Educational Materials

• 2012 Census of Agriculture

  Comprehensive summary of agricultural activity nationwide.

• African Americans Have Lost Untold Acres of Land Over the Last Century: An obscure legal loophole is often to blame

  Article about the history Heirs' property and how it impacts African Americans.

• Ag Lease 101

  Learn about alternative land lease agreements and view templates.

• AGAware Balance Sheet Template

  Use this balance sheet in order to get a better understanding of your current and projected finances.

• AgTransitions

  Step-by-step guide to help farmers develop a transition plan.

• Basic Accounting: Guidance for Beginning Farmers

  The purpose of this publication is to make basic accounting approachable for people with little or no accounting experience and encourage new farmers to develop good recordkeeping habits at the outset.

• Cash Rent Survey Web Page

  Data about cash rents by county.

• Climate Data Web Page

  Information about climate patterns, water, and soil moisture conditions.

• Conservation Districts

  Directory of the 3,000 conservation districts across the country. Districts provide maps, soil evaluations, and conservation plans,

• Cooperative Extension System

  Educational network with local offices of experts ready to provide practical and research-based information to agricultural producers and small business owners.

• Cooperative Farming

  This guide introduces the concept of cooperative farming and the gives examples of the ways in which farming communities have found success in cooperative farming.

• Cultivating the Next Generation: Resources and Policies to Help Beginning Farmers Succeed in Agriculture

  Learn about access to capital, land, and infrastructure and assistance with agricultural production, business planning, and marketing.

• Farm Answers

  Farm Answers—the Largest Source of Information for Beginning Farmers. Farm Answers is the USDA-NIFA beginning farmer and rancher (BFRDP) clearinghouse, providing resources to help you get started farming, as well as tools to help more seasoned producers succeed.

• Farm Legacy Letter Template

  A series of prompts to help exiting farmers write down their farm history and exit goals.

• Farm Legacy Workbook

  A workbook designed to help farmers navigate the succession process.

• Farm Succession and Transfer: Strategies for the Junior Generation

  Suggestions and strategies to help the incoming farmer through the farm transfer process.

• Farmer's Guide to CSP

  A comprehensive guide to understanding the Conservation Stewardship Program through NRCS. This guide outlines the benefits, eligibility, and enrollment process for the program.

• Farmland Protection Program

  This resources provides a better understanding of the NRCS Ag Land Easement Program and how it can contribute to local communities.

• Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Assistance Fund

  Organization in the Southeast that organizes cooperatives, works with Black farmers, and provides heirs' property assistance.

• Growing Farm Profits

  This online course was developed for farmers and those who help farmers to build more sustainable farming enterprises. The content has a vegetable production slant, yet many concepts/principles will be informative to other producers.

• Growing Local: A Community Guide to Planning for Agriculture and Food Systems

  This guide provides a history of food system planning, principles, and practices, and a comprehensive toolbox of programs and policies.

• Harvesting a Profit

  A comprehensive guide to using financial information to improve farm profitability.

• Heirs' Property Retention Coalition

  Coalition to help southeastern families of color stem the tide of heirs' property land loss. Offers resources, research, and referrals.

• Indian Land Tenure Foundation

  National community-based organization focused on American Indian land recovery and management.

• Land Values 2017 Summary

  Data on crop acreage, land use, grain stocks, farms, rents, and the value of land and sales.

• Managing Indian Land in a Highly Fractionated Future

  Information about the problems and challenges of American Indian land ownership.

• NRCS ACEP-ALE website

  NRCS works with partners to acquire conservation easements on working agricultural land. In the case of working farms, the program helps farmers and ranchers keep their land in agriculture.

• Planning the Future of Your Farm: A Workbook Supporting Farm Transfer Decisions

  Workbook for those who want to keep their farmland in production or their family as it passes to the next generation.

• Plant Hardiness Zone Map

  Interactive maps with information about plant hardiness zones nationwide.

• Population Web Page

  Population estimates and projections for different geographies.

• Publication 225, Farmer's Tax Guide

  Publication describing how federal tax laws apply to farming.

• Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs

  Factsheet describing what easements are, how they protect farmland, and where they're available.

• Refugee Farmer Teaching Handbook

  Handbook for staff providing training and technical assistance in immigrant and refugee farmer-training programs.

• Six Guidelines for "Getting to Yes"

  Six skills to aide you in the negotiation process.

• Society of Rural Appraisers and Farm Managers

  Directory of members of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers who can help you evaluate land and develop a management plan.

• Ten Ways to Save Your Land

  Handbook describing the most common ways land is lost and issues associated with protecting it.

• The Federation of Tax Administrators

  Find each state's tax agency's current website.

• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

  Agency within USDA that helps farmers manage and conserve natural resources. Use this link to locate a service center.

• Web Soil Survey

  Soil data and information provided by the NRCS.

Service Providers

• AgPlan Business Plan Development

  AgPlan is powerful website developed to help rural businesses develop a business plan. AgPlan is free of charge for anyone to use individually or in educational programs.

• Beginning Farmers' Guide to Conservation Easements

  Factsheet with key information about conservation easements for beginning farmers.

• Farmers.gov

  Farmers.gov provides farmers, ranchers, private foresters, and agricultural producers with online self-service applications, educational materials, engagement opportunities, and business tools to increase efficiency and productivity while preserving

• Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

  Step-by-step strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in all levels of negotiation.

• NRCS Georgia

  The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides technical assistance on natural resources issues and assists individuals, groups, communities, and counties implement soil and water conservation practices to protect the 34 million acres of privately owned land in Georgia.