Description: 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]
See USDA publication <a href="http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/?cid=nrcs142p2_054226" target="_blank">NSSH Part 622</a> for full details.
Description: General crop type data is derived from the 2009 Cropland Data Layer created by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. <ul>
<li>Cereal Grains - Members of the grass family typically grown for the edible components of their grain (e.g. Corn, Rice, Wheat). </li>
<li>Fruit - Typically trees and bushes grown for the sweet pulp that surrounds the seed (e.g. Apple, Orange, Grape). </li>
<li>Vegetable - An edible plant, or part of a plant, that is grown for their savory flavor (e.g.Lettuce, Celery, Carrots).</li>
<li> Other Edible - Primarily includes plants grown for producing oil (e.g Canola, Flaxseed) or those that don't fit the previous three categories (e.g. Mint, Aquaculture). </li>
<li> Non Edible - Plants grown for purposes other than consumption (e.g. Tobacco, Christmas Trees, Sod). </li>
</ul>
For information on how specific crop types were aggregated see the <a href="http://www.tippingpointplanner.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=174" target="_blank">CDL 2009 Crop Aggregation Page</a>.