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Agricultural Research for a Resilient Future

ARS delivers science that strengthens U.S. agriculture and supports the people who depend on it. We translate cutting-edge research into practical tools that help American agriculture thrive in a changing world.

Grounded in science, growing with purpose

By combining long-term field studies with cutting-edge technology, our researchers generate knowledge that directly benefits communities.

As the in-house research arm of the USDA, ARS delivers solutions that keep agriculture strong and sustainable. From healthier herds to thriving crops and clean water, these advances shape daily life and strengthen markets worldwide.

  • Range Sheep Production Efficiency Research (RSPER)

    A sheep looks directly at the camera, its mouth full of grass.

    Pioneering sustainable grazing and genetics research to improve flock productivity, animal health, and land stewardship across western rangelands.

    Learn About RSPER

  • ARS Culture Collection (NRRL)

    A colorful collage of microbial strains.

    One of the world’s largest collections of agricultural microbes, providing essential strains for biotechnology, food safety, and bioenergy research.

    Browse the Collection

  • Imperfect SSR Finder

    Researcher wearing a white lab coat looks at a computer screen with data.

    The Imperfect SSR Finder is an online tool to help geneticists find Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR), aka microsatellites or Short Tandem Repeats (STR), in uploaded FASTA sequences.

    Upload a Sequence

  • Nematode Collection

    Magnified view of bacterial-feeding nematodes frozen in liquid nitrogen.

    A global resource housing thousands of nematode specimens, supporting breakthroughs in plant health, soil science, and integrated pest management.

    Search the Database