Popular Links & Free Resources
- FAOStat - The Food and Agriculture Organization's database contains extensive data on agricultural production and trade, both globally and by country.
- Pesticide Chemical Search - Chemical Search was created by EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs and allows a user to easily find the pesticide chemical or active ingredient that they are interested in by using an array of simple to advanced search options.
- Agricultural Census of the United States - This link goes to the three most recent agricultural census data (2017, 2012 and 2007). It also links to specialized reports and older census years, back to 1840.
- Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) - Provides resources on sustainable farming and ranching practices.
Guide to Agriculture Research
The Research Cycle
1. Explore your topic
Before you decide on a topic, it is a good idea to do some background research. The Library has many resources that can help you begin!
2. Refine your topic
Once you've done some research, you can start digging deeper to refine your topic.
3.Search for sources
After you have refined your topic, it's time to start searching for sources. Consider the types of materials you might need.
4. Evaluate your sources
It is important to evaluate your sources before using them in an assignment. Does your professor require you to have scholarly sources or the most recent research? This is where the limiters in QuickSearch can help you.
5. Write
Connect your sources with your own analysis and thoughts to present a convincing argument.