Methodology and disclaimers

How this profile is built

Every number in a report is computed from trusted datasets for the plot or the location and radius you enter. This page defines each metric, the bands used to label it, the limits of the data, and what the report does not cover.

Read this first

This report is built from trusted third-party data. You can check where each figure comes from on our data sources section below. The data is owned by its providers and shown as they publish it, so its accuracy rests with them. The scores and ratings are our own reading of that data, and the reasoning behind them is set out on this page. It does not cover legal title, zoning, water rights or market values, and it does not replace a site visit and lab tests.

This is decision support built on modeled and reanalysis data. It is not legal, financial, agronomic or valuation advice, and it does not replace a site visit, lab soil and water tests, a boundary survey or a title search.

Crop and livestock ranges, and the hazard, disease and profile-card bands, are our own indicative thresholds. They have not yet been reviewed by an agronomist or a livestock specialist, so treat every score and rating as a guide to what to check, not as a finding.

Not covered: Legal title, liens, easements, tenancy and pre-emption rights; Zoning, permitted use and protected-area status; Water rights and irrigation permits; Satellite moisture index and current imagery (not included in this report); Wildfire history (not included in this report); Existing plantings, buildings and infrastructure; Market prices, comparable sales and economics.

Definitions

Metric	Definition
Hardiness zone	USDA-style zone from the 30-year mean of each year's lowest daily minimum temperature (ERA5, 1991–2020). Zone 9a is a mean annual minimum of −6.7 to −3.9 °C. Reanalysis smooths cold pockets, so treat it as a regional value.
Growing degree days (GDD)	Sum of max(0, daily mean − 10 °C) over the warm season (April–October, October–April in the southern hemisphere). The season chart uses the same base 10 °C over the whole year. The original report's figure of about 2,000 matches this base-10 measure.
Winkler class	Regions I to V from base-10 GDD: I up to 1,389; II to 1,667; III to 1,944; IV to 2,222; V above (°C-days).
Huglin index	Sum over April–September (October–March in the south) of ((mean − 10) + (max − 10)) ÷ 2, multiplied by a latitude day-length factor.
Frost-free season	Days between the last spring day and the first autumn day with a minimum below 0 °C, median of 30 years. In the southern hemisphere the year starts in July.
Late-spring frost	Share of years with at least one day at −2 °C or lower after 1 April (1 October in the south).
Winter chill	Hours between 0 and 7.2 °C from 1 November to 31 March (1 May to 30 September in the south), average of 2011–2020.
Leaf wetness (disease pressure proxy)	Hours with relative humidity of 90% or more and temperature from 10 to 30 °C in the warm season, average of 2011–2020. A weather proxy, not observed disease.
Aridity index	Mean annual rain divided by mean annual reference evapotranspiration. Below 0.5 is semi-arid or drier, 0.5 to 0.65 dry sub-humid, above 0.65 humid.
Warm-season water balance	Rain minus evapotranspiration over June–August (December–February in the south).
Contour map	Lines of equal height drawn from the same elevation tiles as the terrain figures (about 15 to 30 m detail), over the plot and what lies about 1 km around it. The interval is chosen from the relief so there are roughly 6 to 14 lines; every fifth line is thicker. Each line is coloured by its height, from blue-green (lowest ground shown) to dark brown (highest). A model of the ground, not a survey.
Shaded relief	Light and shadow computed from the same elevation grid as the contour lines, with the light in the north-west and the vertical scale stretched (up to 8 times) on gentle ground so the shape shows. It makes hills and hollows readable; it is not a measurement.
Downhill arrows	At a regular grid of points, the direction the smoothed ground falls steepest (smoothed over about 5% of the map's width, roughly 100 m). A longer arrow is a steeper slope; none are drawn where the ground falls less than 0.8%. They show the broad fall of the ground, not where water will actually run: ditches, culverts, tillage and soil change that.
Highest and lowest ground on the plot	The highest and lowest elevation cells inside the plot outline, with their heights, from the same elevation tiles. Left out when the plot varies by less than a metre.
Streams, ponds and ditches	USGS National Hydrography Dataset lines and outlines within 1 km of the plot, classed as perennial, intermittent, ephemeral or canal (lines) and lake, reservoir, marsh (outlines). Simplified to a few metres and capped in number so the report stays small. Reports built before the map drew water show the OpenStreetMap river and lake lines of the water section, if it has any.
Land values and rents	Averages from the USDA NASS yearly surveys for the plot's state (farmland value an acre) and county (cash rent an acre), as published. Never multiplied by the plot's area, and never a valuation or an appraisal.
Topsoil figures (SoilGrids)	Sand, silt, clay, pH, organic carbon, CEC and coarse fragments of ISRIC SoilGrids 2.0 at the cell holding the plot's center, weighted over 0 to 30 cm. Read from ISRIC's web service or, when that does not answer, from the same maps in its published files. Where SoilGrids has no values, or could not be read, on a US plot, crop and livestock fit use the USDA survey's pH and sand and say so.

