Government Publications and Law

Reference Shelf: Agriculture

Page Contains:

US Department of Agriculture (USDA): Research branch of the USDA; research areas include food safety, bioenergy, and crop protection; Statistics on a variety of domestic and international agricultural topics including trade, food prices/markets, food availability, and costs of production; Includes information on foreign agricultural imports/exports and trade agreements; Very useful for finding information across various USDA departments

Library Databases: Require on-site UCSC or OCA access

Academic Search Complete from EBSCO
Biosis Previews
ENVIROnetBASE
Environmental Sciences & Pollution Mgmt
PAIS International
Stat-USA
: On-site library-use only; inquire with library staff (preview of STAT-USA and GLOBUS & NTDB)

Agricola: The USDA's National Agricultural Library Catalog
Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC): Supported in part by the USDA National Agricultural Library; cross-search publications from a variety of public and academic sources
National Agriculture Library Digital Repository: "...publications either digitized by NAL or through NAL's partnerships with other institutions"
Science.gov
Treesearch: Database of Department of Forestry publications; many full text

Agricultural Outlook: From the ERS/USDA; regularly updated data on farm prices, livestock and crop production, food supply, etc.
Census of Agriculture: Census of farm and ranch owners/operators conducted every 5 years; includes statistics on production practices, income, expenditures, etc.
Economic Research Service Data Sets: Statistics on a variety of domestic and international agricultural topics including trade, food prices/markets, food availability, and costs of production
National Agricultural Statistics Service
: Statistical service of the USDA; includes agricultural data on the national, state, and county levels
California Agricultural Statistics Service (CASS): From the USDA; includes statistics on farms, crops, livestock, etc. in California

Agricultural Statistics: Annual publication on "...agricultural production, supplies, consumption, facilities, costs, and returns"
CRS Reports- Agriculture: From the National Agricultural Law Center
Trends in US Agriculture: Information on agricultural developments over the past century
USDA Rural Development publications
California Agriculture: A University of California publication

Farm Service Agency (FSA): USDA; responsible for the administration of "...farm commodity, credit, conservation, disaster and loan programs"
National Organic Program (USDA): USDA Agricultural Marketing Service; information on organic certification, labeling, and international issues
Natural Resources Conservation Service: USDA; assists land-owners in conserving natural resources including water and soil
Agricultural Issues Center: From the University of California; research and publications on international markets, pests and diseases, agricultural policy, organic agriculture, etc.
California Agricultural Labor Relations Board: Statutes, regulations, and board decisions on agricultural labor practices
Small Farm Center: From UC Davis; publications and databases on topics such as organic farming, agrotourism, and farm management

Food Safety Research Information Office: USDA; food processing standards, quality control, foodborne pathogens
Food and Nutrition Information Center: USDA; dietary guidelines/food pyramid, food labeling, dietary supplements, WIC program information