Web Policies and Disclaimers
Non-Discrimination Statement
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, genetic information, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Equal Employment Opportunity Data Posted Pursuant to the No Fear Act
This is the reporting page for the Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (NO FEAR Act), Public Law 107-174.
No Fear Act
On May 15, 2002, President Bush signed legislation called the No FEAR Act (Notification and Federal Anti-Discrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002). This law became effective on October 1, 2003. The primary purpose of the Act is to improve agency accountability for antidiscrimination and whistleblower laws. More information about the No Fear Act and agency compliance can be found here: www.usda.gov/nofear/ars.
Accessibility Statement
Start2Farm adheres to the USDA Accessibility requirements. USDA.gov maintains an Accessibility Statement page which can be accessed here: FOIA Accessibility Statement.
FOIA Freedom of Information Act
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which can be found in Title 5 of the United States Code, section 552, was enacted in 1966 and provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information. All agencies of the United States government are required to disclose records upon receiving a written request for them, except for those records that are protected from disclosure by the nine exemptions and three exclusions of the FOIA. This right of access is enforceable in court. The federal FOIA does not, however, provide access to records held by state or local government agencies, or by private businesses or individuals. All states have their own statutes governing public access to state and local records; state agencies should be consulted for further information about them.
USDA maintains a FOIA home page which can be accessed here: USDA FOIA Website.
Start2Farm.gov and the National Agricultural Library are part of the Agricultural Research Service, one of USDA's Research, Education, and Economics (REE) agencies. More information about FOIA services for REE agencies can be accessed here: Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Reference Guide.
Legal disclaimer
Although Start2Farm.gov includes information about legal and regulatory requirements of farming and ranching, nothing on Start2Farm.gov is intended as legal or regulatory advice and should not be taken as such. Users of the site should be aware that laws and regulations differ by jurisdiction. Information on Start2Farm is available for your information and convenience but should not be used in lieu of legal advice from qualified and certified legal counselors or regulatory officials. If you require legal or regulatory assistance please contact the appropriate authorities.
Commercial Endorsement Disclaimer
The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this web site is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement, recommendation, or approval by the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the National Agricultural Library, or Start2Farm.gov of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable.
Copyright Disclaimer and Policy
Copyright Disclaimer
Some materials including images and multimedia items in Start2Farm.gov are protected by copyright, trademark, or patent restrictions, and/or are provided for personal use only. Such materials are used by Start2Farm with permission, and Start2Farm has made every attempt to identify and clearly label them. You may need to obtain permission from the copyright, trademark, or patent holder to acquire, use, reproduce, or distribute these materials. Copyright holders should be aware that most information available on federal sites is in the public domain and will be treated as such by most users regardless of actual copyright status. Users should be aware that using information in the public domain, or under fair use, does not exempt them from the ethical obligation of attributing credit to the original source. For more information about copyrights policies at the National Agricultural Library please visit the NAL policies site here: NAL Copyright Statement
Copyright Policy
Copyrighted materials are posted on this site with the express permission of the copyright owner. Items that have disputed copyright claims will not be posted or will be removed from the site. Parties involved should resolve the dispute in the proper arena. Start2Farm is not authorized and will not settle copyright and other intellectual property disputes. Once the dispute is resolved, Start2Farm will only repost the materials with the express permission of the proper copyright holder. Start2Farm will not repost the materials otherwise.
Quality of Information
Start2Farm.gov adheres to USDA guidance in information quality. USDA will strive to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the information that its agencies and offices disseminate to the public. More information on USDA Information Quality can be found at Guidelines for Quality of Information. Effort has been made to provide accurate and complete information. However, we cannot guarantee that there will be no errors. Neither the U.S. Government, USDA, nor Start2Farm.gov assumes any legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or process disclosed herein, or represents that use of such information, product, or process would not infringe on privately owned rights.
Start2Farm Web Linking Policies
Start2Farm Web Linking Policy Start2Farm.gov links are governed by a web linking policy. All links are reviewed under the criteria of this policy. Start2Farm reserves the right to remove links we believe are in violation of this policy without notification. The full Start2Farm web linking policy can be viewed here.
Links to other sites Start2Farm.gov contains links to various other federal and state agencies and private organizations. These links are maintained solely for the user's information and convenience. Once you link to another site, please be aware that you are then subject to the policies of the new site including copyright and intellectual property policies. In addition, please note that Start2Farm.gov does not control and cannot guarantee the relevance, timeliness, or accuracy of these outside materials. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to particular items in hypertext is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to constitute approval or endorsement of any views expressed, or products or services offered, on these outside web sites, or the organizations sponsoring the web sites.
Linking to Start2Farm Links to Start2Farm.gov are permitted and encouraged. The yellow logo may also be used in lieu of a hypertext link provided that the logo itself is linked to http://start2farm.gov/ and to no other page in Start2Farm.gov and provided that it is apparent that the logo is only a link and does not represent an endorsement by or partnership, of any kind, with Start2Farm.gov. The fact that a Web site links to Start2Farm.gov does not indicate that Start2Farm has any responsibility for the content of that site, nor does it constitute an endorsement of that site by Start2Farm.gov, NAL, NIFA, USDA, or the U.S. government.
Government System Usage Policy
This information service operates on a U.S. Government computer system. This system is monitored to ensure proper operation, to verify the functioning of applicable security features, and for other like purposes. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring and is advised that if such monitoring reveals evidence of possible criminal activity, system personnel may provide the evidence of such activity to law enforcement officials. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information; to defeat or circumvent security features; or to utilize this system for other than its intended purposes are prohibited.
NAL Agricultural Thesaurus and Glossary
Start2Farm.gov uses the NAL Agricultural Thesaurus for part of its functionality. For more information on the NAL thesaurus please visit the NAL site here: NAL Agricultural Thesaurus and Glossary