Soil Survey Programs

Web Soil Survey

Online Web Soil Survey – Official USDA soil information as viewable maps and tables for more than 3200 soil surveys.


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Defining an AOI for Web Soil Survey on a Mobile Device (PDF; 3.51 MB)

Annual Data Refresh

NRCS Improves Soils Data for Growing Customer Base (PDF; 604 KB)
 

Historical Soil Surveys

How to Use a Soil Survey – basic information on utilizing a soil survey.

Listing of Soil Surveys by State – current and out-of-print soil surveys and contact information for requesting a paper or CD copy.

Florida Soil Surveys

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History of Soil Survey

National Cooperative Soil Survey of the United States – David Rice Gardner's thesis from 1957.

Soil Survey: Past, Present, and Future (PDF; 73 KB) – Written in 1999, Richard Arnold (former soil survey director) shares his thoughts about Soil Survey in the United States.

Guy’s War – A website dedicated to Guy D. Smith (former director of the Soil Conservation Service).

Guy Smith Award – Information about the award presented by the International Union of Soil Sciences.

The Hugh Bennett Lectures (PDF; 4.09 MB) – A book of essays based on lectures given in 1958-1959.

Dr. Richard Arnold’s collection of papers (PDF; 841 KB) – Dr. Arnold was the Director of the Soil Science Division from 1980 to 1996.

USDA-SCS Soils Staffs (PDF; 46.1 MB) – Staffing directories from 1953 to 2000.

Soil Science Institute (PDF; 1.88 MB) – A brief history of the training sessions held from 1960 to present.

“PEDS - A Reflective Journal” (PDF; 17.3 MB) – Images and stories from Dr. Richard Arnold, former director of the Soil Survey Division.

A History of SCS Soil Survey Division International Activities and the Soil Management Support Services (PDF; 20 MB) – A presentation given in 2010.

Soil Survey Centennial Celebration (1899-1999)

Celebrating 100 Years — Photos from the Past (PDF; 419 KB)

Centennial Highlights — Papers from the 1998 SWCS Annual Conference (PDF; 527 KB)

Centennial of the Soil Survey Program (PPT; 313 KB)

History of Soil Survey (PPT; 15 MB)

Historical Documents
 

Million-Acre Mappers

A list of soil scientists who have mapped one million acres in their careers.

Program Contact

Kevin Sullivan, state soil scientist, 352-338-9535.