Bring Crop Statistics
to VS Code Copilot
Create your Vinkius account to connect USDA NASS to VS Code Copilot and start using all 8 AI tools in minutes. Fully managed, enterprise secure, and ready to use without writing a single line of code. No hosting, no server setup — just connect and start using.
GDPR Free for SubscribersCompatible with every major AI agent and IDE
Gemini
What is the USDA NASS MCP Server?
Connect to USDA NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service) APIs through any AI agent and explore American agriculture data through natural conversation.
What you can do
- Crop Production — Query yield, production, harvested acres and price data for all major crops (corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice)
- Livestock Data — Retrieve cattle inventory, hog production, poultry statistics, milk and egg production data
- Agricultural Economics — Access prices received/paid by farmers, farm income, production expenses and land values
- Farm Demographics — Explore Census of Agriculture data including operator age, experience, occupation and veteran status
- Parameter Discovery — Discover valid values for any filter parameter (commodities, states, years, units)
- Survey Metadata — Review information about all NASS surveys including frequencies and methodologies
How it works
- Subscribe to this server
- Enter your USDA NASS API Key (free at nass.usda.gov/developer)
- Start exploring agricultural data from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client
No more navigating complex Quick Stats interfaces to find crop yields or livestock data. Your AI acts as a dedicated agricultural data analyst.
Who is this for?
- Agricultural Analysts — quickly query crop production data, compare yields across states and track price trends
- Farmers & Ranchers — check market prices, review production statistics and benchmark against state/national averages
- Researchers — access demographics data, survey methodologies and historical agricultural statistics for academic work
- Commodity Traders — monitor production volumes, inventory levels and economic indicators for market analysis
Built-in capabilities (8)
Requires a commodity name (e.g. CORN, SOYBEANS, WHEAT, COTTON). Optionally filter by state and year. Returns detailed statistics with units, geographic scope and time period. Get crop production summary from USDA NASS
Optionally filter by state and year. Sector is automatically set to DEMOGRAPHICS. Get farm demographics data from USDA NASS
Optionally filter by commodity, state and year. Sector is automatically set to ECONOMICS. Get agricultural economics data from USDA NASS
Requires a commodity name (e.g. CATTLE, HOGS, CHICKENS, MILK, EGGS). Optionally filter by state and year. Get livestock production summary from USDA NASS
Parameters include: sector, group, commodity, commodity_desc, short_desc, source_desc, util_desc, unit_desc, freq_desc, domain_desc, state, county. Use this to discover what values you can filter by before making queries. Get valid values for a Quick Stats parameter
Accepts parameters: sector (CROPS, ANIMALS & PRODUCTS, ECONOMICS, DEMOGRAPHICS), commodity, group, commodity_desc, state, year, freq (ANNUAL, MONTHLY), unit_desc, source_desc. Returns statistical data with value, unit, state, year and commodity information. Use get_param_values to discover valid parameter values before querying. Query USDA NASS Quick Stats database
This is useful for understanding what data is available and how frequently it is collected. Get information about USDA NASS surveys
Optionally filter by state, year and sector. This is a broad search that returns all available data for the commodity, including production, price, inventory and acreage statistics. Search Quick Stats by commodity name
Why VS Code Copilot?
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings USDA NASS data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 8 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.
- —
VS Code is used by over 70% of developers. adding MCP tools to Copilot means your team can leverage external data without leaving their primary editor
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Project-scoped MCP configs (
.vscode/mcp.json) let you commit server configurations to your repository, ensuring the entire team shares the same tool access - —
Copilot's Agent mode integrates MCP tools seamlessly with file editing, terminal commands, and workspace search in a single agentic loop
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GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services
USDA NASS in VS Code Copilot
Why run USDA NASS with Vinkius?
The USDA NASS connection runs on our fully managed, secure cloud infrastructure. We handle the hosting, maintenance, and security so you don't have to deal with servers or code. All 8 tools are ready to work instantly without any complex setup.
You stay in complete control of your data. Your AI only accesses the information you approve, keeping your sensitive passwords and private details completely safe. Plus, with automatic optimizations, your AI works faster and more efficiently.
