United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service National Agricultural Library

List of Alternative Crops & Enterprises for Small Farm Diversification Compiled by: Mary V. Gold and Rebecca S. Thompson Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC) National Agricultural Library, ARS, USDA February 2004

About this list:

This list of alternatives was compiled using AFSIC reference request files, the subject files in our office, as well as previously compiled lists, most notably "Innovative Farming Idea List," (1987) compiled by Nancy Grudens Schuck, Farming Alternatives Project, Cornell University and "Ideas for Alternative Agricultural Enterprises," (1996) put together by the Missouri Alternatives Center. [See their Website's database of Extension and related on-line publications about alternatives: http://agebb.missouri.edu/mac]. This list is not comprehensive, but presents some of the more accessible innovations available to farmers.

What can alternative crops and enterprises do for my farm?

The "Diversify Crops to Boost Profits and Stewardship" Bulletin for farmers and agricultural educators is a primer on planning diversification with alternative crops, agroforestry, and cover crops. This Sustainable Agriculture Network resource features "factors to consider before diversifying, specific diversification strategies and expert sources of information."
[http://www.sare.org/diversify/index.htm]

Where can I find information on agricultural alternatives?

1. To find out more about alternatives suited to your area, start by contacting your local or State Extension office. A listing of Extension Office directories and alternative agriculture publication sites is included below.
2. AFSIC's publication, Great Places to Find Information about Farming Alternatives, offers a selection of information-rich Websites and organizations.
   [http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/AFSIC_pubs/findinfo.htm]
3. Agricultural Sustainability Notes Series: Questions to Ask About Alternative Crops (Washington State Univ.) lists questions on economic and production issues to explore before selecting a specific crop alternative.
   [http://pnw-ag.wsu.edu/AgHorizons/notes/sr3no1.html]
4. Evaluating a Rural Enterprise (ATTRA) provides more detailed discussion about assessing farming alternatives.
   [http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/evalrural.html]
5. Alternative Agriculture in Maryland: A Guide to Evaluate Farm-Based Enterprises [Howard County, Harford County] (University of Maryland) provides information, worksheets, and inventories on identifying compatible enterprises and required resources, planning specialty enterprise budgets, and other business and marketing considerations.
6. A PRIMER for Selecting New Enterprises for Your Farm (University of Kentucky), a tool for evaluating new enterprises for a farm or family business, is based on worksheets used to evaluate the "Profitability, Resource requirements, Information needs, Marketing decisions, Enthusiam for, and the Risk associated with a new enterprise."
   [http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AgEcon/pubs/ext-aec/ext2000-13.pdf]
7. Farm and Ranch Recreation provides agritourism ideas and identifies related organizations, publications, meetings and events, marketing ideas, and educational opportunities.
   [http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/RanchRecr/default.htm]
8. The Small Farm Today "The Original Hot-to Magazine of Alternative and Traditional Crops, Livestock, and Direct Marketing"
   [http://www.smallfarmtoday.com/]
9. Additional resources on specific agricultural alternatives may be found at your State Department of Agriculture, crop and livestock associations, searchable publication lists and databases, as well as at your local and/or university library.

The list:

• Field Crops
  • Feed and Forage...
  • Fiber, Fuel, Edible and Industrial Oils...
  • Food Grains, Pseudocereals, Legumes, etc. ...
• Specialty and Ethnic Vegetables (see also Field Crops)
• Fruits and Nuts
• Horticultural/Nursery
• Agroforestry/Forest Products
• Livestock/Animals
  • Game Related...
  • Exotic Livestock/Minor Breeds/Special Uses...
  • Poultry...
  • Aquaculture/Fishfarming...
  • Pet and Medicine Related
• Farm and Home Enterprises
  • Services
  • Recreation and Education...
  • Value-added Products/On-farm Processing

Field Crops

Feed and Forage...

• Bird seed (sunflower, proso millet, canary grass, etc.)
• Forage brassicas - turnips, rutabagas
• Kochia
• Medics
• Sainfoin
• Switchgrass

Fiber, Fuel, Edible and Industrial Oils...

• Borage
• Broomcorn
• Canola
• Castor beans
• Comfrey
• Corn (for oil)
• Crambe
• Cuphea
• Flax
• Guayule
• Jojoba
• Kenaf
• Lesquerella
• Lupine
• Meadowfoam
• Milkweed
• Perilla
• Safflower
• Sesame
• Sunflowers
• Vernonia

Food Grains, Pseudocereals, Legumes, etc....

