AGRICOLA

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Score6.8

Rank#6 of 33

PriceFree

Free planYes

Runs onWeb

Summary

AGRICOLA is the National Agricultural Library’s catalog for agriculture and related fields. It contains more than 5 million records, ranging from current literature to printed works dating to the 15th century. The catalog includes journal articles, bibliographies, monographs, symposia, meeting abstracts, conference proceedings, and theses and dissertations. Its indexed journal articles and conference proceedings have named personal authors and English titles and abstracts. Selected peer-reviewed articles are indexed for discovery, and journals are reviewed against the library’s collection policy and metadata requirements. Search AGRICOLA through USDA NAL SEARCH by selecting it from the dataset menu or opening its subset directly. The web catalog is free to access and offers advanced search across multidisciplinary subjects. It does not provide full text, so access to an individual article may depend on linked sources. NAL offers an online question form and weekday chat from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.

Who it is for

AGRICOLA suits readers looking for agricultural and allied-discipline literature, including older printed works and conference proceedings. It is a catalog for discovery rather than a full-text reading service.

What is good

Free public web access to the catalog.
More than 5 million records.
Includes works dating to the 15th century.
Advanced search and multidisciplinary subject coverage.

What to know first

Does not provide full text.
Chat support excludes federal holidays.

Verdict

AGRICOLA offers a broad catalog for finding agricultural and related literature, with material spanning centuries. Readers should be prepared to use linked sources when they need article full text.

AGRICOLA plans and pricing

All plans

AGRICOLA Free Public access to the AGRICOLA catalog; individual article full text may depend on linked sources nal.usda.gov · 2 Oct 2026

Compared on academic research databases

Free plan: Yesnal.usda.gov
Full-text access: Nonal.usda.gov
Advanced search: Yesnal.usda.gov
Subject coverage: multidisciplinarynal.usda.gov
Content types: journal articles; bibliographies; monographs; symposia; meeting abstracts; conference proceedings; textbooks; newsletters; book chapters; technical reports; published theses; dissertations; reviews; patents; annual reports; guides; translated journals; teaching guides; curriculum materials; lesson plans; pamphlets; formularies; press releases; letters; editorials; research projectsnal.usda.gov
Theses and dissertations: Yesnal.usda.gov
Conference proceedings: Yesnal.usda.gov

Facts

Purpose: AGRICOLA is the National Agricultural Library catalog for agricultural and allied disciplines.nal.usda.gov · 2 Oct 2026
Collection size: The catalog contains over 5 million records, including current literature and printed works dating as far back as the 15th century.nal.usda.gov · 2 Oct 2026
Search access: Users can search the AGRICOLA dataset through USDA NAL SEARCH by selecting AGRICOLA from the dataset dropdown or opening its subset directly.nal.usda.gov · 2 Oct 2026
Discovery: NAL indexes selected peer-reviewed journal articles and makes them available for discovery.nal.usda.gov · 2 Oct 2026
Indexed content: AGRICOLA covers peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings with named personal authors and English titles and abstracts across agriculture and allied disciplines.nal.usda.gov · 2 Oct 2026
Coverage: Its subject coverage includes all aspects of agriculture and allied disciplines, while the catalog spans works dating back to the 15th century.nal.usda.gov · 2 Oct 2026
Journal selection: Journals are reviewed under NAL's collection development policy and for compliance with its metadata requirements.nal.usda.gov · 2 Oct 2026
Publisher metadata: Publishers may submit metadata in MODS, JATS, or NLM DTD, and NAL says MODS is preferred for faster processing.nal.usda.gov · 2 Oct 2026
Submission requirements: Indexed records require metadata such as an English article title and abstract, author information, journal title, publisher, identifiers when available, and publication date.nal.usda.gov · 2 Oct 2026
File transfer: After sample metadata is accepted, publishers coordinate file exchange with NAL using a method such as SFTP, FTP, or HTTP; NAL also accepts publisher transfers to its SFTP-only service.nal.usda.gov · 2 Oct 2026
Accepted file formats: NAL accepts metadata as XML files or archives in formats including zip, gzip, tar, and Bagit, and does not accept Word, PDF, or RAR files.nal.usda.gov · 2 Oct 2026
Support: Publishers can contact [email protected] with questions and to coordinate metadata file exchange.nal.usda.gov · 2 Oct 2026
Search support: NAL offers an online question form and chat during weekday hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.nal.usda.gov · 2 Oct 2026