County-level agroforestry reported in the 2017 U.S. Census of Agriculture

Metadata:
Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Kellerman, Todd A.
Publication_Date: 2023
Title:
County-level agroforestry reported in the 2017 U.S. Census of Agriculture
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Fort Collins, CO
Publisher: Forest Service Research Data Archive
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2023-0044
Description:
Abstract:
Agroforestry is the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems. Understanding agroforestry adoption in the United States is critical to serve as a baseline of existing systems and for future planning purposes. Currently there is very little information available, at a national level, that can fill in this critical information gap. No nationwide inventory of agroforestry currently exists. The 2017 Census of Agriculture (COA) from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) was determined to be the most robust dataset to assess which farms are using agroforestry. While the COA does not differentiate the type of agroforestry used (e.g., windbreak, silvopasture, forest farming, alley cropping, riparian forest buffer) it does provide county-level numbers of farms practicing agroforestry. These raw numbers, available from the NASS website in tabular format, can then be joined to county-level datasets to provide thematic maps. This publication contains vector polygon spatial data in multiple formats that include the number of farms reporting agroforestry, the total number of farms, and the percent of farms using agroforestry for each county in the U.S as of 2017.
Purpose:
The raw data were produced by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Survey (NASS) 2017 Census of Agriculture (COA.) The COA is a count of U.S. farms and ranches and looks at land use, ownership, production practices, income, and other characteristics. It is completed every 5 years. The 2017 COA was the first census to ask if a producer practices any of the agroforestry practices. While NASS produces a variety of types of maps and data, there currently existed no maps of agroforestry results from the COA. The purpose of this project was to use the raw census number to create a spatial layer for visualization, mapping, and analysis purposes.
Supplemental_Information:
For more information about these data, see Smith et al. (2022)
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 2017
Currentness_Reference:
Ground condition
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned
Spatial_Domain:
Description_of_Geographic_Extent:
Coverage includes the contiguous United States, Alaska, and Hawaii.
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -179.14734
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -66.26953
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 71.39048
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 18.91078
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: agroforestry
Theme_Keyword: windbreaks
Theme_Keyword: silvopasture
Theme_Keyword: alley cropping
Theme_Keyword: forest farming
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: farming
Theme_Keyword: environment
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Research & Development Taxonomy
Theme_Keyword: Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis
Theme_Keyword: Resource inventory
Theme_Keyword: Natural Resource Management & Use
Theme_Keyword: Agroforestry
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: United States
Place_Keyword: CONUS
Place_Keyword: Alaska
Place_Keyword: Hawaii
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
These data were collected using funding from the U.S. Government and can be used without additional permissions or fees. If you use these data in a publication, presentation, or other research product please use the following citation:

Kellerman, Todd A. 2023. County-level agroforestry reported in the 2017 U.S. Census of Agriculture. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2023-0044
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA National Agroforestry Center
Contact_Person: Todd Kellerman
Contact_Position: GIS Specialist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 1945 N. 38th St.
Address: East Campus UNL
City: Lincoln
State_or_Province: NE
Postal_Code: 68583-0822
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 402-437-5178 ext. 4037
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: todd.kellerman@usda.gov
Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of original publication date. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.
Data_Set_Credit:
These data were funded by the USDA Forest Service, National Agroforestry Center.


Author Information:

Kellerman, Todd A.
USDA Forest Service, National Agroforestry Center
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9537-8492
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service
Publication_Date: 2019
Title:
2017 census of agriculture: United States summary and state data
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Geographic Area Series
Issue_Identification: AC-17-A-51
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Washington, D.C.
Publisher: United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service
Other_Citation_Details:
820 p.
Online_Linkage: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2017/index.php
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Smith, Matthew M.
Originator: Bentrup, Gary
Originator: Kellerman, Todd
Originator: MacFarland, Katherine
Originator: Straight, Richard
Originator: Ameyaw, Lord
Publication_Date: 2022
Title:
Agroforestry Extent in the United States: A Review of National Datasets and Inventory Efforts
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Agriculture
Issue_Identification: 12(5): 726-742
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12050726
Online_Linkage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/64548
Back to Top
Data_Quality_Information:
Attribute_Accuracy:
Attribute_Accuracy_Report:
Attribute values originate from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Survey (NASS) 2017 Census of Agriculture survey using the NASS QuickStats query tool (https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/). The table was visually verified after joining with the spatial county data to match county values with county FIPS.
Logical_Consistency_Report:
The data are logically consistent. The consistency was verified as part of the quality assurance that occurred during data analysis.
Completeness_Report:
There are counties in the data with no reported agroforestry, and these data are recorded as zeros.
Lineage:
Source_Information:
Source_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Survey (NASS)
Publication_Date: 2017
Title:
Quick Stats 2.0
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: database
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Washington, D.C.
Publisher: United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service
Online_Linkage: https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/
Type_of_Source_Media: Online
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 2017
Source_Currentness_Reference:
Ground Condition
Source_Citation_Abbreviation:
USDA-NASS (2017)
Source_Contribution:
Attribute values from the National Agricultural Statistics Survey (NASS) 2017 Census of Agriculture. Survey methods can be found: https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/index.php.
Source_Information:
Source_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Esri
Publication_Date: 2022
Title:
USA counties (generalized)
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Redlands, CA
Publisher: Esri
Other_Citation_Details:
Accessed [September 1, 2022]
Online_Linkage: https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=7566e0221e5646f99ea249a197116605
Type_of_Source_Media: Online
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 2022
Source_Currentness_Reference:
Publication Date
Source_Citation_Abbreviation:
Esri (2022)
Source_Contribution:
United States county boundaries
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
Raw tabular data were downloaded using the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Survey (NASS) QuickStats query tool (USDA-NASS 2017). The query string to determine the number of farms reporting agroforestry was Census>Economics>Farm and Land and Assests>Practices,Alley Cropping & Silvapasture – Number of Operations>Total>County>(Do not select any states to include all)>2017. This value is the Agroforest field in the final dataset.

