Understanding USDA Agencies, Resources, & Opportunities
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has 18 agencies ranging from the Agricultural Marketing Agency to the Rural Utilities Service (RUS). These agencies offer resources and support for food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues. Some agencies have USDA Service Centers where you can typically meet face-to-face with USDA staff. Check out this guide to find a service center and get the most from your visit here.
Find a USDA Service Center in Michigan
For small to mid-sized farmers and producers in Michigan, these are the most common agencies that can provide assistance and funding opportunities for your farm:
- Farm Service Agency
- Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Department of Rural Development
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Learn how to find USDA Agency Offices in Michigan, explore resources, and more below!
- Where do I start?
- What will I need to record if I am participating in USDA Programs?
- How does crop insurance from the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) work?
- What organizations can help me navigate working with the USDA?
- What else can the USDA do for my farm?
Where do I start?
| USDA Small-Scale Producers — U.S. Department of Agriculture | Federal programs for small/mid‑sized producers: loans, conservation, risk management, market development. | https://www.farmers.gov/your-business/small-scale-producers |
| How to Start a Farm: Beginning Farmers & Ranchers — U.S. Department of Agriculture | New to farming? Want to learn how to start a farm? USDA offers dedicated help to beginning farmers and ranchers. | https://newfarmers.usda.gov/new-farmers |
| Finding USDA Service Centers in Michigan — Michigan’s Emerging Farmers | USDA Service Centers are offices where you can typically meet face-to-face with staff from different agencies, most often from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). | https://www.canr.msu.edu/michigans-emerging-farmers/USDA-Guides/finding-usda-service-centers-in-michigan |
| USDA Fact Sheets in Spanish — U.S. Department of Agriculture | Find translated resources using the search and filter below. | https://www.farmers.gov/translated-resources#spanish |
| USDA Small and Mid-Sized Farmer Resources — U.S. Department of Agriculture | The USDA provides small and midsize producers valuable resources and program information. |
What will I need to record if I am participating in USDA programs?
| Farm Number Guide (being updated) — Michigan Food and Farming Systems (MIFFS) | A Farm Service Agency Farm Number is necessary to apply for loans, assistance, and insurance from the Government | url tbd |
| Guide for Completing Form FSA-578: Acreage Reporting — Rural Coalition | Crop acreage reports filed with USDA document the crops grown on your farm or ranch and their intended uses. You must file timely acreage reports to be eligible for many USDA programs. | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VW8eR9rebW7pX-mAz1EhPDPMQzbtehKb/view?ts=6941f909 |
| Crop Acreage Reports — U.S. Department of Agriculture | Each year, USDA agencies collect data relating to crops through crop acreage reports. If you want to participate in many USDA programs, including crop insurance, safety net, and disaster assistance programs, you must file timely acreage reports to remain eligible for program benefits. | https://www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/crop-acreage-reports |
| Farm Record YouTube Tutorials — U.S. Department of Agriculture | Farm Record Keeping Tutorials from Farmers.gov. | https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0Oy58bSZgQFQe1pWsiPp_BjfmDY-72g5 |
| Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) 101 — FarmRaise | Want to learn about the Livestock Indemnity Program and record keeping? You've come to the right place! | https://www.farmraise.com/disaster-assistance/lip-101? |
| Service Center Agencies eForms — U.S. Department of Agriculture | eForms allows you to search for and complete forms requesting services from Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Conservation Service (NRCS), and Rural Development (RD). | https://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/eForms/welcomeAction.do?Home |
How does crop insurance from the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) work?
| Bulletin E-3426 Insurance Options for Fruit Growers — Michigan State University Extension | Throughout this publication, we will review the basics of crop insurance and present how its use can benefit your farm. | https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/bulletin-e-3426-insurance-options-for-fruit-growers |
| Crop Insurance 101 — FarmRaise | This page offers introductory education of crop insurance, and guidance to the appropriate resources within USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) and Farm Service Agency (FSA). | https://www.farmraise.com/crop-insurance/crop-insurance-101? |
| Crop Insurance Education for Specialty Crop Producers — Organic Farmers Association with Oregon Tilth and the USDA Risk Management Agency | A video about Crop Insurance for Specialty Crop Producers. | https://youtu.be/0LoLYE9E6A8 |
| Crop Insurance Resources - NCAT ATTRA — | The resources on this page will help you decide if Federal Crop Insurance products may be right for your business. | https://attra.ncat.org/topics/crop-insurance/ |
| Fact Sheet: Crop insurance 101 — Center for Rural Affairs | An overview of crop insurance from the Center for Rural Affairs. | https://www.cfra.org/sites/default/files/publications/crop-insurance-101.pdf |
| Whole Farm Revenue Protection for Diversified Farms — National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition | Helping sustainable and organic producers manage risks on diversified farms. |
What organizations can help me navigate working with the USDA?
| Center for Regional Food Systems (CRFS) | MSU center advancing regional food systems; convenes networks and publishes funding sources. | https://www.canr.msu.edu/foodsystems/ |
| Farm Commons | Legal Issues and business structures | https://farmcommons.org/ |
| Michigan Food and Farming Systems (MIFFS) | Michigan nonprofit connecting beginning and historically underserved farmers to resources and peer networks and providing food safety/GroupGAP and USDA navigation materials. | https://miffs.org/ |
| Rural Advancement Foundation International | Working across agricultural sectors and collaboratively through coalitions, we combine on-the-ground practical services and policy advocacy to ensure farmers have access to the tools they need to make the right choices for their farms and families, as well as for their communities and the environment. | https://www.rafiusa.org/ |
What else can the USDA do for my farm?
| Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool — U.S. Department of Agriculture | Learn about USDA disaster assistance programs that might be right for you by completing five simple steps. | https://www.farmers.gov/protection-recovery/disaster-tool?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery |
| ELAP Farm Raised Fish Assistance — FarmRaise | Here you can learn about ELAP's Farm-raised Fish assistance and how to apply! | https://www.farmraise.com/elap/elap-farm-raised-fish? |
| ELAP Honey Bee Assistance — FarmRaise | Here you can learn about ELAP's Honey Bee assistance and how to apply! | https://www.farmraise.com/elap/elap-honey-bees? |
| ELAP Livestock Assistance — FarmRaise | Here you can learn about ELAP Livestock assistance and how to apply! | https://www.farmraise.com/elap/elap-livestock? |
| Farm Loan Discovery Tool — U.S. Department of Agriculture | Start your journey with FSA and find the farm loan that is right for you! | https://lat.fpac.usda.gov/ |
| Farm to School Grant Program — U.S. Department of Agriculture | The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program is designed to increase the availability of local foods and connect students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and local food sourcing for meals. | https://www.fns.usda.gov/grant/f2s/fy26 |
| FarmRaise Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) Overview — FarmRaise | Learn about FSA's Non-Insured Assistance Program program, including eligibility requirements, how to apply, and additional resources. | https://www.farmraise.com/usda-fsa/nap-program |
| FSA farm loans, FAQs answered — Rural Advancement Foundation International – USA (RAFI) | This webinar provided attendees with an overview of the FSA Farm Loans process, eligibility requirements, and answers to Frequently Asked Questions. | https://www.rafiusa.org/blog/events/fsa-farm-loans-faq/ |
| Healthy Food Financing Initiative — U.S. Department of Agriculture | The Healthy Food Financing Initiative provides financial and technical assistance, either directly or through other partners and intermediaries, to eligible fresh, healthy food retailers and food retail supply chain enterprises to overcome the higher costs and initial barriers to entry in underserved areas. | https://www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/initiatives/healthy-food-financing-initiative |
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