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USDA. NAL. Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.
Looking to diversify your farming business? These government programs, universities and organizations offer resources and information contacts that can help you research alternative farming opportunities and develop business and marketing plans.
USDA. NAL. Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.
Lists alternative crop and livestock species and related enterprises with links to Extension sources that help evaluate and start non-conventional farming enterprises.
USDA. Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education.
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Learning Center offers books and bulletins, case studies, fact sheets, manuals, and more. Use the links at the top to filter by format or product type. Expand the Crop Production menu on the lefthand side to find materials on such topics as Crop Improvement and Selection, Cropping Systems, and Forestry.
Materials are available online and for purchase.
National Center for Appropriate Technology. ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.
ATTRA provides technical information and assistance to sustainable agriculture practitioners and educators. Their website offers news and events, as well as internship and funding opportunities. Topics of interest to crop producers may include Field Crops, Horticultural Crops, and Crop Insurance, among others. Many publications are available as free or low-cost PDFS. Some are available in print format for purchase. The site also includes online chat for assistance during select hours.
USDA. Natural Resources Conservation Service.
This section provides Web links to production and marketing information for crops suitable to small-scale farming and based on the selected crops and geographic areas.
University of Kentucky. Center for Crop Diversification.
Provides production and marketing information on specialty crops and value-added versions of current crops.
Purdue University. Center for New Crops and Plant Products.
Provides several sources of information such as the New Crops Symposium series articles available through the Table of Contents for each volume, the CropEXPERT listings and the CropORGANIZATION directory about a wide variety of both common and unusual crops.
Plants for a Future.
Located in the United Kingdom, "Plants For A Future is a resource centre for rare and unusual plants, particularly those which have edible, medicinal or other uses." Its services include an on-line database which currently consists of nearly 7,000 species of plants. The database is searchable by scientific name, common name or family; edible, medicinal or other use; or search for plants native to a particular area or a particular habitat.
University of California at Davis.
Provides information for growers, shippers, marketers, carriers, distributors, retailers, processors and consumers of fresh horticultural crops.
University of California. Small Farm Center.
Presents selected profiles from the 2nd edition of this unique publication. The complete print document may be ordered from the University of California Small Farm Center Catalog.