The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training
CACAT is a 7-employee agricultural conservation training program established in 2023 within Penn State Extension, delivering science-based education to Pennsylvania farmers, agribusinesses, and youth through courses, workshops, publications, and an AI assistant.
- Company typePublic
- Founded-
- HeadquartersUniversity Park, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training does
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training (CACAT) is a 7-employee program established in 2023 and housed within Penn State Extension at University Park, Pennsylvania. Per available data, CACAT operates as a small center within the broader Penn State Extension platform, which delivers science-based agricultural education through online courses, workshops, webinars, articles, and publications, supported by 320+ Subject Matter Experts and 1,500+ in-person and online events per year. The portfolio includes specialized programs such as PA OneStop Farm Planning System, the Pennsylvania Nutrient Management Program, 4-H youth development, and volunteer-led Master Gardener and Master Watershed Steward initiatives.
The organization's core technology is a science-based educational content delivery platform, anchored by 6,000+ articles and publications and extended by an AI-powered chatbot, Tilva AI Assistant, which is powered by PlantVillage AI and provides on-demand answers to agricultural questions. Distribution combines a self-serve online store (extension.psu.edu), county extension offices across Pennsylvania, in-person workshops, and active social channels. The business model is freemium-plus-paid: free articles, webinars, and workshops are paired with paid online courses priced from $19 to $139, while the entity's primary financial backing comes from federal, state, and county government appropriations rather than commercial revenue.
CACAT's customer base spans dairy, poultry, beef, equine, swine, goat/sheep, and crop producers; agribusinesses in food processing and forestry; 4-H youth; and individual consumers/gardeners. Named enterprise references include Kreider Farms, Uncle Charley's Sausage Co., Rice Fruit Company, Bald Eagle Tree Farm, and Beartown Family Limited Partnership. The center serves Pennsylvania and adjacent Mid-Atlantic/Northeast markets under a public, government-funded mandate.
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training
- Legal name
- Penn State Extension
- Website
- https://extension.psu.edu
- Company type
- Public
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CACAT is a 7-employee agricultural conservation training program established in 2023 within Penn State Extension, delivering science-based education to Pennsylvania farmers, agribusinesses, and youth through courses, workshops, publications, and an AI assistant.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Extension Services
- NAICS
- Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Agriculture & Food Production (EDABALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC), Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL), Regulatory Compliance, Permitting & Audit Readiness (Food Safety, Environmental, Labor) (AFACAJAE), Crop, Soil & Agronomy Technician Training (EDAOAOAF)
Keywords
Where The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- University Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Educational Programs and Courses: Penn State Extension generates revenue through paid educational content including online courses (priced $19-$139), workshops, and publications. Course offerings range from $19.00 for short courses to $139.00 for comprehensive programs like Beekeeping 102.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free resources and events |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training (CACAT), operating through Penn State Extension, delivers science-based agricultural education and training across multiple formats including online courses, workshops, webinars, and publications. It covers dairy, livestock, crop production, food safety, nutrient management, and farm business management, and supports community programs such as 4-H, Master Gardener, and Master Watershed Steward. Educational content is delivered by 320+ Subject Matter Experts and supported by a county-office network throughout Pennsylvania.
Product overview
Penn State Extension is an educational organization offering a multi-format platform with online courses, workshops, articles, webinars, publications, and tools for agricultural education. The portfolio includes core educational products like self-paced online courses (covering dairy, crops, food safety, and business management), in-person workshops, and science-based articles. Supporting programs include PA OneStop Farm Planning System for regulatory compliance, Pennsylvania 4-H Youth Development, the Nutrient Management Program, Master Gardener and Master Watershed Steward volunteer programs, and Better Kid Care. Topic-specific resources cover dairy, poultry, beef cattle, equine, swine, goats, sheep, camelids, and canines. A notable feature is Tilva AI Assistant, an AI chatbot powered by PlantVillage AI that provides instant answers to agricultural questions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Penn State Extension: Science-based education and innovative solutions for agriculture, food supply, and natural resource stewardship
Products and services
- Penn State Extension Online Courses Self-paced online educational courses covering agriculture topics including dairy farming, horticulture, food safety, business management, and vocational skills. Courses range from 1-12 hours and include certification credits, priced $19.00-$139.00.
- Penn State Extension Workshops In-person educational workshops and field days on agricultural topics such as orchard management, livestock handling, food preservation, and agritourism risk management.
- Articles and Publications Science-based articles, guides, and publications (6,000+) covering agricultural best practices, animal health, crop management, and food safety standards.
- Webinars Live and recorded webinars on agricultural topics including dairy management, pest control, nutrition education, and farm business practices.
- PA OneStop Farm Planning System Online mapping and planning tools to help farmers meet Agricultural Erosion and Sedimentation Control Planning, Manure Management Planning, and Nutrient Management Planning requirements.
