Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC)

See Agricultural Funding Resources by Topic for additional resources.
 

Check back here for alternative, specialty, organic and other federal funding opportunities.

(Note: Some older bulletins may have links that are outdated or no longer supported. For questions regarding content, please contact us via our email.)

• What is Agricultural Literacy?
  (October 2023)
  An agriculturally literate person is one who understands "the food and fiber system, and this would include its history and its current economic, social and environmental significance to all Americans."  (National Research Council)
   
• Gearing up to Sow and What is a Plant Breeder?
  (May 2022)
  Plant breeding is an ancient activity that originated as our ancestors shifted from gathering wild plants to growing them in a controlled manner.
   
• What is Sustainable Agriculture?
  (March 2022)
  "Sustainable agriculture" is legally defined as integrating plant and animal production practices that target several specific long-term objectives. 

USDA Agricultural Research Service National Programs (ARS NP#)

• Food Animal Production (NP101)
• Aquaculture (NP106)
• Soil and Air (NP212)
• Sustainable Agricultural Systems Research (NP216)
• Plant Genetic Resources, Genomics and Genetic Improvement (NP301)
• Plant Diseases (NP303)
• Crop Protection and Quarantine (NP304)
• Crop Production (NP305)
• Product Quality and New Uses (NP306)
• National Agroforestry Center (NAC)

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Initiatives

• High Tunnel
• Monarch Butterflies
• On-Farm Energy
• Organic Initiative

DOI U.S. Geological Survey Science

• Agriculture
• Biofuels
• Pollinators

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Global Food Security and Agriculture Consortium

• NASA Harvest

Tools

• Farm Service Agency Educational Hub [farmraise.com]
  Provides links to both the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, & Farm-raised Fish (ELAP) Decision Tools. Offers trial access to Tracks, the FarmRaise Farm Accounting Software (USDA collaboration).
   

• U.S. Agriculture and Forestry Greenhouse Gas Inventory [usda.gov]
  An interactive tool that allows a range of users including scientists, researchers, agricultural producers, environmental and agricultural organizations, and policymakers to interact with and explore long-term trends in greenhouse gas emissions and sinks within agriculture and forestry sectors.

   

• Freeze Date Tool [purdue.edu]
  Provides information about the climatology of freezing temperature dates across the north-central and northeastern United States. It allows farmers to visualize county trends for freeze dates (both fall and spring), growing season length, and more. (Collaboration by the Midwestern Regional Climate Center and the USDA Midwest Climate Hub).
   
• USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map [ars.usda.gov]
  Interactive tool that allows analyses from basic locale information to downloading national, regional, or state zone maps.

Reports

• America’s Farms and Ranches at a Glance: 2024 Edition [PDF, 30 pages; ers.usda.gov]
  Economic Information Bulletin No. (EIB-283), December 2024.
  This annual report describes the characteristics of U.S. farms and ranches with the most recent data from the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). Statistics for calendar year 2023 categorize farms into groups based on annual gross cash farm income, the main occupation of the farm’s principal operator, and ownership type.

   

• 2022 Census of Agriculture Specialty Crops Publication [PDF, 23 pages; nass.usda.gov]
  Issued October 2024, this comprehensive summary of agricultural activity for the United States and for each state published by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Includes number of farms by size and type, inventory and values for crops and livestock, producer characteristics, and much more.