Perspectives on Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources: The Status of Selected Natural Resources in Missouri

Background

The Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) developed a set of reports entitled Perspectives on Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources which describes various aspects of Missouri's food and agricultural system. The reports are being used to establish research priorities and plans for the MAES. CARES was asked to develop maps which describe natural resource conditions relevant to agricultural production and rural communities in Missouri. These maps were included in one of the reports.

Objective

Assemble data on Missouri's natural resources and develop maps which visually depict these data.

Methods

• Information on natural resources in Missouri was collected from various sources, including the U.S. Geological Survey, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the National Climatic Data Center, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Tabular data, such as the Natural Resource Inventory and daily climate statistics, were processed and linked to spatial layers for mapping.
• A consistent projection, scale and layout were used for each map.

Major Products

Twenty-six 8.5 " x 11 " black and white maps were produced which depict natural resource conditions in Missouri. Maps were developed in both paper and digital formats for precipitation, temperature, hydrology, irrigated acreage, soils and soil properties, geology, land use/land cover, topography, water quality and endangered species.

Publication

Gordon, Daniel R., and J. Bruce Bullock. The Status of Selected Natural Resources in Missouri. Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station Special Report 490, University of Missouri-Columbia, MO, September 1995.

Investigators: Yan Z. Barnett, Steve Vance and Chris Barnett

Funding Amount: $5,800

Funding Source: Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station, MU

Project Duration: January 1995 - May 1995