* Every connection is hosted and maintained by Vinkius. We handle the security, updates, and infrastructure so you don't have to write code or manage servers. See our infrastructure
Over 4,000 integrations ready for AI agents
Explore a vast library of pre-built integrations, optimized and ready to deploy.
Connect securely in under 30 seconds
Generate tokens to authenticate and link external services in a single step.
Complete visibility into every agent action
Audit live requests, latency, success rates, and active security compliance policies.
Optimize spending and track token ROI
Analyze real-time token consumption and cost metrics detailed by connection.
Explore our live AI Agents Analytics dashboard to see it all working
This dashboard is included when you connect USDA NASS using Vinkius. You will never be left in the dark about what your AI agents are doing with your tools.
USDA NASS and 4,000+ other AI tools. No hosting, no code, ready to use.
Professionals who connect USDA NASS to VS Code Copilot through Vinkius don't need to write code, manage servers, or worry about security. Everything is pre-configured, secure, and runs automatically in the background.
Raw MCP | Vinkius | |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-to-use MCPs | Find and configure each manually | 4,000+ MCPs ready to use |
| Connection Setup | Manual coding & server setup | 1-click instant connection |
| Server Hosting | You host it yourself (needs 24/7 uptime) | 100% hosted & managed by Vinkius |
| Security & Privacy | Stored in plaintext config files | Bank-grade encrypted vault |
| Activity Visibility | Blind execution (no logs or tracking) | Live dashboard with real-time logs |
| Cost Control | Runaway AI token spend risk | Automatic budget limits |
| Revoking Access | Must delete files or code to stop | 1-click disconnect button |
How Vinkius secures
USDA NASS for VS Code Copilot
Every request between VS Code Copilot and USDA NASS is protected by our secure gateway. We automatically keep your sensitive data private, prevent unauthorized access, and let you disconnect instantly at any time.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a USDA NASS API key?
Visit nass.usda.gov/developer and register for a free API key. The key is delivered instantly via the web form. It's completely free with no usage cost.
What crops and commodities are available?
The NASS Quick Stats database covers all major US agricultural commodities: CORN, SOYBEANS, WHEAT, COTTON, RICE, SORGHUM, OATS, BARLEY, HAY, PEANUTS, POTATOES for crops; CATTLE, HOGS, CHICKENS, TURKEYS, MILK, EGGS, HONEY for livestock; plus fruit, vegetables, nursery products and many more. Use get_param_values with param 'commodity' to see the complete list.
Can I filter data by state and year?
Yes! All query tools support optional state and year parameters. State can be the full name (e.g. 'IOWA') or abbreviation (e.g. 'IA'). Year accepts specific years (e.g. '2024') or ranges. The data returned includes the state, year, commodity, value and unit for each record.
What kind of economic data is available?
The ECONOMICS sector includes: prices received by farmers for crops and livestock, prices paid by farmers (inputs, feed, fuel), farm production expenses, farm real estate values, cash rent for cropland and pasture, and agricultural income data. Use get_economics_data to query by commodity, state and year.
Which VS Code version supports MCP?
MCP support requires VS Code 1.99 or later with the GitHub Copilot extension. Ensure both are updated to the latest version. Older versions of Copilot may not expose the Agent mode toggle.
How do I switch to Agent mode?
Open the Copilot Chat panel and look for two mode options: "Ask" and "Agent". Click "Agent" to enable autonomous tool calling. In Ask mode, Copilot provides conversational answers but cannot invoke MCP tools.
Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?
Yes. VS Code shows a tool consent dialog before any MCP tool is invoked for the first time. You can also configure tool access policies at the organization level through GitHub Copilot settings.
Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?
Yes. MCP servers configured via .vscode/mcp.json work in Remote SSH, WSL, and GitHub Codespaces environments. The MCP connection is established from the remote host, so ensure the server URL is accessible from that environment.
MCP tools not available
Ensure you are in Agent mode in Copilot Chat. MCP tools only appear in Agent mode.
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