An interactive Web site developed by our college can help consumers, farmers, and businesses find local producers of commodities. The site, called “AgMap,” launched in August at http://agmap.cas.psu.edu with the slogan “Put your product on the map.”

It offers a searchable database that includes products grown or made around the Keystone State. The site includes complete descriptions of these products and tells how to find and contact the growers and producers directly.

Pennsylvania is a national leader in agricultural production, shipping products ranging from apples to wood around the world. Yet many Pennsylvanians don’t even realize what is being grown within a few miles of their homes, laments Rick Day, director of Penn State’s Land Analysis laboratory and AgMap project leader.

“Local farmers may not be aware that the resources they need are available in the next county,” he says. “Area businesses and consumers that use agricultural products might not know that what they need is available locally as well.”

All you need to use AgMap is a computer with Internet access and the Internet Explorer Web browser, version 4.0 or higher. Behind the scenes, the Land Analysis Lab maintains a Web-enabled database that also is linked to a geographic information system, letting users easily search for farms, farm products, and services based on how close they are to the user. The system has been designed to be extremely easy to use.

The information included in AgMap comes directly from farmers and industry. To enter information about their businesses, farmers just follow a few simple steps.

“We’re confident AgMap will be good for the state’s agricultural industry,” Day says, “and that farmers, other producers, and agricultural service providers will want to be on the map. It will improve direct marketing between producers and consumers and will help keep marginal operations in business.”

Users can search for agricultural services based on location, products, and service types. A consumer might find places off the beaten path that offer locally grown produce, trees, and other products at a low cost.

For instance, if you are looking for a farm to pick strawberries, you can visit the AgMap Web site, enter a home location and search for all strawberry growers within a 20-mile radius. AgMap will return a list of all the farms that meet your criteria—and even a map showing how to get to the farms from your home.

In addition to helping farmers and buyers find each other, AgMap provides a communications network among Pennsylvania agricultural businesses. This offers several benefits.

For market analyses, businesses can use AgMap to determine locations of competitors and to determine voids in services where new businesses might be successful. In emergency situations such as droughts, producers with products for sale will be able to find and contact other producers who need products. In cases of plant or animal disease outbreaks, producers can contact similar producers to help determine how they are dealing with adverse conditions.

To find out how to list a farm or business on the AgMap site, call 814-863-1615 or send e-mail to agmap@psu.edu.

—Jeff Mulhollem