With the click of a few keys, you can access a wealth of information from the USDA NRCS website to provide soil data for most of the United States. The popular Web Soil Survey (WSS) website was recently updated to provide improved access to land use information. According to the website, this “provides access to the largest natural resource information system in the world” and it is the “single authoritative source of soil survey information.” The free and downloadable soil survey maps can be found at
Whether you are planning to purchase land or considering alternative crops, “soil survey data is a critical element in the equation that produces profits while protecting natural resources.”