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Acres of Prime Farmland Used as Cropland, 1997

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Description

This dot density map shows the location of prime farmland that is used as cropland (cultivated and non-cultivated). Each dot represents 25,000 acres. Dots are aggregated by and placed randomly within 8-digit hydrologic units. Areas with 95% or more Federal area are shaded gray. There are 212 million acres of prime farmland used as cropland.

Cautions for this Product:
This map does not include prime farmland that is not used as cropland or cropland that is not located on prime farmland. This map may not be used for site-specific information. Data are not collected on Federal land. Data are not available for Alaska or the Pacific Basin. Data for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands is shown by 6-digit hydrologic unit.


Sources

Source: National Resources Inventory, 1997
Distributor: USDA-NRCS-RIAD
Reliability:
NRI sample data are generally reliable at the 95% confidence interval for state and certain broad substate area analyses. Generally, analyses that aggregate data points by smaller geographic areas and/or more specific criteria result in fewer data points for each aggregation and therefore less reliable estimates. NRI maps reflect national patterns rather than site- specific information.

Layers

Aggregate Layer: Cross of State with 8 Digit Hydrologic Units and Federal Land
Other Layers Displayed: States, Rivers

Definitions

Cropland:
A Land cover/use category that includes areas used for the production of adapted crops for harvest. Two subcategories of cropland are recognized: cultivated and noncultivated. Cultivated cropland comprises land in row crops or close-grown crops and also other cultivated cropland, for example, hayland or pastureland that is in a rotation with row or close-grown crops. Noncultivated cropland includes permanent hayland and horticultural cropland. [NRI-97]

Cultivated Cropland:
Includes land identified as being in row or close crops, summer fallow, aquaculture in crop rotation or other cropland not planted -- including cropland in short-term set-aside programs; or land in horticulture that is double cropped; or land in hay which had at least one of the three previous years in row or close grown crops; or land in pasture which had at least one of the three previous years in row or close grown crops.

Federal land:
A land ownership class designating land that is owned by the Federal Government. It does not include, for example, trust lands administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs nor Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) land. No data are collected for any year that land is in this ownership. [NRI-97]

Hayland:
A sub-category of Cropland managed for the production of forage crops that are machine harvested. These crops may be grasses, legumes or a combination. Hayland also includes land in set-aside or other short-term agricultural programs. [NRI-97]

Horticultural cropland:
A sub-category of Cropland used for growing fruit, nut, berry, vineyard and other bush fruit and similar crops. Nurseries and other ornamental plantings are included. [NRI-97]

Non-cultivated cropland:
Includes land in horticulture that is not double- cropped; or land in hay which had not been in row or close-grown crops for any of the previous three years.

Prime farmland:
Land that has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops and is also available for these uses. It has the soil quality, growing season, and moisture supply needed to produce economically sustained high yields of crops when treated and managed according to acceptable farming methods, including water management. In general, prime farmlands have an adequate and dependable water supply from precipitation or irrigation, a favorable temperature and growing season, acceptable acidity or alkalinity, acceptable salt and sodium content, and few or no rocks. They are permeable to water and air. Prime farmlands are not excessively erodible or saturated with water for a long period of time, and they either do not flood frequently or are protected from flooding.[SSM, USDA Handbook No. 18, October 1993]

Product Information

Product ID: 4966
Production Date: 12/13/00
Product Type: Map

For additional information contact the Resources Inventory and Assessment Division. Please include the Product ID you are inquiring about. nri@wdc.usda.gov or 1400 Independence Avenue SW - P.O. Box 2890 - Washington D.C. 20013. If you use our analysis products, please be aware of our disclaimer.