July 25, 2023 | NASS, USDA | Source
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has introduced Crop Sequence Boundaries (CSB), a geospatial product that provides public access to national-scale visual crop rotation data. Developed by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and Economic Research Service (ERS), CSB uses satellite imagery and public data to offer crop acreage estimates and historical planting decisions across the contiguous United States. This open-source tool benefits farmers by allowing them to analyze historical crop rotations, aiding in farm record-keeping and decision-making. It can also assist new or prospective farmers in selecting crops based on past rotations. Researchers can conduct field-level analyses, studying practices like conservation efforts.
CSB addresses the need for comprehensive field-level data in one accessible location and employs technological advancements in satellite imagery and cloud computing. It supports USDA's Science and Research Strategy by enhancing understanding of crop production and its impacts, particularly in terms of conservation programs. The CSB datasets from 2015 to 2022 are available for download and can be viewed interactively at the state and county levels. This tool contributes to USDA's mission of supporting farmers and ranchers with innovative resources and data-driven insights.
