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Missouri Soil Survey ProgramThe Missouri Cooperative Soil Survey Program continues to be one of the strongest in the country. In April 2002, Missouri celebrated the milestone of completing the initial soils inventory for the entire state of Missouri. The effort resulted in documenting the extent and location of the state’s more than 5,000 soil types. Having an accurate inventory of soil mapping units and their properties is essential for determining the best use of the land. The soil properties determine what crops or trees will grow well, if an area is prone to flooding, if a pond will leak, if a site is suitable for construction, and information about many other land uses. To get this accurate picture of what soils are where, soil scientists have walked most of Missouri’s 44.6 million acres. Along the way they examined the soil and collected samples. The soil scientists described the samples, and sent some of them to the University of Missouri’s Soil Characterization Laboratory and the USDA National Soil Survey Laboratory for further analysis. The information obtained from the fieldwork is made available to the public as soil surveys that are printed, included on compact disks or viewable via the Internet. Missouri soil surveys include maps showing the locations of the soils, data about the physical and chemical properties of those soils, and information about potential uses and problems associated with various uses. That information is now available for every Missouri County in some format. Missouri’s soil survey program is led by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the University of Missouri and local Soil and Water Conservation Districts providing funding, personnel, soil analysis and research. It is a great accomplishment in furthering the protection and wise use of the soil and other natural resources of Missouri; one all Missourians can be proud of. The program was accelerated with the assistance of a 1/10 cent sales tax Missourians voted into being in 1984 and its subsequent renewal. The Parks and Soils State Sales Tax funded the Missouri Department of Natural Resources hiring of soil scientists as well as funding the characterization laboratory on the University of Missouri, Columbia campus. This tax contributed greatly to giving Missouri one of the best soil conservation programs in the nation. The soil survey in Missouri is a perfect example of how much more can be accomplished with a cooperative effort. Without the superb cooperation of local, state and federal entities in Missouri, the initial soil survey would still be a long way from completion. Federal, state and local agencies and organizations are now committed to the next phase, refining the initial soils data and delivering current soils information and interpretations to the citizens of Missouri. Our new short term objectives are to develop one statewide legend, link all common map units, populate our National Soil Information System, digitally redraft soil lines and identify potential problems, and “join” all of our soil lines. Our final short term task will be to develop a long term plan by which we can evaluate all of our existing lab data, evaluate all known deficiencies, establish work planning groups, and identify special projects and studies that are needed; such as water table studies. Our long-term objectives in Missouri are to maintain and update spatial and attribute data by conducting needed data collection activities, to upgrade the entire state database to a common high standard. Menfro - Missouri's State Soil Missouri Major
Land Resource Area Soil Survey Office Locations Missouri Soil Survey Status Map
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