Other Websites

Agriculture and Rural Policy Resources

Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
The national alliance of grassroots groups take common positions on critical federal food and agriculture policy issues and provides financial support for collective representation before Congress and federal administrative agencies.

National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture
A nationwide partnership of individuals and organizations cultivating grass roots efforts to engage in policy development processes that result in food and agricultural systems and rural communities that are healthy, environmentally sound, profitable, humane and just.

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
IATP promotes resilient family farms, rural communities and ecosystems both around the world and locally through research and education, science and technology, and advocacy. Through the intersection of policy and practice, IATP works to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems.

Land Stewardship Project
A non-profit organization whose mission is to foster an ethic of stewardship for farmland, to foster an ethic of stewardship for farmland and to promote sustainable agriculture and to develop sustainable communities.

Kansas Rural Center
A non-profit organization promoting the long-term health of the land and its people through research, education, and advocacy. The KRC cultivates grassroots support for public policies that encourage family farming and stewardship of soil and water. KRC is committed to economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially sustainable rural culture.

National Catholic Rural Life Conference
Provides spiritual, educational and advocacy assistance to promote the NCRLC's mission to help rural people shape their own destinies and lead lives of dignity.

Californian Coalition for Food and Farming
With the mission to build and mobilize a diverse coalition to transform California's food system to one that is enviromentally sound, socially just, and economically viable. CCFF provides a unique and powerful forum for collaborative action, policy advocacy, and information exchange.

Iowa Farmers Union
IFU works cooperatively to do those thing that individuals acting alone cannot. In recognizing that the historica involvement with farmer owned and controlled cooperatives and their role in improving economic conditions for family farmers, the IFU affirms a commitment to the cooperative system.

Rural Policy Research Institute
Provides unbiased analysis and information on the challenges, needs, and opportunities facing rural America. RUPRI’s aim is to spur public dialogue and help policymakers understand the rural impacts of public policies and programs.

Rural Sociology Society
The RSS is a professional social science association that promotes the generation, application and dissemination of sociological knowledge, and seeks to enhance the quality of rural life, communities and the environment.

Rural Strategies
Helps to develop and incorporate media and communications into the work of communities and nonprofit organizations in support of strategic goals. The organization seeks to improve public understanding about the importance and value of rural communities by broadening public discourse which defines rural communities.

Western Organization of Resource Councils
By advancing the vision of a democratic, sustainable and just society through community action that works toward building sustainable environmental and economic communities, which balance economic growth with the health of people and natural resources.

Dakota Rural Action
DRA is a grassroots family agriculture and conservation group that works to preserve the natural resources, family farmers and ranchers, and unique way of life of South Dakota.

Oregon Rural Action
Committed to encouraging participation in the democratic process, ORA addresses (and helps develop leaders to address) issues of rural communities such as energy, food production, justice and land use planning.

Powder River Basin Resource Council
PRBRC is committed to the conservation of Wyoming's unique land and the empowerment of people through community organizing.

Wisconsin Rural Partners
WRP was chartered to pursue an educational mission dedicated to building collaborative partnerships across the public and private sectors for the benefit of rural Wisconsin. It is the state's official, federally-recognized State Rural Development Council in the National Rural Development Partnership. Its mission is "to build networks, leadership and voice for rural Wisconsin."

Rural Development Initiative (Oregon)
Works with local community leaders, volunteers, and partners to proactively address opportunities and challenges by building the capacity of rural leaders and to facilitate the development of collaborative partnerships that undertake economic and community development initiatives.

Maine Rural Partners
MRP is dedicated to advancing collaborative, integrated approaches to rural development. By identifying both problems and resources, the organization strengthens the capacity of rural communities to secure a high quality of life.

North Dakota Rural Health Association
The North Dakota Rural Health Association’s mission is to bring together diverse interests and provide a unified voice to promote and enhance the quality of rural health through leadership, advocacy, coalition building, education and communication.

Beginning Farmer Resources

International Farm Transition Network
The network helps to support programs that foster the next generation of farmers and ranchers. The website provides a sizable list of programs located throughout the US, Canada and Japan.

National Council of State Agricultural Finance Programs
The website lists and briefly explains a number of financing programs that provides links to contacts for state ag finance programs.

USDA Farm Service Agency
This agency makes farm ownership and farm operating loans, with priority to beginning farmers. Contact information for local offices (located in most counties) is listed.

Small Business Resources

Nebraska Microenterprise Partnership Fund
This statewide financial intermediary dedicated to supporting small and microenterprise business practitioners. NMPF's mission is to mobilize, allocate, leverage and link strategic local, state and national resources with community-based organizations that provide financial and technical assistance to Nebraska’s businesses.