• Adzuki beans
• Amaranth (food and feed)
• Barley
• Buckwheat
• Dry edible beans (fieldbeans)
• Einkorn
• Emmer
• Field peas (food and feed)
• Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• Hops
• Indian corn
• Jerusalem artichokes (food and feed)
• Kamut
• Lentils
• Malting barley
• Mung beans
• Organically grown grains of all types
• Peanuts
• Pearl millet
• Popcorn, white and colored
• Psyllium (medicinal)
• Quinoa
• Seed production - registered and certified seed, turfgrass, etc.
• Sesame (seeds)
• Sorghum (syrup)
• Soybeans, incl. natto soybeans for tofu, tempeh; and Edible soybeans (edamame)
• Spelt
• Triticale
• Wheatgrass
• Wild rice

Specialty and Ethnic Vegetables

See also Field Crops

• Asparagus
• Baby vegetables
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Celery
• Chinese water chestnuts
• Cole crops (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi)
• Corn, miniature
• Fenugreek
• Edible flowers
• Garlic
• Gourds, ornamental
• Gourmet vegetables
• Greenhouse production for out-of-season crops
• Heirloom varieties of any vegetable
• Herbs - culinary and medicinal
• Horseradish
• Luffa gourds
• Mushrooms- agaricus, shiitake, oyster, morel, etc.
• Onions (transplants, shallots, sweet, early)
• Organically grown vegetables of all types
• Oriental vegetables
• Peas and pea shoots
• Peppers - specialty types (purple, hot, etc.)
• Pumpkins
• Red beets
• Salad greens - mesclun
• Sprouts (alfalfa, bean, etc.)
• Squash
• Sweet corn
• Sweet potatoes
• Tomatoes - speciality types
• Truffles
• Wasabi

Fruits and Nuts

• Apples, esp. Heirloom varieties
• Asian pears
• Brambles - blackberries, raspberries, loganberries, blackraspberries, etc.
• Blueberries
• Cranberries, currants
• Elderberries
• Gooseberries
• Kiwi, hardy
• Lingonberries
• Melons - specialty types
• Paw paw
• Rhubarb products
• Strawberries, day neutral types
• Table grapes, seeded and seedless
• Wine grapes for home brewing market

Horticultural/Nursery

• Bedding plants - annual flowers, herbs, etc.
• Field grown cut flowers
• Field grown mums
• Flowers for drying
• Greenhouse production
• Hydroponic production
• Organically grown bedding plants and fruit trees
• Potted annuals
• Native plants/wild flowers and seeds
• Regionally hardy shrubs and perennial flowers

Agroforestry/Forest Products

• Bamboo
• Christmas trees
• Firewood
• Paulownia
• Sawlogs
• Tree seed collection
• Wild nuts

Livestock/Animals

Game Related...

• Beefalo (hybrid of buffalo and beef)
• Buffalo (American Bison)
• Deer - fallow deer, red deer
• Elk (wapiti) for meat and antlers
• Fish bait - worms, minnows
• Pheasant for release/restocking programs and meat

Exotic Livestock/Minor Breeds/Special Uses...

• Alpacas and llamas for pack animals, hair, and pets
• Boar
• Butterflies (for gardeners)
• Fox, red, silver, and blue
• Goats for milk, meat, and hair (Angora)
• Horses - draft horse breeding, miniatures, exotics
• Mink
• Mules and donkeys
• Ostriches, rheas, emus
• Rabbits for meat, lab animals, and hair (Angora)
• Reindeer
• Sheep/Lambs for meat, wool, milk (for cheese)
• Snails (escargot)
• Veal, conventional and certified
• Water buffalo
• Worms (for composting)

Poultry...

• Balut (duck eggs partially incubated)
• Chicken eggs partially developed (for Asian markets)
• Doves
• Duck - meat and paté
• Free range poultry of all types
• Geese
• Guinea fowl
• Organically raised poultry of all types
• Peafowl/Peacocks (feathers)
• Pigeons
• Quail/Squab
• Turkey

Aquaculture/Fishfarming...

• Aquaponics (combining aquaculture and hydroponic operations)
• Bass, Trout, Catfish, Crayfish, Tilapia
• Watercress and other aquatic plants

Pet and Medicine Related...

• Dogs (guardian)
• Guinea pigs
• Pet foods - crickets, mealyworms, etc.

Farm and Home Enterprises

Services...

• Antique shop/Antique restoration
• Boat storage
• Direct marketing operations - U-pick, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), farmstand
• Child care in country setting
• Composting services and products
• Custom machinery work
• Custom planting and care of window boxes and container annuals
• Custom planting and care of vegetable gardens
• Custom slaughter
• Farm sitting
• Gift shops
• Pet motels for large as well as small animals
• Religious services held on farm, e.g. sunrise Easter services, weddings
• Restaurant
• Seed and supplies distributor
• Small engine repair
• Taxidermy

Recreation and Education...