Bands used on the profile card (indicative)

Factor	Bands
Summer heat (hottest-month high)	Cool below 22 °C · Mild 22–27 · Warm 27–32 · Hot above 32
Rain (annual)	Dry below 400 mm · Moderate 400–800 · Ample 800–1,300 · Very wet above (annual average, 1991 to 2020)
Humidity (warm-season mean)	Dry below 55% · Moderate 55–70% · Humid above 70%
Frost-free season	Short below 150 days · Moderate 150–230 · Long above 230
Proximity to water	High: river, canal or lake within 2 km · Medium within 10 km · Low otherwise
Topsoil organic matter	Low below 1% · Moderate 1–2% · Good 2–5% · High above 5%
Sand	Low below 15% · Moderate 15–40% · High above 40%
Soil pH	Acidic below 5.5 · Neutral to 7.3 · Alkaline above
Slope (mean)	Gentle below 5% · Moderate 5–15% · Steep above 15%
Disease pressure (warm-season wetness)	Low below 300 h · Medium below 800 h · High otherwise
Late frost, heat days	Late frost is the share of years with a hard frost (−2 °C or lower) after 1 April, 1991 to 2020: Low below 10% of years, Medium below 30%, High otherwise · Heat days at 35 °C: Low below 5, Medium below 20, High otherwise

How crops are scored

Each crop has four numbers per factor: an ideal range and a wider tolerable range. A land value inside the ideal range scores Good (2), inside the tolerable range Marginal (1), outside it Poor (0). The score is the weighted average, scaled to 100.

Every factor starts with weight 1. Each priority you pick doubles the weight of its factors.
Irrigated multiplies the rainfall weight by 0.3. Organic multiplies the disease weight by 1.5. Protected cropping multiplies the frost and heat weights by 0.4.
A Poor result on a crop's hard-blocker factor caps the score at 40 and is shown as a blocker.
Strong fit is 80 or more, Workable is 60 to 79, Poor is below 60.
Factors with no data (for example if soil data is unavailable) are left out and the confidence drops to low.

Indicative ideal ranges by crop (83 crops)

Crops are built from a few climate archetypes (for example warm-season annual, winter cereal, temperate tree, Mediterranean tree, subtropical tree) with per-crop overrides. Open a category to see every range.

