American Society of Agronomy

What American Society of Agronomy does

The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) is a non-profit professional scientific society founded on December 31, 1907, in Chicago, and now headquartered at 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, Wisconsin. Its mission is to increase the dissemination of knowledge concerning soils and crops and the conditions affecting them. ASA serves agronomic scientists, educators, and practitioners through a portfolio anchored by the Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) certification program (established 1992 and now serving 12,000+ certified professionals across the US, Canada, Mexico, and beyond), thirteen peer-reviewed scientific journals distributed via a partnership with Wiley (including six gold open access titles), the CANVAS annual conference (the premier global event for agronomic, crop, environmental, and soil science), and the Online Classroom learning platform.

The organization's products and platforms are operated under the Alliance of Crops, Soils, and Environmental Science Societies (ACSESS), which provides shared infrastructure across ASA, the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). Core offerings include the Foundations of Applied Agronomy self-paced training program with four sections mapped to ICCA Performance Objectives, the Sustainable Agronomy Conference (a free virtual event), the Member Hub networking platform, the Science Societies Career Center, the CSA News and Crops & Soils magazines, and the Field, Lab, Earth podcast. The Agronomic Science Foundation (ASF) provides fundraising and program support.

ASA's revenue is generated through diversified recurring streams: tiered annual membership dues ($40-$260 depending on tier and society bundle), CCA certification fees and CEU course sales, publication revenue from Wiley-distributed journals (with a 50% member page-charge discount plus seven free pages, being eliminated entirely for members starting 2026), CANVAS conference registration, sponsorships and exhibitor fees, advertising and job postings on the Career Center, and Online Classroom subscriptions (offered at a 33% member discount). The society is governed by a 16-member Board of Directors under CEO James M. Cudahy and President Wade E. Thomason, with no parent company and revenue figures not publicly disclosed.

Name

American Society of Agronomy

Legal name

American Society of Agronomy

Website

https://agronomy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The American Society of Agronomy is a 1907-founded non-profit scientific society headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, serving 6,000+ agronomic professionals and 12,000+ Certified Crop Advisers through certification programs, 13 peer-reviewed journals, the CANVAS conference, and continuing education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Scientific Society Services

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture & Conservation Practices (EDAOAOAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL), Agriculture, Environmental & Earth Sciences (EDAGABAL)

Keywords

• Scientific publishing services
• Professional certification programs
• Agronomy education training
• Soil science research
• Crop science society

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues with tiered pricing based on whether members join one, two, or all three societies (ASA, CSSA, SSSA). Professional membership ranges from $150-$260, with discounted rates for emeritus ($80-$135), graduate students ($60), and undergraduate students ($40). Corporate memberships also available.
2. Publication Sales and Page Charges: Revenue from publishing 13 peer-reviewed scientific journals and hundreds of books. Members receive page charge discounts of 50% (plus seven free pages) when publishing in Agronomy Journal, Crop Science, or Soil Science Society of America Journal. Starting 2026, members pay no page charges to publish in these journals.
3. Certification Fees: Revenue from the Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) program, including exam registration, specialty certifications, and CEU course purchases. The CCA program serves 12,000+ certified professionals.
4. Event Registration and Sponsorship: Revenue from CANVAS annual meeting registration, Sustainable Agronomy Conference, and specialized meetings. Includes exhibitor fees, sponsorships, and advertising opportunities. Members receive $300 discount on meeting registration.
5. Educational Course Sales: Revenue from online training programs including Foundations of Applied Agronomy ($150 per section or $475 for full series), Online Classroom subscriptions (33% member discount), and team training packages with group pricing.
6. Advertising and Job Postings: Revenue from advertising in publications and the Science Societies Career Center. Members receive exclusive 10% discount on job posts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The American Society of Agronomy is a nonprofit scientific and professional society that provides professional certification (Certified Crop Adviser program), peer-reviewed scientific publishing (13 journals via Wiley), continuing-education training (Foundations of Applied Agronomy, Online Classroom), and annual conferences (CANVAS, Sustainable Agronomy Conference) to agronomists, crop advisors, scientists, educators, and students. Its mission centers on disseminating knowledge concerning soils, crops, and sustainable agriculture, with member benefits including certification credentials, journal access, advocacy, and networking through seven discipline-based sections.

Product overview

The American Society of Agronomy operates as a professional membership organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services centered on agronomic science education, certification, and knowledge dissemination. The core offerings include the Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) certification program (established 1992), thirteen peer-reviewed scientific journals, and the Foundations of Applied Agronomy online training program. These are complemented by the Online Classroom subscription platform, CSA News and Crops & Soils magazines, the CANVAS and Sustainable Agronomy Conference events, the Science Societies Career Center job board, Member Hub networking platform, and the Online Library. The organization also supports the agronomic science community through the Agronomic Science Foundation and provides CEU opportunities through its certification and education programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Certified Crop Adviser (CCA): A professional certification program for agronomy professionals, established in 1992 as the benchmark for practicing agronomy professionals in the United States and Canada, with expansion to Mexico and beyond.
• CANVAS
• CSA News
• Sustainable Agronomy Conference

