USDA Soil Surveys by State then County

Dutch · January 27, 2015

Below is a link to United States Department of Agriculture soil surveys first by state and by county.

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/.../survey/state/

Dutch

Blueaussi · January 27, 2015

How frustrating!

You can't use it unless you add an area of interest, but you can't add an area of interest without some file extension that I don't recognize. It will let you look up all the relevant data for my area, but it won't let me add it to the Area of Interest tab.

Dutch · January 27, 2015

Does this work for other?

Click on the link in my first post
Then click on your state
Then click on your county

If your county doesn’t have info, check the nearest county that does.
Most these surveys are “pdf” (that’s the extension) which is a “portable document file” and uses adobe reader to view them.

Dutch

Redbaron · January 27, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blueaussi

How frustrating!

You can't use it unless you add an area of interest, but you can't add an area of interest without some file extension that I don't recognize. It will let you look up all the relevant data for my area, but it won't let me add it to the Area of Interest tab.

It is working for me.

Dutch · January 27, 2015

Thanks Blueaussi, for your comments and sorry to hear about your frustration. Your post was helpful to me. I now know that I should inform folks they will need Adobe reader to open these “pdf”. Many folks probably have Adobe reader already installed on their computers. For those who don’t already have it and are getting an error message like the system doesn’t recognize this file or file extension, they can download the free version from Adobe here; http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html. Choose the free version and then uncheck extra stuff like McAfee.
Thanks again,

Dutch

splash79 · March 3, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blueaussi

How frustrating!

You can't use it unless you add an area of interest, but you can't add an area of interest without some file extension that I don't recognize. It will let you look up all the relevant data for my area, but it won't let me add it to the Area of Interest tab.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch

Thanks Blueaussi, for your comments and sorry to hear about your frustration. Your post was helpful to me. I now know that I should inform folks they will need Adobe reader to open these “pdf”. Many folks probably have Adobe reader already installed on their computers. For those who don’t already have it and are getting an error message like the system doesn’t recognize this file or file extension, they can download the free version from Adobe here; http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html. Choose the free version and then uncheck extra stuff like McAfee.
Thanks again,

Dutch

I realize this thread is a month old, but I just found it and it's fantastic!

Dutch, I suspect that Blueaussi might be talking about something different than what you described (Blueaussi, correct me if I'm wrong).

My particular county has three different listings, data in PDF form from 1910 and 1984, and the most current data, which takes you to a different site (http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/a...oilSurvey.aspx). From there, I had the same issue that Blueaussi described, as the area of interest tab asks you to upload one of three file extensions, so if you don't have the proper file, you can't move on to the "soil map" tab.

That initially threw me off, but I found another way of doing it.

Skip the AOI tab and go down to Quick Navigation and click Soil Survey Area. Locate your state and county, which will let you know what data is available. Select the county, then hit the Set AOI button just below. That will highlight your county and will give you access to the Soil Map section.

While you're still in the "Area of Interest" section, just above the map, there are two icons, kind of in the middle next to "View Extent". You can use those to zoom into a specific section of the map. Then, go to the "Soil Map" section and find the 6 digit number of the section that you're interested in, which should be in orange.

That number will match up with a Map Unit Symbol and Unit Name, which will be located on the left and that will bring up the data.

Not sure if that solves the problem, but maybe it'll help out other people who read the thread.

Dutch · March 4, 2015

Thanks Splash, Excellent work around. This should help others who are having a problem with accessing the newer soil map data. Thanks for taking the time to post this solution.
Thank again.

Dutch

splash79 · March 5, 2015

No problem! I know I always appreciate when people take the time to post tips about how to use certain sites, especially when the sites themselves seem to lack any sort of instructions.

I learned quite a bit by looking up my location. I already knew what type of soil I have, more or less, but what I found very interesting is that my property sits very close to a pretty dramatic change in soil composition. For example, the data for my property states that the depth to the water table is more than 80 inches. The survey for the area starting in my front yard and running at an angle through my neighbor's property states that the depth to the water is 24-36 inches, with bedrock beyond that.

That, among other things, explains quite a bit about certain "quirks" our property has, but wasn't able to really understand until now.

January 27, 2015	#1
Dutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: S.E. Wisconsin Zone 5b Posts: 1,831	USDA Soil Surveys by State then County Below is a link to United States Department of Agriculture soil surveys first by state and by county. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/.../survey/state/ Dutch __________________ "Discretion is the better part of valor" Charles Churchill The intuitive mind is a gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. But we have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. (paraphrased) Albert Einstein I come from a long line of sod busters, spanning back several centuries.

January 27, 2015	#3
Dutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: S.E. Wisconsin Zone 5b Posts: 1,831	Does this work for other? Click on the link in my first post Then click on your state Then click on your county If your county doesn’t have info, check the nearest county that does. Most these surveys are “pdf” (that’s the extension) which is a “portable document file” and uses adobe reader to view them. Dutch __________________ "Discretion is the better part of valor" Charles Churchill The intuitive mind is a gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. But we have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. (paraphrased) Albert Einstein I come from a long line of sod busters, spanning back several centuries. Last edited by Dutch; January 27, 2015 at 02:14 PM. Reason: added info

January 27, 2015	#5
Dutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: S.E. Wisconsin Zone 5b Posts: 1,831	Thanks Blueaussi, for your comments and sorry to hear about your frustration. Your post was helpful to me. I now know that I should inform folks they will need Adobe reader to open these “pdf”. Many folks probably have Adobe reader already installed on their computers. For those who don’t already have it and are getting an error message like the system doesn’t recognize this file or file extension, they can download the free version from Adobe here; http://www.adobe.com/products/reader.html. Choose the free version and then uncheck extra stuff like McAfee. Thanks again, Dutch __________________ "Discretion is the better part of valor" Charles Churchill The intuitive mind is a gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. But we have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. (paraphrased) Albert Einstein I come from a long line of sod busters, spanning back several centuries. Last edited by Dutch; January 27, 2015 at 07:30 PM. Reason: Grammer and detail

March 4, 2015	#7
Dutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: S.E. Wisconsin Zone 5b Posts: 1,831	Thanks Splash, Excellent work around. This should help others who are having a problem with accessing the newer soil map data. Thanks for taking the time to post this solution. Thank again. Dutch __________________ "Discretion is the better part of valor" Charles Churchill The intuitive mind is a gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. But we have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. (paraphrased) Albert Einstein I come from a long line of sod busters, spanning back several centuries.

January 27, 2015	#2
Blueaussi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Zone 8a Posts: 1,205	How frustrating! You can't use it unless you add an area of interest, but you can't add an area of interest without some file extension that I don't recognize. It will let you look up all the relevant data for my area, but it won't let me add it to the Area of Interest tab.

March 5, 2015	#8
splash79 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: mo Posts: 24	No problem! I know I always appreciate when people take the time to post tips about how to use certain sites, especially when the sites themselves seem to lack any sort of instructions. I learned quite a bit by looking up my location. I already knew what type of soil I have, more or less, but what I found very interesting is that my property sits very close to a pretty dramatic change in soil composition. For example, the data for my property states that the depth to the water table is more than 80 inches. The survey for the area starting in my front yard and running at an angle through my neighbor's property states that the depth to the water is 24-36 inches, with bedrock beyond that. That, among other things, explains quite a bit about certain "quirks" our property has, but wasn't able to really understand until now.