Agricultural Consulting Services

What Agricultural Consulting Services does

Agricultural Consulting Services, Inc. (ACS) is an independent crop consulting and environmental compliance firm serving farms across the Northeast United States, with primary offices in Ithaca and Henrietta, New York. The company provides agronomy consulting, custom fertility planning, soil sampling and mapping, Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) development, and Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) regulatory support to dairy farms and other agricultural operations in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. ACS develops approximately 35 CNMPs per year and collects more than 15,000 soil samples annually across 150,000+ acres, leveraging Certified Crop Advisors (CCAs) and AEM/CNMP-certified environmental planners. The firm operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dairy One Cooperative, which allows it to draw on the cooperative's soil laboratory and broader agricultural service network while maintaining an explicit policy of not selling crop supplies to preserve recommendation independence.

The firm's core technology is Twine.Ag, a fully georeferenced crop management software platform available exclusively to ACS clients. Twine.Ag provides interactive field mapping, soil analysis layers, crop and relative yield maps, manure application logs, and variable rate prescription generation for seed, nitrogen, potash, and lime applications, with native integrations to John Deere Operations Center and Climate FieldView for automated yield data ingestion. Field data collection is supported by an internal technician certification program and Veris Technologies Electrical Conductivity (EC) mapping equipment for subfield management zone creation. ACS supplements this platform with add-on services including hemp THC testing (for New York State Hemp Licensing Program compliance) and Section 180 farmland deduction documentation.

ACS generates revenue primarily through quote-based professional engagements (crop consulting, environmental planning, CAFO support, custom fertility planning, soil sampling) with annual or per-service billing, and through fixed-fee hemp testing services. Twine.Ag is bundled with consulting engagements rather than sold as a standalone product. The company distributes services via direct enterprise field sales, assigning each farm client both an agronomist and an environmental consultant, with consultants traveling throughout the Northeast region. Customers include large dairy operations (the primary segment) plus horse farms, industrial hemp growers, and general agricultural operations. ACS has also expanded nationally through a May 2026 USDA-supported partnership initiative alongside AgPros and AgSource, positioning Twine.Ag as the agronomic planning platform for conservation and sustainable agriculture delivery beyond its core Northeast geography.

Name

Agricultural Consulting Services

Legal name

Agricultural Consulting Services, Inc.

Website

https://acscrops.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Agricultural Consulting Services provides independent crop consulting, environmental compliance, and CAFO regulatory support to dairy and other farms across the Northeast US, operating as a Dairy One Cooperative subsidiary with proprietary Twine.Ag software bundled into engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Crop and Environmental Consulting

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Yield Optimization & Crop Performance Consulting (AFACABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nutrient Management Planning & Fertility Programs (AFACABAB), Plant Tissue, Soil & Water Sampling Coordination (Agronomy-Focused) (AFACABAH), Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL)

Keywords

• Crop consulting
• Farm environmental planning
• Nutrient management planning
• Soil sampling and mapping
• Precision agronomy

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Agricultural Consulting Services: Professional consulting services including crop consulting, environmental planning, CAFO support, soil sampling and mapping. Services are delivered by certified crop advisors and environmental planners to farm operations.
2. Hemp Testing Services: Plant tissue sampling and THC testing services for New York State hemp growers. Includes certified sampling agent services and DEA-registered laboratory analysis.
3. Section 180 Deduction Documentation: Nutrient Summary Report generation for IRS Section 180 farmland tax deduction. Includes soil sampling, nutrient value calculation, and comprehensive documentation.
4. Twine.Ag Software Access: Crop management software available exclusively to ACS consulting clients, bundled with consulting services for customer retention.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Agricultural Consulting Services provides independent crop consulting, custom fertility planning, environmental planning, CAFO support, soil sampling and mapping, and hemp THC testing to farm operations. It also prepares Section 180 farmland deduction documentation and provides sampling materials through its parent company, Dairy One.

Product overview

Agricultural Consulting Services (ACS) operates as a full-service crop management advisory firm offering an integrated portfolio of services and a proprietary software platform. The core offering combines Crop Consulting (independent agronomy and pest management) and Custom Fertility Planning with a proprietary georeferenced software platform called Twine.Ag, which ties together field mapping, soil data, yield analysis, and variable rate prescriptions. ACS complements its crop management services with environmental compliance offerings including Farm Environmental Consulting, CAFO Support, and Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning. Supporting services include Soil Sampling and Mapping (using Veris EC technology), Hemp Testing (for New York State THC compliance), Section 180 Deduction assistance, and Sampling Materials. The suite functions as an integrated system where soil sampling feeds data into Twine.Ag and fertility planning, while environmental services support regulatory compliance across CAFO and state programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Twine.Ag: A fully georeferenced crop management software tool designed to put field and crop data at users' fingertips, available exclusively to ACS clients.

