North
West New York
Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops
Team
Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops
Team
By: James Kingston
The Internet has made it easier to access all type of information and data within seconds. There are several website that are very valuable to the farming community. One web site that I have found to be extremely useful is http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov
This website can help farmers gain soils information, measure acres and/or distances, and help make land management decisions. It is also incredibly useful to print out maps of fields. This online resource has taken the information from county based Soil Survey Books and integrated into an updated map that covers the entire United States. Every farmer that I have ever shown this website to, start playing with the site and usually tells me, “I could have used this the other day”. It is also a very valuable tool not only for ground you are currently farming but if you are considering purchasing or renting new land.
Step 1: Go on website –Click on Green Button
Step 2: Zoom into the area of interest either by typing in address, county name, or by using the magnifying glass icon.
Step 3: Either chooses: the hand icon to move to a different location, the green ruler to measure a distance, or AOI icons to select the field of interest. To use the AOI button on the left: click and hold while you move over selected area (it will only allow you to select square areas). The AOI button on the right asymmetrical areas: click on a corner of the area you would like to select, move cursor to another spot click and continue until the desired area of interest is outline and double click. Acres and soil types are automatically calculated.
Step 4: Choosing the Soil Map tab will give you a map of the types of soils in the area and the amount of acres. You can click on the soils name at anytime and receive a detailed description of the soil type. The Soil Data Explorer tab is useful to take things a step farther. For example: Creating a map that shows different drainage classes: click on the Soil Data Explorer then choose the Soil Properties and Qualities tab, select soil qualities and features ;then click on drainage class and view results. A nice map will display the select area and a chart will show soil information (see map on following page). At anytime the printable version icon can be selected to print maps and data.
This sounds a little confusing but once you go through the steps and play around on the site it is very simple and the majority of farmers find the site very useful. If you have any questions while using the site feel free to give me a call. These maps can also be very helpful in the upcoming months as a guide when soil sampling. Many farmers have gained great results by collecting soil samples based on the different soil types in a field.
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