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Other Resources
You can find additional information on a wide variety of sustainable agriculture topics in ATTRA publications and resource lists, as well as from agencies, universities and organizations. Links to some of the many available information sources are listed below.
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- Videos
- NCAT Publications
- SARE Publications
- USDA Sustainable Agriculture Programs
- Sustainable Agriculture Working Groups
- University and Extension Sustainable Agriculture Programs
- Non-profit Organizations
- State Sustainable or Organic Agriculture Websites
- Regional Centers for Rural Development
- Agricultural Directories and Virtual Libraries
⇒ Videos
⇒ Publications
NOTE: Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs.
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⇒ NCAT Publications
⇒ SARE Publications
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded initiative that sponsors competitive grants for sustainable agriculture research and educationin a regional process nationwide. SARE is dedicated to the exchange of scientific and practical information on sustainable agriculture systems using a variety of printed and electronic communications tools. SARE’s Learning Center is a treasure trove of sustainable agriculture information—searchable by type of product and topic. Many publications are free online. Titles include: Building Soils for Better Crops; The Small Dairy Resource Book; Steel in the Field: A Farmer’s Guide to Weed Management Tools; and Managing Cover Crops Profitably.
Put Your Ideas to the Test: How to Conduct Research on Your Farm or Ranch
Outlines how to conduct research at the farm level, offering practical tips for both crop and livestock producers. Includes real-life examples and a comprehensive list of further resources. Co-written by a team of research scientists.
Marketing Strategies for Farmers & Ranchers
Offers snapshots of the many alternatives available for marketing your farm products, including farmers’ markets, pick-your-own operations, farm stands, entertainment farming, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA); cooperatives, sales to restaurants, and more.
A Whole Farm Approach to Managing Pests
This 20-page bulletin helps producers design farm-wide approaches to control pests. It lays out basic ecological principles for managing pests and suggests how to apply them to real farm situations — along with cutting-edge research examples and anecdotes from farmers using such strategies in their fields.
⇒ Links to USDA Sustainable Agriculture Programs
⇒ Sustainable Agriculture Working Groups
| Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) |
| Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG) |
⇒ Links to University and Extension Sustainable Agriculture Programs
⇒ Links to Non-profit Organizations
National
| Agroecology in Action |
| American Farmland Trust |
| Center for Rural Affairs |
| Community Food and Justice Coalition |
| Conservation Technology Information Center Promotes and disseminates comprehensive data, research and materials related to conservation agriculture. |
| Ecological Farming Association |
| Farm Aid |
| Farm Commons Farmers should be empowered to take action on the legal situations that affect their operations. Farm Commons provides educational resources to help farmers identify issues, break them down into manageable steps, and give them the confidence to move forward. |
| Farm Hack |
| Farmers’ Legal Action Group |
| FoodCorps |
| Greenhorns |
| Holistic Management International HMI is a goal-oriented decision-making system for ecological management of resources, people, and capital. |
| Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy |
| National Center for Appropriate Technology |
| National Farm to School Network |
| National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition |
| National Young Farmers Coalition |
| Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) International |
| Organic Farming Research Foundation Homepage for OFRF (Organic Farming Research Foundation) and its highly visible SCOAR (Scientific Congress for Organic Agriculture Research) Project. Site features the results of OFRF organic farming surveys, a study of land-grant university support for organic research, information on biotechnology, and lots more. |
| Organic Fruit Growers Association |
| Organic Seed Alliance |
| Organic Trade Association Homepage for the Organic Trade Association (OTA). OTA is the premier organization representing the US organic industry. The site has a large searchable database of organic businesses, including importers, exporters, buyers, suppliers, growers, and others. |
| Rodale Institute / New Farm |
| Rural Advancement Foundation International USA |
| The Land Institute |
| The Livestock Conservancy |
| Wild Farm Alliance |
| Women, Food and Agriculture Network |
State or Regional
⇒ Links to State Sustainable or Organic Agriculture Websites
