Welcome
This AGB 101 Course Guide has been designed and created to help you with the research you will need to do to complete the assignments for this course successfully.
While this guide is intended to save you time and make things easier for you, please do not underestimate the time and effort that is required for this type of research.
Please invest the time and effort to learn to use the resources in this guide. By the completion of this course, you will have a skill set that will be one of the most important and valuable things you will need as you proceed with your education and career.
Photo by Peggy Greb, USDA/ARS
Production Statistics and Information
- California Agricultural Production StatisticsFrom the California Department of Food & Agriculture
- USDA NASS California Field OfficeFrom the USDA National Agricultural Service (NASS). Contains county estimates, special reports and an overview of California agriculture.
- 2022 Census of Agriculture - California DataFrom the USDA
Contains state and county reports, county profiles, and rankings. - UC Davis Agronomy Research & Information CenterProduction information about many field crop commodities is available on this website.
- UC Davis Fruit and Nut Research & Information CenterProduction information about many fruit and nut commodities available on this website.
- UC Davis Vegetable Research & Information CenterProduction information about many vegetable commodities is available on this website.
- UC Davis PostHarvest Research and Information CenterCommodity level handling recommendations, disorders and Q+A, and searchable database of publications.
- UC Davis Cost & Return Studies for California CommoditiesExample production costs and returns by region.
- NASS MapsFrom the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS)
Maps of production data for crops and plants and livestock and animals
Maps for economic data including labor and land value
Marketing Information
- USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)Contains information on market news, commodities, transportation, marketing orders, and international marketing.
- Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC)Unbiased, science-based marketing information for U.S. farmers and ranchers.
- US Marketing Orders and AgreementsFrom the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
Information about Federal Milk Marketing Orders and Fruit and Vegetable Marketing Orders - California Marketing Orders and Marketing AgreementsFrom the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)
Marketing orders and marketing agreements for California agricultural products
Trade Publications
- Capital PressCapital Press is the West's independent farm, ranch and agribusiness news and advertising source.
- The Packer (Industry Publication)Check out the "Fruits" or "Vegetable" tabs for current industry news for your commodity.
- Western Growers Association (Industry Trade Association)Western Growers is an agricultural trade association whose members from Arizona and California grow, pack and ship 90 percent of the fresh fruits, nuts and vegetables grown in California and 75 percent of those commodities in Arizona.
Economic Information
- Economic Research Service (ERS)The Economic Research Service is a primary source of economic information and research in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- ERS Outlook ReportsNearly every commodity in the class will be covered in one of the Outlook Reports Newsletters. Find your main commodity area (Livestock, Dairy and Poultry; Fruits and Tree Nuts, Vegetables and Melons, Feed (grains); Rice, Cotton and Wool, Wheat.). These are especially useful for Parts 1 and 3 of the term paper.
- Economic CensusThe economic census provides a detailed portrait of the United States' economy once every five years, from the national to the local level.
Company Information
NOTE: Information on privately held companies is often limited, and researching privately held companies can be more challenging. The best resource for finding information about privately held companies is usually the company's own website. Some of the resources listed below may also be helpful.
- Mergent Intellect This link opens in a new windowMergent Intellect offers private and public U.S and international business data, industry news, facts and figures, executive contact information, and industry profiles. This product is an upgrade to Hoover's Academic and includes access to First Research.
First Research users must start at Mergent Intellect and click through to First Research. Enter any email address at the "Access First Research" screen and click submit.
- Ward's Business Directory of U.S. Private and Public CompaniesProfiles over 100,000 U.S. companies, 90 percent of which are private.
- ABI/INFORM Complete This link opens in a new windowABI/INFORM provides in-depth coverage of business issues, management techniques, competitive information, and a variety of other topics. Content includes full-text journals, trade publications, dissertations, conference proceedings, and market reports.
Weather and Climate Information
- Climate Data for the Western StatesFrom the Western Regional Climate Center.
Monthly and average temperature and precipitation data by state. - Weather and Climate DataPublications and Reports from the USDA.
Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly data.