Cereals · 7 crops

Crop	Hardiness	Summer heat	Growing degree days	Frost-free season	Rainfall	Winter chill	Late frost	Extreme-heat days	Disease pressure	Soil pH	Soil sand
Wheat (winter) Blockers: none	3a to 11a	18 °C to 28 °C	900 to 2,200	any	400 mm to 900 mm	300 h or more	up to 30%	up to 6 days	up to 500 h	6 to 7.5	15% to 60%
Barley Blockers: none	3a to 11a	16 °C to 26 °C	900 to 2,200	any	350 mm to 800 mm	200 h or more	up to 30%	up to 6 days	up to 500 h	6 to 7.5	15% to 60%
Oats Blockers: none	3a to 11a	15 °C to 24 °C	900 to 2,200	any	500 mm to 1000 mm	200 h or more	up to 30%	up to 6 days	up to 500 h	5.5 to 7	15% to 60%
Rye Blockers: none	2a to 11a	16 °C to 26 °C	900 to 2,200	any	400 mm to 800 mm	200 h or more	up to 30%	up to 6 days	up to 500 h	5 to 7	25% to 75%
Maize (corn) Blockers: none	3a to 12a	24 °C to 32 °C	1,500 to 3,200	130 days or more	500 mm to 1100 mm	any	up to 25%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Rice Blockers: frostFree	3a to 12a	25 °C to 33 °C	2,000 to 4,000	150 days or more	1000 mm to 2500 mm	any	up to 25%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	5.5 to 7	0% to 40%
Sorghum Blockers: none	3a to 12a	26 °C to 35 °C	1,600 to 3,500	130 days or more	350 mm to 800 mm	any	up to 25%	up to 40 days	up to 450 h	5.5 to 7.8	20% to 65%

Legumes · 6 crops

Crop	Hardiness	Summer heat	Growing degree days	Frost-free season	Rainfall	Winter chill	Late frost	Extreme-heat days	Disease pressure	Soil pH	Soil sand
Soybeans Blockers: none	3a to 12a	22 °C to 30 °C	1,400 to 2,800	130 days or more	500 mm to 1000 mm	any	up to 25%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7	20% to 65%
Chickpeas Blockers: none	3a to 12a	20 °C to 30 °C	900 to 2,200	100 days or more	350 mm to 700 mm	any	up to 25%	up to 10 days	up to 300 h	6 to 8	20% to 65%
Lentils Blockers: none	3a to 12a	17 °C to 27 °C	700 to 1,800	90 days or more	300 mm to 650 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 1 days	up to 300 h	6 to 8	20% to 65%
Field peas Blockers: none	3a to 12a	15 °C to 24 °C	600 to 1,600	90 days or more	400 mm to 800 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 1 days	up to 400 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Faba beans Blockers: none	3a to 12a	15 °C to 25 °C	500 to 1,700	90 days or more	500 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 50%	up to 1 days	up to 400 h	6 to 8	20% to 65%
Common beans Blockers: none	3a to 12a	20 °C to 28 °C	1,300 to 3,000	110 days or more	450 mm to 1000 mm	any	up to 10%	up to 3 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%

Oilseeds and industrial · 7 crops

Crop	Hardiness	Summer heat	Growing degree days	Frost-free season	Rainfall	Winter chill	Late frost	Extreme-heat days	Disease pressure	Soil pH	Soil sand
Sunflower Blockers: none	3a to 12a	22 °C to 32 °C	1,300 to 3,000	130 days or more	400 mm to 800 mm	any	up to 25%	up to 20 days	up to 400 h	6 to 7.8	20% to 65%
Rapeseed (canola) Blockers: none	3a to 11a	16 °C to 25 °C	900 to 2,200	any	500 mm to 900 mm	200 h or more	up to 30%	up to 6 days	up to 500 h	6 to 7.5	15% to 60%
Peanuts Blockers: none	3a to 12a	24 °C to 32 °C	2,000 to 3,600	140 days or more	500 mm to 1100 mm	any	up to 25%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	5.8 to 6.8	40% to 85%
Cotton Blockers: frostFree	3a to 12a	26 °C to 35 °C	2,200 to 4,000	180 days or more	500 mm to 1000 mm	any	up to 25%	up to 50 days	up to 450 h	6 to 8	20% to 65%
Sugar beet Blockers: none	3a to 12a	17 °C to 27 °C	900 to 2,200	150 days or more	500 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 1 days	up to 400 h	6.5 to 7.8	20% to 65%
Hemp Blockers: none	3a to 12a	18 °C to 28 °C	1,000 to 2,400	130 days or more	500 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 25%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.5	20% to 65%
Hops Blockers: none	3a to 8a	18 °C to 26 °C	1,000 to 1,900	140 days or more	600 mm to 1100 mm	500 h or more	up to 20%	up to 3 days	up to 400 h	6 to 7.5	30% to 70%