National Federation of Independent Business
The NFIB is the leading small business association representing small and independent businesses. Its mission is to promote and protect the right of our members to own, operate and grow their businesses. NFIB also gives its members a power in the marketplace. By pooling the purchasing power of its members, the National Federation of Independent Business gives members access to many business products and services at discounted costs. NFIB also provides timely information designed to help small businesses succeed.

Grow Nebraska Marketing Program
This outreach program and affiliated fund of the Central Plains Foundation, Inc. has the mission to maximize the state’s entrepreneurial and small business spirit. Through this site you can buy Nebraska made products, experience tourism treasures throughout the state and learn about our marketing and training program.

Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
CRE mission is to help leaders and citizens in rural communities and regions across the U.S. embrace entrepreneurship as a core rural economic development strategy. This mission is achieved by collaborating with individuals and organizations engaged in the study, practice and policy of rural entrepreneurship. Working with economic development practitioners and researchers, the Center conducts practice-driven research and evaluation that serves as the basis for developing insights into model practices and other learning. The Center then shares this learning within both the practitioner and policymaker communities as a way of fostering new approaches to rural economic development.

Agriculture and Rural News Sources

Farm Policy
This website provides a daily summary of news relating to U.S. farm policy. Updates highlight news items dealing with production, trade, development and transatlantic issues regarding U.S. and EU agricultural policy.

Daily Yonder
This site offers a daily multi-media buffet of news, commentary, research, and features about all matters rural. It seeks to discuss the events and happenings of the 55 million people living in rural U.S.

Ethicurean
This blog discusses various issues surrounding food sources, including where and how it was grown and by whom, how it got to the plate, and other less obvious effects of our consuming it.

The Rural Blog
This blog is a digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism in rural America from the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at

Ag Clips
This is a website that compiles rural related articles and is maintained by the State Ag and Rural Leaders group.

Red River Farm Network
This site provides snippets of the week's ag news highlights in a compact and concise form.

On the Farm Radio
National and Mid-Atlantic editions of radio serving rural America; shows available by broadcast and online.

AgriNet Radio
Agriculture radio news service with an easily accessible selection of audio news segments to play online.

Agriculture News on Topix
News on Agriculture continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.

Community Resources

Great Plains Environmental Law Center
This site offers educational resources including explanations of environmental laws without the legal jargon, information about public information—what it is, what you are entitled to, and where to find it—and fact sheets about types of development, causes of environmental degradation, and the financial effects of sustainable and unsustainable development. Our legal resources are a network of cooperating attorneys who are well-versed in environmental law and familiar with the types of cases that are generally brought forth in the Great Plains.

Minnesota Rural Partners
MRP lifts up rural people and places. We promote rural-friendly policies, connect resources and develop tools that support rural economic and community development, share stories of rural innovation, and unite Minnesotans everywhere who understand the power of rural roots in our lives.

Farm and Sustainable Agriculture Resources

Windustry: Learn how to harvest the wind
This non-profit organization works to increase wind energy opportunities for rural landowners and communities. We promote wind energy through outreach, educational materials, and technical assistance to rural landowners, local communities and utilities, and state, regional, and nonprofit collaborations.

American Wind Energy Association
This national trade association represents wind power project developers, equipment suppliers, services providers, parts manufacturers, utilities, researchers, and others involved in the wind industry - one of the world's fastest growing energy industries. In addition, AWEA represents hundreds of wind energy advocates from around the world. AWEA provides up-to-date information regarding the industry.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory
NREL, in Golden, Colorado, began operations in 1977 and is the Department of Energy's primary laboratory for energy efficiency and renewable energy research and development.

Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service
This education-outreach organization works to promote sustainable and organic agriculture. MOSES serves farmers striving to produce high-quality, healthful food using organic & sustainable techniques. The website offers a wealth of information regarding the topic.

National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
NSAIS is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service. It provides information and other technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, Extension agents, educators, and others involved in sustainable agriculture in the United States.

Organic Trade Association
OTA is a membership-based business association that focuses on the organic business community in North America. OTA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy.

USDA Sustainable Ag Research and Education Program
SARE helps advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities through a nationwide research and education grants program. It runs regional grant programs for researchers and farmers. Sustainable Ag Network publishes information based on the grants. SANET is the electronic discussion forum.

Center for Holistic Management
Information materials, newsletter, online forum, training for decision making, policy analysis and natural resource management, especially arid lands.

FoodRoutes
Provides toolkits for local food promotion and policy change, national listing of farms/sellers. 570-638-3608 It promotes this vision through the strategic use and development of replicable communications, planning, evaluation, and research tools and models. Our programs include "buy local" campaign development, national polling research, message development, their website and implementation strategies for state and local food system policies funded by the Farm Bill.