Farm Viability
Research, tools, and information on how farmers can build and maintain an economically viable farm business.
Compass tools
Compass Tools help farmers with data-driven decision-making to become more profitable and sustainable. The CIAS Compass Toolbox contains a suite of whole farm profit management spreadsheet tools to help farmers understand their costs of production, identify what products and markets are best for them, and identify ways to improve profitability. Compass Workshops help train farmers and service providers to use these tools.
Veggie Compass
Livestock Compass
Fruit & Nut Compass
Pasture-Based Beef Enterprise Calculator
OGRAIN Compass – NEW 2023 VERSION
Hemp Compass
Grassland 2.0 Grazing Compass Tools
These tools, built in collaboration with the Grassland 2.0 Program, evaluate a transition from a confinement to a pasture-based system of raising animals. They analyze the financials of the grazing season to estimate cost and labor savings. They help estimate the amount of land needed, paddock establishment and operating costs, and also include an evaluation of the nutritional composition of a feeding plan focused on grazing.
Heifer Grazing Compass
Beef Grazing Compass
PUBLICATIONS AND OTHER RESOURCES
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Global Action to End Hunger: Prospects for 2030
Four people in the CIAS network will discuss efforts to reach the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal #2 — zero hunger by 2030: ‘End hunger, […]
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Wattiaux awarded Fulbright
CIAS is pleased to announce that our interim director Michel Wattiaux received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award in dairy science for the 2022-2023 academic […]
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2022 summer mini grants awards
The CIAS Mini-Grant Program provides funding for graduate students to conduct research and outreach projects over the course of a single summer. In 2022, nine […]
CIAS PARTNERS
Organic Grain Resource and Information Network (OGRAIN)
Ellen Polishuk, Plant to Profit
Jim Munsch, Deer Run Farm
NEWS
These tools, built in collaboration with the Grassland 2.0 Program, evaluate a transition from a confinement to a pasture-based system of raising animals. They analyze the financials of the grazing season to estimate cost and labor savings. They help estimate the amount of land needed, paddock establishment and operating costs, and also include an evaluation of the nutritional composition of a feeding plan focused on grazing.
- Webinar on Pesticide Residues & Food Safety with Dr. Charles Benbrook and Dr. Brain BakerYou’re invited to join us for a webinar exploring health risks related to pesticide residues in food and introducing ORG-Tracker, a powerful new analytical tool… Read more: Webinar on Pesticide Residues & Food Safety with Dr. Charles Benbrook and Dr. Brain Baker
- Food Supply Networks and AI: A Four-Webinar SeriesThis webinar series is made possible by the ICICLE – Intelligent CI with Computational Learning in the Environment -U.S. National Science Foundation AI Center under OAC-2112606… Read more: Food Supply Networks and AI: A Four-Webinar Series
- 37th Marbleseed Organic Farming ConferenceRegistration is now open for the 37th Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference! The annual event—which is among the largest and most established organic agriculture conferences inthe… Read more: 37th Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference
- Farming the RevolutionFilm Screening. February 26, 20206 On Thursday, February 26, WUD Film will show Farming the Revolution (2024), a film that documents the massive, year-long protest… Read more: Farming the Revolution
- Dr. Charles Benbrook’s Lecture on Ultra-Processed FoodsEconomist Benbrook on Ultra-Processed Foods Dr. Charles Benbrook’s lecture focused on how Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) contribute to public health concerns in the United States. Benbrook… Read more: Dr. Charles Benbrook’s Lecture on Ultra-Processed Foods