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Ag Data Commons migration begins October 18, 2023

The Ag Data Commons is migrating to a new platform – an institutional portal on Figshare. Starting October 18 the current system will be available for search and download only. Submissions will resume after the launch of our portal on Figshare in November. Stay tuned for details!

Useful to Usable: Developing usable climate science for agriculture

    Useful to Usable (U2U): Transforming Climate Variability and Change Information for Cereal Crop Producers, was a USDA-funded research and extension project designed to improve the resilience and profitability of U.S. farms in the Corn Belt amid a changing climate. Over a six-year period from April 2011 - April 2017, 122 faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students from ten Midwestern universities contributed to this interdisciplinary project. Our team integrated expertise in applied climatology, crop modeling, agronomy, cyber-technology, agricultural economics, sociology, Extension and outreach, communication, and marketing to improve the use and uptake of climate information for agricultural decision making. Together, and with members of the agricultural community, we developed a series of decision support tools, resource materials, and training methods to support data-driven decision making and the adoption of climate-resilient practices.

    NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program - Western Waters

      Noteworthy for its agricultural productivity, ecological diversity, and complexity, the Bay Delta and Columbia River Basin is one of the largest and most complex water delivery systems in the nation. The Sacramento River and San Joaquin River meet in the Delta, which provides water to one of the most significant estuary ecosystems in the United States and provides drinking water to 25 million Californians. The Bay Delta offers habitat to 55 species of fish and 750 species of plants and wildlife. This dataset includes a printer-friendly CCA map and shapefiles for GIS.

      NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program - Prairie Grasslands Region

        One of the most threatened ecosystems in North America, native prairie and grasslands contained within the Prairie Grasslands Region are essential habitat for a number of wild game and threatened species, including the lesser prairie chicken and sage grouse. The region also encompasses the Red River Basin of the North and the Ogallala Aquifer—areas that are facing critical conservation needs on working lands from frequent flooding and ponding (in the north) to prolonged drought and aquifer decline (in the Ogallala). This dataset includes a printer-friendly CCA map and shapefiles for GIS.

        NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program - Longleaf Pine Range

          Longleaf pine forests once encompassed more than 90 million acres of the North American landscape and represented some of the world’s most unique biologically diverse ecosystems. In 2010, approximately three percent, or 3.4 million acres, of longleaf pine forest remained. This dataset includes a printer-friendly CCA map and shapefiles for GIS.

          NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program - Colorado River Basin

            Irrigated agriculture is vitally important to the economy and quality of life in many areas of the Colorado River Basin. It also accounts for a significant share of the basin’s existing water use, shared among 33 million people in the United States plus 3 million in Mexico. Faced with historic drought conditions and water supply pressures, farmers, ranchers, Indian tribes and other water users are in urgent need of accelerated conservation on working agricultural lands. This dataset includes a printer-friendly CCA map and shapefiles for GIS.

            NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program - Mississippi River Basin

              The Mississippi River is North America’s largest river, flowing over 2,300 miles through America’s heartland to the Gulf of Mexico. The watershed not only provides drinking water, food, industry, and recreation for millions of people, it also hosts a globally significant migratory flyway and home for over 325 bird species. This dataset includes a printer-friendly CCA map and shapefiles for GIS.

              NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program - Chesapeake Bay Watershed

                The largest estuary in North America, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed covers 64,000 square miles and includes more than 150 rivers and streams that drain into the Bay. More than 300 species of fish, shellfish and crab species and a wide array of other wildlife call the Bay home. With almost 30 percent of area in agricultural production, the region’s over 83,000 farms generate more than $10 billion annually. This dataset includes a printer-friendly CCA map and shapefiles for GIS.

                Sodium Monitoring Dataset

                  The Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in collaboration with other government agencies has a program to track changes in the sodium content of commercially processed and restaurant foods. Results of these monitoring activities are shared once a year in the [Sodium Monitoring Dataset](https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Sodium/Copy%20of%20SodiumMonitoringDatasetUpdatedJuly2616.xlsx) and [USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference](https://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=8964) and once every two years in the [Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies](https://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=12068).