| California Organic Program The text of The California Organic Foods Act of 2003 can be downloaded from this site, as well as organic sales reports. |
| Energy and Sustainable Agriculture, Minnesota Department of Agriculture |
| Montana Organic Program |
| North Dakota Organic Advisory Board |
| Oregon Organic Certification Program |
| Organic Agriculture, Georgia Department of Agriculture |
| Organic Certification in Virginia |
| Organic Certification Program, Idaho Department of Agriculture |
| Organic Farming Information Center, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets |
| Washington State Department of Agriculture Organic Food Program |
⇒ Regional Centers for Rural Development
| North Central Regional Center for Rural Development |
| Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development |
| Southern Rural Development Center |
| Western Rural Development Center |
⇒ Links to Agricultural Directories and Virtual Libraries
| AgNIC (Agriculture Network Information Collaborative) |
| CyberStacks(sm) |
| Sustainable Agriculture Library |
⇒ Links to Other Education Information
| 2012 Organic Land Grant University Assessment Organic Farming Research Foundation scored Land Grant universities on eight points including maintaining organic research land, cultivating student organic farm, offering an organic minor, major or certificate, and employing a dedicated organic faculty or staff member. The report is online in PDF. |
| All Farmers Resources for Service Providers All Farmers offers an online selection of resources for working with English Language Learners (ELL) and new American farmers. |
| Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC) AFSIC maintains the nationwide “Educational and Training Opportunities in Sustainable Agriculture” directory which is searchable online by state, academic program or keyword. |
| How to Conduct Research on Your Farm or Ranch This Sustainable Agriculture Network bulletin describes how to conduct research at the farm level, with practical tips for both crop and livestock producers, as well as a comprehensive list of more in-depth resources. |
| Making the Farm Connection: Farm-to-School Farm Visit Manual Community Alliance with Family Farmers developed this manual to let farmers know what to expect when hosting a farm visit, and to prepare teachers and classes so that they may get the most out of their farm visit. The farm visit concepts outlined in this manual are best suited for students between second and sixth grades. The manual is available as a PDF file. |
| Meeting the Diverse Needs of Limited-Resource Producers: An Educator’s Guide This 16-page bulletin from SARE is intended to be a resource for agricultural educators, heads of community development and agricultural organizations, government agency staff, and others who want to better connect with and improve the lives of farmers and ranchers who remain hard to reach. The free bulletin features nine success stories from around the country as a jumping off point for adapting innovative programs to varied areas. It also provides “how-to” ideas for educators, socio-economic characteristics/barriers to working with varied audiences, proven teaching methods and successful connection strategies. |
| National Farm to School Network |
| Sustainable Agriculture Resources and Programs for K-12 Youth This 16-page publication from SARE, updated in 2011, is a guide to sustainable agriculture-oriented educational opportunities for schoolchildren that features more than 50 programs and curricula nationwide. The publication includes direct links, program contact information, and ideas for integrating lessons into school programs. It is available online in PDF. |
| The Western Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) Farm Internship Curriculum This curriculum was designed to be used by individual farmers during the course of the workweek. Ideally, a farmer will use the In-Field curriculum when he or she is demonstrating a new task to interns. Its companion Handbook was authored by Maud Powell and developed and tested by Oregon farmers and interns. It details successful methods of recruitment, hiring, negotiating with, training, and managing interns. |
⇒ Links to Sustainable Agriculture Educational Programs
University and College Programs
Organic Dairy
| California State University, Chico Organic Dairy |
| Organic Dairy Research Farm, University of New Hampshire |
| West Central Research and Outreach Center, University of Minnesota |
Other Training Programs
Hundreds of new support and training programs for beginning farmers around the country have been launched with funding provided by USDA’s Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development Program. The best place to learn about all these programs is the searchable Start2Farm clearinghouse, a comprehensive “one-stop” resource created and maintained by the National Agricultural Library in partnership with the American Farm Bureau Federation.
This page was last updated on: September 14, 2017