Products and services

• Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) Certification Program A benchmark professional certification program for practicing agronomy professionals in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and beyond. CCAs serve farmers by translating current research into applicable crop management practices. The program includes specialty certifications and CEU tracking, serving 12,000+ certified professionals.
• CSA News Magazine Official monthly magazine for members of ASA, CSSA, and SSSA, featuring research highlights, member news, science policy updates, meeting news, and career and education information.
• Crops & Soils Magazine Magazine for certified professionals focusing on solutions to daily challenges with self-study continuing education unit (CEU) opportunities.
• Foundations of Applied Agronomy Online Training Self-paced online agronomy training program with four sections (Nutrient Management, Soil & Water Management, Pest Management, Crop Management) designed to prepare learners for the International Certified Crop Adviser (ICCA) Exam. Each section contains five modules aligned with ICCA Performance Objectives.
• Online Classroom Subscription Subscription-based learning platform offering hundreds of articles, webinars, and podcasts for continuing education and CEU opportunities, with 33% discount for members. Features interactive course content with animations, video inserts, and quizzes.
• CANVAS Annual Conference Premier global conference for crop, agronomic, environmental, and soil sciences, featuring scientific discovery, professional networking, innovative research, collaboration, workshops, award ceremonies, and field tours. Members receive a $300 registration discount.
• Sustainable Agronomy Conference Free virtual event held over four weekends in July, providing insights and practical knowledge for agribusiness professionals and growers on sustainability practices. Features eight webinars on nutrient management, resilient systems, AI/data precision agronomy, and economics.
• Scientific Journals Portfolio Thirteen peer-reviewed scientific journals including six gold open access journals, published collectively with CSSA and SSSA, covering agronomy, crop, soil, and environmental science fields. Members receive 50% page charge discount plus seven free pages when publishing in Agronomy Journal, Crop Science, or Soil Science Society of America Journal; from 2026, members pay no page charges.
• Science Societies Career Center Job board specific to agronomy, crop, soil, and environmental science fields with career coaching, resume services, and member discounts on job posts.
• Member Hub Networking Platform Member networking platform enabling members to connect with others having similar interests through communities, discussion boards, and seven discipline-based sections.
• ACSESS Online Library Digital library providing access to articles and archives of 13 journals and all books published by ASA, CSSA, and SSSA, delivered through Wiley partnership.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,000+ Certified Crop Advisers provide a benchmark for agronomy professionalism across the industry
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Crop Science Society of America (CSSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASA collaborates with CSSA under the Alliance of Crops, Soils, and Environmental Science Societies (ACSESS). Both societies operate independently with their own bylaws and governing boards while sharing strategic objectives, joint publications (13 journals), events (CANVAS conference), and the Science Societies Career Center.
• Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASA collaborates with SSSA under the Alliance of Crops, Soils, and Environmental Science Societies (ACSESS). SSSA operates independently with its own bylaws and governing board while sharing joint publications, events, and educational programs with ASA and CSSA.
• Agronomic Science Foundation (ASF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASF provides fundraising, investment, and distribution of funds for the benefit of ASA, CSSA, and SSSA members, students, and future contributors to the scientific community. ASF supports society activities, programs, and projects.
• Alliance of Crops, Soils, and Environmental Science Societies (ACSESS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACSESS is the umbrella organization hosting ASA, CSSA, and SSSA with shared strategic objectives. Each member society operates independently with its own bylaws and governing boards of directors.
• WileycoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Wiley for publishing and delivering the society's 13 peer-reviewed scientific journals and all books through the ACSESS Online Library at acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• American Society of Plant Biologists: Long-established plant science professional society publishing journals (Plant Cell, Plant Physiology) and hosting conferences. Comparable as a membership-society model serving plant scientists with overlapping but broader scope than ASA.
• Soil and Water Conservation Society: Membership society focused on conservation practices with overlapping themes to ASA's Land Management and Conservation section. Comparable publication, conference, and certification/advocacy operating model for soil conservation professionals.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): Massive general scientific society with Science journal; operates the largest membership society model in U.S. science. Comparable as a higher-order benchmark for the membership-society + flagship-journal + advocacy model, though broader in scope.
• Entomological Society of America: Peer scientific society publishing journals and running annual conferences for a discipline adjacent to agronomy (pest management). Comparable member-society operating model, certification programs (Board Certified Entomologist), and CEU infrastructure.
• American Seed Trade Association: Industry/membership association for seed companies with conventions, advocacy, and certification-adjacent programming. Comparable as a trade/membership organization serving the agronomic value chain with policy advocacy and conferences.

Direct peers

• Crop Science Society of America (CSSA): Sister society within the ACSESS alliance; shares publications, events, and back-office functions with ASA while serving crop scientists independently. Closest comparable due to co-publishing 13 journals and joint CANVAS conference.
• Soil Science Society of America (SSSA): Third member of ACSESS; operates under the same alliance structure with shared publications and Career Center. Direct peer because of joint governance, member bundles ($260 for all three), and overlapping scientific community.

Emerging players

• International Society of Precision Agriculture: Niche professional community focused on precision/variable-rate agronomy, overlapping with ASA's agronomy consulting codes. Comparable as a smaller, more specialized society serving a subset of ASA's practitioner base.

Regional players

• Agronomy Society of New Zealand / Australian Agronomy Society: Regional peer agronomy societies outside North America. Comparable as smaller sister societies serving their national agronomic communities with similar journals, conferences, and member services.

Others

• International Plant Protection Centre / FAO Plant Production: Adjacent international organization setting standards and convening global expertise in crop production and agronomy. Comparable as an ecosystem participant intersecting with ASA's policy and certification activities but not a competing membership society.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ASA_CSSA_SSSA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ScienceSocieties
• Facebookfacebook.com/asa.cssa.sssa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crops-soils-agronomy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Society of Agronomy