Major Land Resource Areas Geographic Database for Agricultural Planning

The MLRA Geographic Database supports decisions about regional and national agricultural issues and is used to organize natural resource conservation programs. It was first published in 1965, with the most recent fourth edition published in 2022. The data is maintained by the USDA and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Map and analyze Major Land Resource Areas (MLRA) boundaries to support USDA soil survey office organization.
• Extrapolate agricultural research results across political boundaries using the handbook's defined LRU (Land Resource Unit) and LRR (Land Resource Region) classifications.
• Identify needs for soil research and resource inventories based on the Physiography and Soils Theme data categories.
• Support national geospatial data asset (NGDA) initiatives for the Soils theme, specifically NGDA137.

Strengths

• Published and updated over a long period, with editions in 1965, 1978, 1981, 2006, and 2022, demonstrating historical continuity.
• Maintained by the authoritative U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
• Officially used to organize and operate USDA natural resource conservation programs and soil survey offices.

Limitations

• The specific data structure (e.g., row count, column names, sample data) is not provided in the input, limiting immediate analytical utility.
• Primary file formats are XML and HTML, which may require parsing or conversion for direct use in common geospatial or data analysis tools.
• The description focuses on the handbook's purpose and history rather than the technical specifications of the underlying geographic database.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Collection Method

Prepared for the publication of Agriculture Handbook 296, based on the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS).

Time Range

Handbook first published in 1965, with updates through 2022.

Freshness

Last updated on March 13, 2026.

Geography

National coverage of the United States, as it supports national agricultural issues and programs.