• Barn dances
• Bed and breakfast
• Campground
• Chuck wagon
• Fee hunting and fishing/game farms
• Hunting, fishing, and nature hike guides
• Lectures on herbs, gardening at farm
• Museum of old farm equipment on working farm
• Petting zoo
• Sleigh rides with work horses
• Tours for public, school children
• Trail rides
• Vacations on farm
• Wagon trains

Value-added Products/On-farm Processing...

• Cheese
• Cider and other apple products
• Confections and candles
• Corn snack foods
• Crafts
• Dried flowers, cultivated arid wild
• Dried Fruits
• Fresh or stone ground grains
• Furniture, e.g. outdoor chairs, picnic tables
• Honey and beeswax products
• Meat processing, e.g., jerky
• Sawmill
• Soapmaking
• Tanning hides
• Toys from wood
• Wheatweaving
• Winemaking
• Wool processing and spinning

Resources

Extension Office or Land Grant University Directories and Publication Sites

• Links to State Extension Service Publications
• Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service contacts
• E-answers is a searchable Website for research-based information on a wide range of Extension or Outreach-oriented subjects.
• Missouri Alternatives Center and MAC Link List of Extension information on Alternatives
• Alabama Cooperative Extension (Auburn Univ.).
  
  • Production Guides
  • Grain Crops
  • Publications
    
    
• Univ. of Alaska-Fairbanks. Cooperative Extension.
  
  • Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications
    
    
• Univ. of Arkansas.
  
  • Arkansas Agriculture: Specialty Agricultural Production
  • Searchable Publications Database
• Univ. of California.
  
  • Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications
  • Agronomy Research and Information Center
  • Searchable Database of Free Publications
  • Specialty Crops Information Sheets
  • Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program
• Colorado State Univ. Cooperative Extension.
  
  • Crops Online Fact Sheets
  • Publications by title
• Univ. of Florida. Cooperative Extension.
  
  • EDIS topics, including alternative crops and livestock
  • Alternative Opportunities for Small Farms
• Univ. of Georgia. Cooperative Extension. College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. Publications.
• Fort Valley State College. College of Agriculture, Home Economics and Allied Programs [Georgia]. Commodity Sheets
• Univ. of Hawaii. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Free Publications.
• Univ. of Illinois.
  
  • Illinois Agronomy Handbook: Alternative Crops (See chapter 7)
  • Illinois Specialty Farm Products
• Iowa State Univ. Agriculture and Natural Resources.
  
  • Extension Topics
  • Extension Publications
• Kansas State Univ.
  
  • Extension Publications
  • Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops (KCSAAC)
• Univ. of Kentucky.
  
  • Cooperative Extension Service and Kentucky Agriculture Experiment Station. Online publications.
  • New Crop Opportunities Center. Crop Profiles.
• Louisiana State University Ag Center. Research and Extension.
• Univ. of Maine.
  
  • Cooperative Extension Publication Catalog
  • Animal, Veterinary and Animal Sciences Links
• Univ. of Maryland. Extension Publications
• Univ. of Massachusetts. Extension Agriculture and Landscape Program. (Select subject, then select the “take me directly to...” link.)
• Michigan State Univ. Extension.
  
  • Area of Expertise Teams
  • Searchable Extension Database
• Univ. of Minnesota. Extension.
  
  • Specialty and Alternative Crops
  • Alternative Animal Enterprises
  • Windbreaks, Shelterbreaks and Agroforestry
    
    
• Mississippi State Univ. Cooperative Extension, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station
• Univ. of Missouri.
  
  • Cooperative Extension Publications
  • XPLOR-Horticulture
  • Alternative Crops Page
• Montana State Univ. Extension Service.
  
  • Agronomy Notes (see Alternative Crops)
  • agriculture publications
• Univ. of Nebraska, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
  
  • Specialty Enterprises
  • Publication Catalog Index
    
    
• Rutgers State Univ. of New Jersey Cooperative Extension.
• Cornell Univ. Small Farms Program.
  
  • Alternative Enterprises
  • Community, Food & Agriculture Program (CFAP)
• North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
  
  • Horticulture Information Leaflets
  • Specialty Crops
  • Web Resources - Alternative Crops
• North Dakota State Univ. Extension.
  
  • Alternative Agriculture Publications
  • Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications
• Ohio State Univ. Extension.
  
  • Ohio Agronomy Guide: Alternative Crops
  • College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (Farm resources)
• Oklahoma State Univ.
  
  • OSU Extension Facts
• Oregon State Univ.
  
