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USDA NASS Cropland Data Layers

Note: In Climate Engine we provide the most recent Cropland Data Layer (CDL) image available in the Google Earth Engine collection listed below. Climate Engine combines crop types into broader categories.

Description

The Cropland Data Layer (CDL) is an annual, raster land-cover dataset that maps crop types and other land-cover classes across the United States. Derived primarily from satellite imagery (Landsat and Sentinel-2) and supplemented with farmer-reported survey and administrative data, the CDL provides 30-meter resolution maps identifying major crops (such as corn, soybeans, and wheat), cropland categories (including fallow and double-cropped areas), and selected non-cropland classes like grassland, forest, developed land, and water. The dataset represents the dominant land cover for each growing season, is updated yearly, and is widely used for agricultural monitoring, land-use change analysis, and environmental and climate-related studies, with particularly high classification accuracy for major commodity crops.

Organization

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS)

Website

https://www.nass.usda.gov/Research_and_Science/Cropland/SARS1a.php

Google Earth Engine

USDA/NASS/CDL

Terms of Use

The NASS Cropland Data Layer has no copyright restrictions. The CDL is considered public domain and free to redistribute. However, NASS would appreciate acknowledgment for the usage of our CDL product.

References

Z. Li, R. Mueller, Z. Yang, D. Johnson, & P. Willis (2024), “Cloud-Powered Agricultural Mapping: A Revolution Toward 10m Resolution Cropland Data Layers,” IGARSS 2024.

Note:

  1. Background #000000

  2. Corn [1, 12, 13] #ffd400 (Corn, Sweet Corn, Pop or Ornamental Corn)

  3. Soybeans [5] #267300

  4. Small Grains [21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 39, 205] #a87000 (Barley, durum/spring/winter wheat, other small grains, rye, oats, millet, speltz, buckwheat, triticale)

  5. Cotton [2] #ff2626

  6. Other Row Crops & Oilseeds [3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 14, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 38, 41, 42, 44, 45, 51, 52, 53, 56, 57, 60, 204, 224] #00a9e6 (Rice, sorghum, sunflower, peanuts, tobacco, mint, canola, flaxseed, safflower, rapeseed, mustard, camelina, sugarbeets, dry beans, other crops, sugarcane, chickpeas, lentils, peas, hops, herbs, switchgrass, pistachios, vetch)

  7. Vegetables & Fruits (Annuals)[43, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 54, 55, 206, 207, 208, 209, 213, 214, 216, 219, 221, 222, 223, 227, 229, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250] #ff6666 (potatoes, sweet potatoes, Misc veg & fruits, melons, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, berries, fallow, carrots, asparagus, garlic, cantaloupes, honeydew, broccoli, peppers, greens, strawberries, squash, lettuce, pumpkins, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, radishes, turnips, eggplants, gourds, cranberries)

  8. Pasture / Hay / Grass [36, 37, 58, 59, 61, 176] #e9ffbe (Alfalfa, other hay, clover/wildflowers, sod/grass seed, fallow/idle cropland, grass/pasture)

  9. Natural Forest [63, 141, 142, 143] #95ce93 (Forest, deciduous, evergreen, mixed)

  10. Orchards & Tree Crops (Woody Crops)[66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 75, 76, 77, 210, 211, 212, 215, 217, 218, 220] #e67525 (Cherries, peaches, apples, grapes, Christmas trees, other tree crops, citrus, pecans, almonds, walnuts, pears, prunes, olives, oranges, avocados, pomegranates, nectarines, plums)

  11. Developed / Urban [82, 121, 122, 123, 124] #9c9c9c

  12. Water / Wetlands / Barren / Other[ 64, 65, 81, 83, 87, 88, 92, 111, 112, 131, 152, 190, 195] #ccbfa3 ( barren, clouds/no data, water, wetlands, non-ag, aquaculture, open water, ice/snow, shrubland, woody & herbaceous wetlands)

  13. Grain → Soybeans [26, 254] #737300 (Main crop = grains, second = soybeans) (WinWht / Soybeans, Barley / Soybeans)

  14. Grain → Corn [225, 226, 228, 237] #ae017e (Main crop = grains, second = corn) (WinWht / Corn, Oats / Corn, Triticale / Corn, Barley / Corn)

  15. Grain → Sorghum [234, 235, 236] #a15889 (Durum Wht / Sorghum, Barley / Sorghum, WinWht / Sorghum)

  16. Grain → Cotton [238] #704489 (WinWht / Cotton)

  17. Soybeans → Cotton[239] #ff00ff

  18. Soybeans → Grains [240] #e8beff (Soybeans / Oats)

  19. Corn → Soybeans [241] #e2007f

  20. Vegetable → Grain [230, 233] #000099 (Lettuce / Durum Wheat, Lettuce / Barley)

  21. Vegetable → Vegetable [231] #55ff00 (Lettuce / Cantaloupe)

  22. Vegetable → Cotton [232] #00ffff (Lettuce / Cotton)

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