Agriculture and Rural Issues

Minnesota Information

Government

• Minnesota Agricultural Statistics Service - Includes the Minnesota information from the USDA Census of Agriculture 2002.
• Minnesota Board of Animal Health - The official animal disease control and eradication agency of the State of Minnesota.
• Minnesota Department of Agriculture - Includes an A-Z topical list of the website contents.
• Minnesota Extension Service - Includes links to regional Extension Offices and online resources on farmland drainage at "The Drainage Outlet."
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - One of their Hot Topics covers their Feedlot Program.

Non-government

• Land Stewardship Project - LSP promotes sustainable agriculture and an ethic of land stewardship.
• Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council - A council established by the Minnesota Legislature to improve agricultural education at all levels.
• Minnesota Agri-Growth Council (MFCC) - The 160-member trade association promotes agriculture with elected officials, the general public, media, and the farm community.
• Minnesota Corn Growers Association - MCGA promotes ethanol on their site; the National Corn Growers Association provides more extensive ethanol information.
• Minnesota Farm Bureau - Includes a list of county Farm Bureau offices and a list of Current Issues.
• Minnesota Farmers Union - Their advocacy page includes action alerts on current issues.
• Minnesota Milk Producers Association - Includes their legislative initiatives.
• Minnesota Soybean - The website of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association includes information on soybean checkoff programs.

Minnesota Universities and Colleges

• Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) - A nonprofit corporation created by the State of Minnesota to create new uses and new markets for Minnesota's agricultural commodities.
• University of Minnesota
  • Department of Applied Economics - Includes data since 1990 on farm real estate sales in issues of the Minnesota Applied Economist.
  • College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences - Includes several departments and centers.
  • Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture - Promotes cooperative efforts to develop and promote sustainable agriculture.
  • Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships - Projects in five regions address agriculture, natural resources, and tourism issues.
• Center for Rural Policy and Development - Based at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Their publications page features essays on a variety of issues facing rural Minnesota.

Federal Information

• AGRICOLA (AGRICultural Online Access) - Search for books, serials, audiovisuals, and other resources held by the National Agricultural Library.
• Census of Agriculture - A complete picture of the agricultural economy in the United States by county, state, or zip code; link to the Minnesota reports.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • Economic Research Service - Link to a Minnesota State Fact Sheet.
  • National Agricultural Statistics Service - Includes Minnesota Agricultural Statistics Publications.
  • Rural Information Center - The Center provides information and referral services to rural communities, officials, organizations, and citizens throughout the U.S.
  • USDA Economics, Statistics and Market Information System - Reports and time-series data, most in spreadsheet format, mounted by Mann Library at Cornell University.
• U.S. House Committee on Agriculture
• U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee

Organizations and Agricultural Magazines

• Agweb.com - Online access to several agricultural magazines, including Farm Journal and Dairy Today.
• Agweek - A weekly agriculture news magazine with an upper Midwest focus.
• American Coalition for Ethanol - This site by ethanol supporters includes a news page and background information on the Ethanol Essentials page.
• American Farm Bureau Federation - Their list of ag links is extensive.
• American Farmland Trust - A national conservation organization concerned with preserving agricultural land; includes a Midwest page.
• Environmental Working Group - Search the Farm Subsidy Database by state, county, city, zip code, or individual farmer.
• National Conference of State Legislatures - The NCSL section on Agriculture and Rural Development includes an Agriculture and Rural Development Database, covering legislation in all the states.
• National Farmers Union
• Prairie Grains Magazine - Sponsored by the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers.

Other Information

• Feedlots - A guide compiled by the Legislative Reference Library listing reports, articles, and Internet resources regarding feedlot issues.
• USDA Rural Development - Government agency representatives and the private sector work together to promote rural development. Includes a Minnesota section.

The sites listed on this page are not created, maintained, or endorsed by the Minnesota Legislature.