  • Agriculture Publications and Videos
  • Crop Extension Programs
  • Commercial Production Vegetable Guides
  • Northwest Berry and Grape Information Network
  • Oregon Small Farms
    
    
• Penn State Univ.
  
  • Agricultural Alternatives magazine
  • Cooperative Extension. Agricultural Alternatives
  • College of Agricultural Sciences Publication Subject Index
• Clemson Univ. Cooperative Extension
  
  • South Carolina Growing
  • Subject Index
• Univ. of Tennessee/Tennessee Farm Bureau.
  
  • Center for Profitable Agriculture
• Texas A & M Univ.
  
  • Alternative Agricultural Enterprises
  • Horticultural Alternatives for Texas Agriculture
  • Specialty Vegetables in Texas
    
    
• Virginia State Univ., and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ.
  • Cooperative Extension resources by subject
• Washington State Univ. Cooperative Extension.
  
  • Agricultural Horizons: Alternative Crops
  • Alternative Crops for Consideration
  • Alternative Fruit Crops for Western Washington
  • Extension Small Farm Connection
  • Publications (see left sidebar)
    
    
• West Virginia Univ. Cooperative Extension.
  
  • Center for Agriculture, Natural Resources and Community Develpment.
• Univ. of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension.
  
  • New Farm Options: Alternative Field Crops
  • New Farm Options: Alternative Livestock
  • Horticulture: Growing Vegetables in Wisconsin
• Univ. of Wyoming Cooperative Extension.
  
  • Wyoming Farm, Ranch, and Home Publications

Other Resources for Agricultural Alternatives

• The National Agricultural Library's AGRICOLA database
• The Agricultural Network Information Center (AgNIC) includes a searchable database and an Ask-A-Question service.
• Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA)
• Aquaculture information sources include AFSIC's Aquaculture Resources Web page, the Aquaculture Network Information Center (AquaNIC) and ATTRA's publication, Evaluating an Aquaculture Enterprise
• The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
• Mid-Atlantic Regional Fruit Loop. (Cooperative project of State universities)
• State Departments of Agriculture (FirstGov.gov)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
  
  • Alternative Enterprises - For Healthier Profits, Healthier Land
  • Alternative Enterprises and Agritourism
  • Plants Database [select "Alternative Crops"]
• Univ. of California
  
  • Fruit & Nut Research and Information Center. Select Fruits & Nuts
  • Small Farm Center. Specialty and Minor Crops Handbook; Library; and free online publications
    
    
• Univ. of Florida, Southwest Florida Research & Education Center. Vegetable Crop Budgets
• Illinois State Water Survey. Alternative Crop Suitability Maps.
• Maryland Small Ruminant Page
• Univ. of Minnesota, Avian Research Center. Small Flock Poultry and Exotic Fowl Companion articles.
• Univ. of Minnesota. Minnesota Grown Opportunities. Diversification Options
• Ohio State Univ. PlantFacts, Factsheet Database
• Oklahoma State Univ. Breeds of Livestock
• Plants For A Future database
• Purdue Univ., Center for New Crops and Plant Products. NewCROP Website and CropSEARCH
• Univ. of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension, Univ. of Minnesota Extension Service, and the Center for Alternative Plant and Animal Products. Alternative Field Crops Manual, http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/index.html and http://corn.agronomy.wisc.edu/AlternativeCrops/Manual.htm (select Alternative Crops)
• Alberta Agriculture.
  
  • Agriculture Diversification Ventures
  • Special Crops Website
• Manitoba Agriculture and Food. Alternative Crops
• Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority.
  
  • Factsheets on Alternative Enterprises
  • Advisories on Alternative Enterprises
  
  

The Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
National Agricultural Library

The Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC) is one of several centers at the National Agricultural Library (NAL) that provide in-depth coverage of specific subject areas relating to agriculture. AFSIC focuses on information related to sustainable and alternative agricultural systems, including new, industrial, and alternative crops. Established at NAL in 1985, the center is also supported by USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and by the Cooperative Extension Service, University of Maryland.
A current list of AFSIC information products and copies of this and other publications are available electronically on the AFSIC Website or on computer diskette. They are also available in hard copy.
For further information:
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
National Agricultural Library, ARS, USDA
10301 Baltimore Ave., Room 132
Beltsville MD 20705-2351
phone: 301-504-6559, fax: 301-504-6409
e-mail: afsic@nal.usda.gov
AFSIC's Website: http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/

Disclaimers

The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in these pages is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, the U.S.D.A., or the Agricultural Research Service of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable.
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Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
National Agricultural Library
Top of Document | The List | Field Crops | Specialty and Ethnic Vegetables | Fruits and Nuts | Horticultural/Nursery | Agroforestry/Forest Products | Livestock/Animals | Farm and Home Enterprises | Resources |