Tabular data were downloaded as a CSV file and imported into Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Excel for Windows 365.) The table contains ANSI codes for state and county. These values combined into a 5 digit code are identical to FIPS codes. For example, Autauga County (1), AL(1) FIPS is 01001. A new column was created for the FIPS number.

Tabular data were joined to U.S. county layer (Esri 2022) using JOIN TABLES function in ArcGIS Pro. The FIPS column being used as the common field.

The same process was used to obtain and join the farms field (total number of farms in county.) The query string from the NASS QuickStats query tool is: Census>Economics>Farm&Land&Assets>Farm Operations>Operations>Farm Operations—Number of Operations> Total>County>2017.

A new field was added to the layer in ArcGIS Pro for Percent which is the percentage of total farms reporting agroforestry. Field calculator was used: Agroforest/Farms.
Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation:
USDA-NASS (2017); Esri (2022)
Process_Date: Unknown
Back to Top
Spatial_Reference_Information:
Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:
Geographic:
Latitude_Resolution: 0.00000000898315284119521
Longitude_Resolution: 0.00000000898315284119521
Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal Degrees
Geodetic_Model:
Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1983
Ellipsoid_Name: Geodetic Reference System 80
Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.0000
Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.25722210
Back to Top
Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
Overview_Description:
Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
Below you will find a list and description of the files included in this data publication.


VARIABLE DESCRIPTION FILE (1)

1. \Data\_variable_descriptions.csv: Comma-separated values file containing a list and description of variables found in all data files. (A description of these variables is also provided in the metadata below.)

Columns include:

Filename = Name of data file
Variable = Name of variable
Units = Units (if applicable)
Precision = Precision (if applicable)
Description = Description of variable


DATA FILES (3)

Data are provided in multiple formats. Each file contains the number of farms reporting agroforestry, the total number of farms, and the percent of farms using agroforestry for each county in the United States as of 2017.

1. \Data\COA_agroforestry_2017.gdb: Esri geodatabase
2. \Data\COA_agroforestry_2017.gpkg: geopackage
3. \Data\COA_agroforestry_2017.shp: shapefile (and associated files)

Attributes in each file include:

FID = Internal feature number
Shape = Feature geometry
NAME = County name (Source: Esri 2022)
STATE_NAME = State name (Source: Esri 2022)
FIPS = FIPS county code (Source: Esri 2022)
Agroforest = Number of producers reporting agroforestry (Source: USDA-NASS 2017)
Farms = Number of farms (Source: USDA-NASS 2017)
Percent = Percentage of farms reporting agroforestry (Source: USDA-NASS 2017)
Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
Smith, Matthew M.; Bentrup, Gary; Kellerman, Todd; MacFarland, Katherine; Straight, Richard; Ameyaw, Lord. 2022. Agroforestry Extent in the United States: A Review of National Datasets and Inventory Efforts. Agriculture. 12(5): 726-742. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12050726 and https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/64548
Back to Top
Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Research and Development
Contact_Position: Research Data Archivist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 240 West Prospect Road
City: Fort Collins
State_or_Province: CO
Postal_Code: 80526
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: see Contact Instructions
Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of July 2023. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.
Resource_Description: RDS-2023-0044
Distribution_Liability:
Metadata documents have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness. Unless otherwise stated, all data and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. However, neither the author, the Archive, nor any part of the federal government can assure the reliability or suitability of these data for a particular purpose. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed for a user's application of these data or related materials.

The metadata, data, or related materials may be updated without notification. If a user believes errors are present in the metadata, data or related materials, please use the information in (1) Identification Information: Point of Contact, (2) Metadata Reference: Metadata Contact, or (3) Distribution Information: Distributor to notify the author or the Archive of the issues.
Standard_Order_Process:
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: GDB
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Esri file geodatabase
File_Decompression_Technique: Files zipped with 7-Zip 19.0
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2023-0044
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: GPKG
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
OGC Geopackage 1.3
File_Decompression_Technique: Files zipped with 7-Zip 19.0
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2023-0044
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: SHP
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Shapefile (and associated files)
File_Decompression_Technique: Files zipped with 7-Zip 19.0
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2023-0044
Fees: None
Back to Top
Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date: 20230721
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, National Agroforestry Center
Contact_Person: Todd Kellerman
Contact_Position: GIS Specialist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 1945 N. 38th St.
Address: East Campus UNL
City: Lincoln
State_or_Province: NE
Postal_Code: 68583-0822
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 402-437-5178 ext. 4037
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: todd.kellerman@usda.gov
Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of original publication date. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.
Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998
Back to Top
https://www.fs.usda.gov/rds/archive/products/RDS-2023-0044/_metadata_RDS-2023-0044.html