other resources
Government/University Related Resources
http://www.commerce.state.nc.us/categories/statistics.htm
This site provides links to several different state websites that offer information on the county-by-county economic conditions in North Carolina. This information is useful for those in the early planning or expansion stages of a value-added enterprise to help understand what the market potential is for the area in which they are considering operating.
http://demog.state.nc.us/
This site provides detailed demographic information, including county-by-county projects for population and income growth through 2010. This site is highly recommended for those who need dependable demographic data, as it is frequently updated with new information.
http://www.onlinewbc.gov/
Don't be offended when you log onto this site. It is for the Women's Business Center, which is a part of the Small Business Administration. However, the website is easier to navigate than the SBA's main site, and the orientation is toward businesses that have (or will have) 100 employees or less.
http://www.bls.gov/
This is the website for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For entrepreneurs who are working on business plans, this site offers salary information for every type of job, including agricultural. The information is useful in determining what your own hourly rate should be figured at, along with what may be expected in your area in terms of pay. The site also provides labor force information as well.
Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC)
The Agricultural Marketing Resource Center is an electronic, national resource for producers interested in value-added agriculture.
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (USDA)
The Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC) specializes in identifying resources about sustainable food systems and practices in support of USDA's effort to ensure a sustainable future for agriculture and farmers worldwide.
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
This site features the latest in sustainable agriculture and organic farming news, events and funding opportunities, plus in-depth publications on production practices, alternative crop and livestock enterprises, innovative marketing, organic certification, and highlights of local, regional, USDA and other federal sustainable agricultural activities.
Acting Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC group)
Resources by State or Region
North Carolina
Crops on a Fast Track: The North Carolina Specialty Crops Program
Center for Environmental Farming Systems
Program Aids Western North Carolina Farmers
Western North Carolina farmers have used mini-grants provided through the Western North Carolina AgOptions Program to diversify and expand their operations.
Chatham County Sustainable Agriculture
A New Extension Agent for the New Farmer
Cooperative Extension Agent Debbie Roos is working with a new kind of agriculture and a new kind of farmer in Chatham County.
NC Meat Goat Producers Cooperative
Midwest
Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (Minnesota)
Market Maker: Linking Agricultural Markets (Illinois)
Agricultural Innovation and Commercialization Center (Purdue University)
Northeast
Agricultural Alternatives (Penn State)
The New England Small Farm Institute (Massachusetts)
The Keystone Agricultural Innovation Center (Penn State)
Rutgers Food Innovation Center
South
The Center for Profitable Agriculture (Tennessee)
Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development (Georgia)
West
The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture (Oklahoma)