Products and services

• Crop Consulting Independent agronomy service for farms covering fertility planning, in-field agronomy support, and integrated pest management to optimize crop yields and input efficiency.
• Custom Fertility Plan Annual, farm-specific fertility program based on soil sample analysis and professional mapping, with independent fertilizer recommendations and nutrient management.
• Twine.Ag Crop Management Software Georeferenced crop-management platform for ACS clients that provides field and crop mapping, soil test data, crop and manure records, yield-data integration, and variable-rate prescriptions for seed, nitrogen, potash, and lime applications.
• Farm Environmental Consulting Environmental planning for dairy, horse, and other farm operations, including AEM-certified planning, Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan development, and nutrient management.
• CAFO Support Regulatory support for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, including CAFO permit navigation, DEC and EPA inspection assistance, civil litigation support, and mapping services.
• Soil Sampling and Mapping Professional field soil sampling and mapping, including topography, tile-line, GPS-boundary, and electrical-conductivity mapping used to create subfield management zones; ACS collects more than 15,000 samples annually across more than 150,000 acres.
• Hemp Testing THC testing service for New York State hemp growers, with certified plant-tissue sampling and DEA-registered laboratory analysis for licensing compliance.
• Section 180 Deduction Service Documentation service for farmland purchasers that combines soil sampling, replacement-cost nutrient valuation, and an IRS-structured Nutrient Summary Report for Section 180 deduction claims.
• Sampling Materials Purchase service for soil- and plant-tissue sampling kits supplied through Dairy One.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AgProscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2026National partnership through USDA-supported initiative for advancing conservation and sustainable agriculture practices. AgPros collaborates with ACS and AgSource to deliver technical expertise in soil health, water quality, and farm resilience across U.S. farming operations.
• AgSourcecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2026National partnership through USDA-supported initiative for advancing conservation and sustainable agriculture practices. AgSource works with ACS and AgPros to deliver technical expertise in soil health, water quality, and farm resilience.
• Dairy One CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2026Parent company of Agricultural Consulting Services. ACS is a subsidiary of Dairy One Cooperative, leveraging the cooperative's soil laboratory, agronomy service team, and integrated farming solutions.
• Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACS works closely with local and state NRCS offices on CNMP development for farms receiving funding assistance. All CNMP practices must be consistent with NRCS standards. ACS participates in NRCS-funded programs and helps shape policies impacting farm businesses.
• New York State DECcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACS works with NYS DEC on CAFO permits and environmental compliance. Planners maintain relationships with state environmental agencies to help shape policies and maintain compliance for client farms.
• Pennsylvania DEPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACS works with PA DEP for environmental compliance services for farms operating in Pennsylvania.
• Vermont DECminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACS works with VT DEC for environmental compliance services for farms operating in Vermont, including LFO permit support.
• UniversitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACS collaborates with universities on research projects supporting client farms and advancing agricultural science.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AgSource: Cooperative-affiliated agronomy and soil testing services provider that partners with ACS in the USDA-supported national initiative. Comparable as a regional crop consulting and soil laboratory network serving dairy and crop producers.
• AgPros: National crop and environmental consulting firm partnering with ACS on the USDA-supported initiative. Directly comparable in offering soil health, nutrient management planning, and conservation agronomy to working farms.
• Crop Quest: Independent agronomy services firm providing crop consulting, soil sampling, and variable rate fertility recommendations across multiple U.S. regions. Closely comparable business model of independent, non-aligned agronomic advisory to commercial farms.

Broad incumbents

• WinField United (Land O'Lakes): Agronomy and crop input platform of Land O'Lakes offering crop consulting, Answer Plot data, and input retail. Comparable agronomy function, though bundled with proprietary crop protection and seed sales rather than independent advice.
• Nutrien Ag Solutions: Global agricultural inputs retailer providing crop advisory, soil sampling, and Loveland Products. Overlaps with ACS in field agronomy services but operates at vastly larger scale and is aligned with proprietary crop inputs.
• Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness: Diversified agribusiness offering crop consulting, nutrition, and seed across the U.S. Comparable agronomic advisory capability though embedded within a broader input distribution and specialty chemicals portfolio.
• Helena Agri-Enterprises: National ag input distributor and crop advisor offering soil analysis, crop planning, and custom application services. Comparable in providing field-level agronomy, though integrated with proprietary crop protection and fertilizer lines.

Emerging players

• Granular (Corteva): Digital farm management software owned by Corteva providing field planning, crop rotation, and agronomic recordkeeping. Comparable technology layer to Twine.Ag for Northeast crop producers, backed by a major seed/chemistry parent.
• Climate FieldView (Bayer): Bayer-owned digital agronomy platform integrating field data, yield mapping, and variable rate prescriptions. Directly integrated into Twine.Ag, making it both a partner and a potential competing analytics layer for ACS clients.

Others

• Dairy One Cooperative: Parent cooperative of ACS, providing the underlying soil laboratory, forage analysis, and member services. Closely tied economically as the owner and primary lab service provider for ACS's sampling operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/acscrops

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Agricultural Consulting Services