- Pennsylvania 4-H Youth Development Program Youth development organization with clubs in rural and urban communities focused on leadership, citizenship, and life skills through hands-on agricultural projects.
- Pennsylvania Nutrient Management Program Educational resources and technical guidance on the Nutrient Management Act (Act 38, 2005) for agricultural operations.
- Pennsylvania Women's Agricultural Network (PA-WAgN) Network providing learning environments, networking, and empowerment opportunities for women in agriculture.
- Master Gardener Program Volunteer training program for home gardeners providing research-based horticultural education.
- Master Watershed Steward Program Volunteer program focused on watershed education and conservation stewardship.
- Better Kid Care Youth development and childcare professional development programs.
- AgrAbility Program assisting farmers with disabilities through assistive technology and resources for safe farming operations.
- Tilva AI Assistant AI-powered chatbot assistant (powered by PlantVillage AI) providing instant science-based answers to agricultural questions, accessible at ai.extension.psu.edu.
Quantifiable outcome
- Pennsylvania ranks 7th nationally in milk production with 520,000 cows producing 10.6 billion pounds annually
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Federal GovernmentcorePenn State Extension is partnered with and funded by federal, state, and county governments, bringing unbiased support and education to citizens of Pennsylvania.
- State Government (Pennsylvania)corePenn State Extension is partnered with and funded by federal, state, and county governments, bringing unbiased support and education to citizens of Pennsylvania.
- County Governments (Pennsylvania)corePenn State Extension is partnered with and funded by federal, state, and county governments, bringing unbiased support and education to citizens of Pennsylvania.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Granular (Corteva): Granular offers farm business management software and agronomic advisory to commercial growers — overlapping with extension services on best-practice delivery while representing a private commercial alternative.
- Bayer / Climate Corporation (Climate FieldView): Climate FieldView is the dominant private agronomy decision-support platform broadly competing with extension services on farmer advisory; a broad incumbent whose commercial model contrasts with CACAT's public-extension approach.
Direct peers
- Cornell Cooperative Extension: Cornell's land-grant extension service delivers the same combination of agricultural research translation, online courses, workshops, and county-based farmer advisory as Penn State Extension, serving New York State farmers across dairy, field crops and livestock.
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Oregon State Extension mirrors Penn State's model with research-based agricultural education, county offices, online courses, and forestry and livestock programming targeting regional farmers.
- Iowa State University Extension and Outreach: Iowa State's extension offers a near-identical model — public university extension with SMEs, online courses, field events and a strong crop-production focus — directly comparable in structure and GTM.
- University of California ANR (Cooperative Extension): UC ANR operates the California counterpart of the federal Cooperative Extension system, with comparable SMEs, county advisors, online educational content, and applied agricultural research delivery.
- University of Wisconsin Division of Extension: Wisconsin's land-grant extension provides dairy and crop-production education, county offices and an online course catalog structurally equivalent to Penn State Extension's dairy-heavy portfolio.
Emerging players
- Farmers Business Network: FBN operates a farmer-to-farmer network plus agronomic intelligence services, partially overlapping with extension's best-practice aggregation role while pursuing a private commercial model.
- Indigo Ag: Indigo Ag provides microbial treatments, agronomy services and digital agronomic recommendations to row-crop farmers, partially overlapping with extension's role as an unbiased agronomic advisor.
- PlantVillage: PlantVillage — the AI partner behind the Tilva assistant — is a Penn-State-affiliated AI-for-agriculture project; a direct technology peer given the partnership that powers CACAT's differentiated AI surface.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training social profiles
Digital presenceThe Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training
What does The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training do?
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training (CACAT), operating through Penn State Extension, delivers science-based agricultural education and training across multiple formats including online courses, workshops, webinars, and publications. It covers dairy, livestock, crop production, food safety, nutrient management, and farm business management, and supports community programs such as 4-H, Master Gardener, and Master Watershed Steward. Educational content is delivered by 320+ Subject Matter Experts and supported by a county-office network throughout Pennsylvania.
Is The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training a public or private company?
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training founded?
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training based?
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training is headquartered in University Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training make money?
One revenue line is on record: educational Programs and Courses.
Who are The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Granular (Corteva) and Bayer / Climate Corporation (Climate FieldView). Direct peers are Cornell Cooperative Extension, Oregon State University Extension Service, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, University of California ANR (Cooperative Extension) and University of Wisconsin Division of Extension. Emerging players are Farmers Business Network, Indigo Ag and PlantVillage.
Does The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training.
What industry is The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training in?
The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training's product category is Agricultural Extension Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDABALAA, Agriculture & Food Production, with a secondary code of EDADABAC, Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units). Its NAICS code is 6115 and its SIC code is 8200.