Agricultural Research Service

Name

Agricultural Research Service

Legal name

Agricultural Research Service

Website

https://ars.usda.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Agricultural Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Agricultural Services (700), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Pathogen & Disease Diagnostics Services (Plant, Soil, Water) (AFACAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Supplier Approval, Verification & Food Safety Risk Management (GFSI-aligned) (AFALADAH), Biologicals Regulatory, Testing & Quality Assurance Services (AFABAEAO), Pesticide Residue & Agrochemical Screening Services (Soil/Plant/Water) (AFACAKAF), Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL), Seed Testing Services (Germination, Purity, Vigor, Seed Health) (AFACAKAL)

Keywords

• Agricultural research services
• Crop and livestock science
• Pest management research
• Food safety research
• Agricultural technology validation

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Appropriations: USDA Agricultural Research Service is funded through congressional appropriations as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's principal intramural scientific research agency, conducting agricultural and food science research spanning crops, livestock, pests, nutrition, and natural resources across more than 90 U.S. locations. Its outputs include improved crop varieties, livestock health solutions, pest and disease management technologies, food safety enhancements, sustainable farming practices, scientific publications, patents, software, datasets, and germplasm collections made publicly available. ARS also validates emerging agricultural technologies through real-world field testing under the National Proving Grounds Network for AgTech.

Product overview

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's primary scientific research agency, operating as a single unified research organization rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. ARS offers a portfolio of educational platforms (AgLab, Science in Your Shopping Cart podcast, Cooking with Science video series, Nutrition Corner), digital research resources (Image Gallery with 6,500+ photos, Scientific Software/Models, Databases and Datasets, National Agricultural Library), and research programs (SCINet Graduate Student Internships, National Proving Grounds Network for AgTech). These offerings collectively support agricultural science research, education, and technology transfer to farmers, ranchers, and the public.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AgLab: An educational platform by ARS providing science education resources, podcasts, videos, and interactive content about agricultural research for students and the public.

Products and services

• AgLab
• Science in Your Shopping Cart (SIYSC) Podcast
• Cooking with Science
• Image Gallery
• National Agricultural Library
• Scientific Software and Models
• Databases and Datasets
• USDA National Proving Grounds Network for AgTech (NPG-Ag)
• Nutrition Corner

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 90% reduction in plastic contamination in cotton bales, potentially recovering $750M in lost premiums annually for U.S. cotton growers
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Grand FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Grand Farm serves as National Program Manager for the USDA National Proving Grounds Network for AgTech (NPG-Ag). This nationwide initiative evaluates agricultural technologies under real-world U.S. farming conditions, with Grand Farm leading the program alongside land-grant university research partners.
• Land-Grant UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLand-grant universities serve as research partners in the National Proving Grounds Network, providing real-world testing environments for agricultural technologies. ARS reorganization aims to strengthen relationships with these institutions.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARS scientists work with NASA to develop sustainable farming techniques and technologies for growing fresh produce during spaceflight, including long-duration missions to Mars. Joint research includes space apples, monitoring water supplies, and ever-flowering fruit trees.
• Tennessee State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on research testing non-repellent insecticides to prevent red imported fire ant infestations in nursery plant root balls, published in the Journal of Economic Entomology.
• University of MaineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on $10 million SWF3 project to convert low-value woody biomass into sustainable aviation fuel and fish feed, alongside UMass Lowell and Arbiom.
• UMass LowellminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in the $10 million USDA-backed SWF3 project for converting forest biomass into sustainable aviation fuel and fish feed.
• ArbiomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner in the five-year SWF3 project targeting Maine's underutilized forest biomass for bioeconomy development.
• U.S. Senator John HoevenminorOthersSenator announced Grand Farm's role as national program manager for NPG-Ag and secured $11 million in funding including $2 million for an ARS work site on Grand Farm.
• North Carolina State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive NC State graduate students completed 10-week internships with ARS scientists through the SCINet Graduate Student Internships Program, working on AI and data science projects including soil erosion prediction, crop monitoring, and prion disease detection.
• New College of FloridaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived $162,000 USDA grant for AI-powered agricultural research involving students developing models to predict crop losses and detect pests.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• INRAE (France): France's national research institute for agriculture, food, and environment, operating at similar scale across crop science, livestock, and food safety. Comparable as a peer government agricultural R&D organization with public-mission focus.
• CSIRO (Australia): Australia's national science agency covering agriculture, food, and biosecurity among other domains. Comparable as a publicly funded multidisciplinary science organization with agricultural research as a core pillar.
• EMBRAPA (Brazil): Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, a public agricultural R&D organization analogous in mission and tropical/crop-research breadth. Comparable as a national government ag-research agency delivering public-good science.
• Corteva Agriscience: Major agricultural input company with strong seed and crop protection R&D. Comparable as a commercial agricultural science organization operating at the intersection of germplasm, breeding, and digital agriculture.
• Bayer Crop Science: One of the largest private-sector agricultural R&D and seed/chemical companies, frequently partnering with public research. Comparable as a downstream commercial user of publicly funded crop science and germplasm.

Direct peers

• Rothamsted Research: The UK's oldest agricultural research institution, focused on arable crops, soils, and pests. Comparable in long-horizon publicly funded agricultural research and crop science expertise.
• CGIAR: Global partnership of international agricultural research centers focused on food security and crop improvement. Comparable in germplasm management, breeding, and applied agricultural science delivery to public stakeholders.
• USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA): Sister USDA agency within the Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area that funds extramural agricultural research at land-grant universities. Directly comparable in mission, federal funding model, and reorganization impact.
• USDA Economic Research Service (ERS): USDA's economic and statistical research arm, also housed in the REE Mission Area and subject to the same relocation and reorganization initiatives. Directly comparable as a federally funded agricultural research peer of ARS.

Regional players

• Texas A&M AgriLife Research: A leading U.S. land-grant agricultural research system and longstanding ARS partner. Comparable as a peer institution in U.S. public agricultural R&D, with overlapping disciplines in cotton, livestock, and crop improvement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/USDA_ARS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbY4NfKJTwEO1rxTdNGjYbA
• Facebookfacebook.com/AgriculturalResearchService
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usda-ars

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Agricultural Research Service