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United States Department of Agriculture
 Farm Service Agency
United States Department of Agriculture
 Farm Service Agency

Bridges to Opportunity

Bridges to Opportunity iconBridges to Opportunity (Bridges) is a service provided by U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) that bridges the gap between agricultural producers and non-USDA partner organizations. The service will launch in select FSA county offices in April 2016. Through the Bridges software application, FSA is able to provide additional services to farmers and ranchers that will benefit and grow their operation and ultimately help them meet their goals. 

USDA has partnered with numerous local, state, regional and national agricultural organizations that offer programs, nongovernmental grants, technical assistance, financial advice and other information helpful to today’s producers. Instead of farmers and ranchers researching for hours to find services offered by these organizations, a visit to their county office to meet with an FSA representative can help answer many of these questions.

Benefits of Bridges to Opportunity:

  • Provides a centralized location for producers to receive information.
  • Reduces time consuming searches.
  • Provides farmers and ranchers with information and informs partner organizations of the producer’s interest.

How Does Bridges Work?

Bridges works when a producer comes into a county office to request information. For example, a farmer or rancher may need information on organic production. An FSA employee can enter “organics” in the Bridges software application and a list of all local, state, regional and national organizations offering resources and services on organic production will come up. The FSA employee can email or print the information for the producer and send an email to one or more partner organizations, informing them that the producer has an interest in learning more about their service or program. The Bridges software application will contain information on all subject matters that affect producers, such as drought relief, beginning farmer information and disaster assistance.

States and Counties Where Bridges Will be Available

Bridges will launch in fall 2015 in 20 states and 202 county offices that service 318 counties. The state and counties are listed below:

 StateCounties
CaliforniaButte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity
ColoradoAdams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Jefferson, Larimer, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, Yuma   
ConnecticutFairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland, Windham
Florida Broward, Charlotte, Collier, De Soto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Indian River, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Sarasota, St. Luciee 
Illinois Bond, Clinton, Fayette, Jefferson, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Randolph, St. Clair, Washington 
IowaBuena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Calhoun, Dickinson, Emmet, Humboldt, Kossuth, Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Sac, Sioux  
LouisianaAvoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, LaSalle, Madison, Tensas
MassachusettsBarnstable, Berkshire, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, Worcester 
MinnesotaCarlton, Carver, Clay, Cook, Cottonwood, East Polk, Faribault, Kanabec, Kittson, Lake, Martin, McLeod, Mower, Meeker, Morrison, Norman, North St. Louis, Pine, Red Lake, Rock, South St. Louis, Todd, Traverse, Watonwan
MissouriBoone, Callaway, Cole, Franklin, Gasconade, Howard, Jefferson, Lincoln, Maries, Miller, Montgomery, Osage, Pike, St. Charles, St. Louis, Warren
NebraskaChase, Dawson, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Gosper, Hayes, Hitchcock, Lincoln, Logan, McPherson, Perkins, Phelps, Red Willow 
NevadaCarson City, Douglas, Esmeralda, Humboldt, Lander, Lyon, Mineral 
New YorkAlbany, Allegany, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Cortland, Genesee, Jefferson, Monroe, Oneida, Onondgaga, Ontario, Orange, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Steuben, Tompkins, Warren, Washington, Yates
North CarolinaAlleghany, Ashe, Cumberland, Durham, Halifax, Hoke, Orange, Person, Robeson, Scotland, Wilkes
OhioAthens, Hocking, Licking, Wayne
OregonClatsop, Columbia, Crook, Deschutes, Hood River, Jefferson, Malheur, Marion, Polk, Tillamook, Umatilla, Wasco, Washington
TexasAnderson, Austin, Bexar, Cameron,  Comanche, Cottle, Crane, Dallam, Delta, Ector, Hale, Hopkins, Houston, Knox, Lavaca, Leon, Madison, Martin, Midland, Motley, Nueces, Rains, Washington, Wood, Young
VirginiaAllegany, Bath, Charles City, Henrico, James City, King George, New Kent, Rockbridge, Spotsylvania, Stafford, York
West VirginiaBarbour, Berkeley, Boone, Braxton, Brooke, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lewis, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mineral, Mingo, Monongalia, Monroe, Morgan, Nicholas, Ohio, Pendleton, Pleasants, Pocahontas, Preston, Putnam, Randolph, Raleigh, Ritchie, Roane, Summers, Taylor, Tucker,  Tyler, Upshur, Wayne, Webster, Wetzel, Wirt, Wood, Wyoming
WisconsinAdams, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Marquette, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Rock, Sauk, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, Waushara

History

Bridges began as a pilot in five states — Connecticut, Texas, Minnesota, Oregon and North Carolina — and 12 county offices in October 2014. It is currently in its second phase and will continue to expand nationwide. 

Each of the fives state focused on different customer segments:

  • Connecticut: local and regional specialty crop producer;
  • Minnesota: commodity producers;
  • North Carolina: military veteran producers;
  • Oregon: new farmers and ranchers;
  • Texas: underserved producers.

To learn more about Bridges, download the brochure or view the fact sheet.