Practical Conservation

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has a new web-based soil survey.  I quickly was able to define an “Area of Interest”  and produce both a soils map and access information about the soil types (RUSLE information, building suitability, flooding potential, etc.).  Once you have the soil map for your farm, you can go to NRCS’s new soil rental rate site (which I reviewed earlier) and enroll in Farm Bill conservation programs.  NRCS is doing some nice work with their web-based technical tools lately.

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has an online plant identification key (use MS Explorer).  It has state specific keys for grasses and legumes, plus keys for gymnosperms and wetland monocots in the US.

USDA has a new tool where you can map online (and download the raw data) county level data for Farm Program acreage including: program acres (production flexibility contract acres under the 1996 Farm Act, by commodity; base acres designated under the 2002 Farm Act, by commodity; and base acres updated to 1998-2001 plantings under the 2002 Farm Act, by commodity) and planted acreage from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).