specification: API Commons Plans
specificationVersion: '0.1'
schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/interface-research/main/schema/api-commons.yml#/$defs/Plans
provider: Economic Research Service
providerId: economic-research-service
created: '2026-05-04'
modified: '2026-09-06'
generated: '2026-09-06'
method: searched
source: >-
  https://www.ers.usda.gov/developer/data-apis,
  https://www.ers.usda.gov/developer/data-apis/arms-data-api,
  https://www.ers.usda.gov/developer/api-terms-of-service,
  https://www.ers.usda.gov/developer/geospatial-apis and
  https://api.data.gov/docs/developer-manual/, all read on 2026-09-06.
tags:
  - Agriculture
  - Economics
  - Federal Government
  - Research
plan_count: 0
description: >-
  ERS PUBLISHES NO PLANS AND NO PRICING, because there are none. Both ERS API surfaces are free
  United States Government public data with no commercial tier, no paid upgrade, no overage and
  no contract. The ARMS Data API requires a free api.data.gov key (name and email only, issued
  automatically) purely so ERS can rate-limit and notify key holders of changes; the geospatial
  ArcGIS services require nothing at all. The API Terms of Service is a use agreement, not a
  commercial one - it contains no price, no fee schedule, and no payment term.
plans: []
access:
  cost: free
  currency: null
  key_required:
    - api: USDA ERS Data APIs
      required: true
      issuer: api.data.gov
      signup: https://api.data.gov/signup/
      cost: '0.00'
      approval: automatic
      credentials_needed: name and a valid email address
    - api: USDA ERS Geospatial APIs
      required: false
      issuer: null
      note: >-
        The ArcGIS Server REST and SOAP services on gisportal.ers.usda.gov answer anonymously.
        The server advertises token-based security
        (https://gisportal.ers.usda.gov/server/rest/info?f=json reports
        isTokenBasedSecurity true) for its administrative surface, but the published map and
        feature services are open.
  attribution_required: true
  attribution_text: >-
    "This product uses the ERS Data API but is not endorsed or certified by ERS." - required
    prominently within any application using the API, per
    https://www.ers.usda.gov/developer/api-terms-of-service
  sla: none
  sla_note: >-
    The Terms of Service explicitly disclaim all warranties and state ERS "makes no warranty
    that the API or ERS data will be error-free or that access thereto will be continuous or
    uninterrupted." There is no SLA, no uptime commitment and no support commitment.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com