landscapes.”
  What Does It Take to Keep Farm Landscapes Working?
  The Future of Farming on Protected Landscapes
• Free-range Poultry Simple website explaining and supporting free-range poultry farming.
• Global Crop Pests: Identification and Information Covers pest recognition and scouting, ecology, biology and control strategies. Identifies pest problems and recommends IPM practices for their control. The information and images can be printed or downloaded. Produced by Cornell University.
• Grants.Gov Electronic searches and applications for competitive grant opportunities from 26 Federal grant-making agencies. This site is the single access point for over 900 grant programs.
• Green People Large directory of eco-friendly products, including pet supplies, organic food, and baby products. Includes a directory of coop stores, CSAs, natural restaurants, and farmers’ markets.
• Growing New Farmers The GNF Project is a regional initiative to provide future generations of Northeast farmers with the support and expertise needed for success.
• Home Orchard Society A nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting the science, culture, and pleasure of growing fruit. For both novice and expert growers. Includes fruit gardener’s calendar and access to apple pedigree database.
• Index of Fruit Disease Photographs, Biology, and Monitoring Information Visual tool for diagnosing and treating fruit diseases. Created and maintained by Kearneysville Tree Fruit Resource and Education Center at West Virginia University.
• Land Trust Alliance The national organization of over 1,300 land trusts. Offers news, FAQs, publications on conservation, and land trust issues.
• Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture Includes more than 200 searchable research projects, news releases, and information about marketing.
• Local Harvest Definitive and reliable nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources. Includes local sources for sustainably grown food and direct contact with family farms.
• MassGIS - Soils General and county-specific information compiled by a variety of government agencies.
• Natural Resources Conservation Service - Farm Bill 2002 Links to details of Farm Bill 2002 programs; requires Adobe to read pdfs. The NRCS is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• New England Livestock Alliance A membership-based, farmer-driven program of the New England Heritage Breeds Conservancy www.nehbc.org which conserves historic and endangered breeds of livestock and promotes their production to advance farmland preservation, biodiversity, and sustainable agricultural practices.
• New Farm A valuable exchange of “farmer-to-farmer know-how.” Sponsored by Rodale, this site covers crop and livestock production, direct marketing, local food systems, policy campaigns, and community-building collaborations. Includes a link to Organic Price Index, comparing conventional and organic prices for over 40 products in six categories: grains, vegetables, fruits, herbs, meats and dairy.
• New Farm Resource Directory Searchable database for websites, books, periodicals, government agencies. Rodale Institute.
• Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance A resource for organic dairy farmers, organic milk producers, and consumers interested in organic dairy farming and products. Provides news, events, and informative articles.
• NOFA – Northeast Organic Farming Association An organization working to educate members and the general public about the benefits of local organic systems.
• The Northeast States Association for Agricultural Stewardship (NSAAS)  A unified voice for northeast agriculture in the development of the 2002 Farm Bill. Click on Publications or Ag and Rural Links.
• NorthEast Organic Network (NEON) An innovative consortium of farmers, researchers, extension educators, and grassroots nonprofits working to improve organic farmers' access to research and technical support. The Who’s Who Guide offers access to farming expertise in the Northeast.
• Organic Farming Research Foundation Research related to organic farming practices, disseminating research results to organic farmers and growers, and educating the public and decision-makers about organic farming issues. Click on General Information for additional sustainable/organic websites.
• Organic Food Safety Promotes food safety, organic farming, and sustainable agriculture practices in the U.S. and internationally.
• Organic Price Index Compares conventional and organic prices for over 40 products in six categories: grains, vegetables, fruits, herbs, meats, and dairy.
• Organic Trade Association Business association encouraging sustainability through promoting and protecting the growth of diverse organic trade. Information on policy, events, news, directories, and resources.
• Organic Weed Management Website Learn to identify major weeds at all growth stages; Learn ecological strategies for controlling weeds; Understand response of weeds to farming and gardening practices.
  Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Cornell University.
• National Agroforestry Center USDA information on combining agriculture and forestry technologies to create more integrated, diverse, productive, profitable, healthy, and sustainable land-use systems. Includes many full-text publications.
• Pasture-based Farming Clearinghouse for information about pasture-based farming.
• Plants for a Future: Species Database Contains detailed information for more than 7,000 plants, all of which are either edible, medicinal, or are used for fibers, oils or soaps. Includes information on the environmental and cultivation requirements of each plant. Searches may be limited to North America. Produced by University of Leeds, England.
• Red Gate Farm Non-profit, educational farm in Western Massachusetts. Provides programs about agriculture and the environment.
• Restoring Our Seed Network of organic farmers, cooperative extensions, and plant breeders. Teaches farmers and gardeners how to save seed and improve crops on local farms in New England, especially cool-climate crops. Download the free “How to Grow Seed” manual.
• Scott’s Botanical Links Searchable index of links devoted to the study of plants. New resources added daily.
• Seed Savers Exchange Non-profit organization dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds. This practice forms a living legacy to be passed on to future generations. By growing and saving seeds, we join an ancient tradition as stewards, nurturing our diverse, fragile, genetic, and cultural heritage.
• Soils Classifications, descriptions, surveys, and a glossary are among the many resources offered through this site. Includes international links. Compiled and maintained by Natural Resources Conservation Services.
• University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension Research-based education and information that strengthens youth, families and communities, sustains natural resources, and improves the economy. Access to publications, news, events, and programs.
• USDA Economics, Statistics, and Market Information System Reports and datasets covering areas such as field crops, rural affairs, trade issues, conservation, specialty agriculture, livestock, and baseline projections.

Agricultural Libraries

• Alternative Farming Systems Info Center (AFSIC) A special branch of the National Agriculture Library devoted to organic, sustainable, and alternative production.
• Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) One of the most important resources for farmers and beginning farmers. Of particular interest are the downloadable information packets on a wide range of production and marketing topics.
• British Columbia Farm Business Management Information Network (FBMI) A fantastic resource, with budgets, downloadable marketing guides, depreciation calculators, and much more.
• Ecological Agriculture Projects (EAP) Online sustainable agriculture library with virtual library of scanned documents.
• Farmland Information Center A clearinghouse of statistics, laws, literature, and technical resources related to farmland protection and stewardship. Produced by American Farmland Trust.
• National Agricultural Library (NAL) The National Agriculture Library is an enormous collection, featuring 3.3 million items, searchable online. Includes many searchable databases.
• Soil and Health Library Offers full-text books about holistic agriculture, holistic health, self-sufficient homestead living, and personal development. Most titles are out of print.
• Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program (SARE) and
  Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) USDA websites covering sustainable production and marketing.
• Sustainable Farming Connection Leading website on sustainable agriculture, excellent links. Run by former staff of the much-missed New Farm magazine.