Vegetables · 23 crops

Crop	Hardiness	Summer heat	Growing degree days	Frost-free season	Rainfall	Winter chill	Late frost	Extreme-heat days	Disease pressure	Soil pH	Soil sand
Tomatoes Blockers: none	3a to 12a	22 °C to 29 °C	1,300 to 3,000	130 days or more	450 mm to 1000 mm	any	up to 25%	up to 10 days	up to 400 h	6 to 6.8	20% to 65%
Potatoes Blockers: none	3a to 12a	16 °C to 25 °C	700 to 1,500	90 days or more	400 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 1 days	up to 350 h	5 to 6.5	30% to 70%
Onions Blockers: none	3a to 12a	18 °C to 28 °C	800 to 2,200	90 days or more	350 mm to 800 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 1 days	up to 350 h	6 to 7.5	30% to 75%
Garlic Blockers: none	3a to 12a	16 °C to 26 °C	500 to 1,700	90 days or more	400 mm to 900 mm	200 h or more	up to 40%	up to 1 days	up to 350 h	6 to 7.5	30% to 75%
Carrots Blockers: none	3a to 12a	16 °C to 26 °C	500 to 1,700	90 days or more	400 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 1 days	up to 400 h	6 to 7	40% to 85%
Lettuce Blockers: none	3a to 12a	14 °C to 22 °C	500 to 1,700	90 days or more	400 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 40%	0 days	up to 350 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Cabbage Blockers: none	3a to 12a	14 °C to 24 °C	500 to 1,700	90 days or more	400 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 1 days	up to 400 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Broccoli Blockers: none	3a to 12a	14 °C to 23 °C	500 to 1,700	90 days or more	400 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 1 days	up to 400 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Cauliflower Blockers: none	3a to 12a	14 °C to 22 °C	500 to 1,700	90 days or more	400 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 1 days	up to 400 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Peppers Blockers: none	3a to 12a	23 °C to 31 °C	1,300 to 3,000	140 days or more	450 mm to 1000 mm	any	up to 10%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7	20% to 65%
Cucumbers Blockers: none	3a to 12a	22 °C to 30 °C	1,300 to 3,000	110 days or more	450 mm to 1000 mm	any	up to 10%	up to 10 days	up to 400 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Zucchini and squash Blockers: none	3a to 12a	21 °C to 30 °C	1,300 to 3,000	130 days or more	450 mm to 1000 mm	any	up to 10%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Eggplant Blockers: none	3a to 12a	24 °C to 32 °C	1,300 to 3,000	150 days or more	450 mm to 1000 mm	any	up to 5%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Spinach Blockers: none	3a to 12a	12 °C to 22 °C	500 to 1,700	90 days or more	400 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 40%	0 days	up to 400 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Peas (garden) Blockers: none	3a to 12a	13 °C to 22 °C	500 to 1,700	90 days or more	400 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 1 days	up to 400 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Green beans Blockers: none	3a to 12a	20 °C to 28 °C	1,300 to 3,000	130 days or more	450 mm to 1000 mm	any	up to 10%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Sweet corn Blockers: none	3a to 12a	23 °C to 31 °C	1,300 to 3,000	130 days or more	450 mm to 1000 mm	any	up to 25%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Pumpkins Blockers: none	3a to 12a	21 °C to 30 °C	1,300 to 3,000	120 days or more	450 mm to 1000 mm	any	up to 25%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Asparagus Blockers: none	3a to 9a	20 °C to 30 °C	900 to 2,400	any	400 mm to 900 mm	300 h or more	up to 30%	up to 1 days	up to 400 h	6.5 to 7.5	40% to 80%
Artichokes Blockers: none	7b to 10a	20 °C to 30 °C	1,300 to 3,000	200 days or more	400 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 10%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	6.5 to 7.8	20% to 65%
Beetroot Blockers: none	3a to 12a	15 °C to 25 °C	500 to 1,700	90 days or more	400 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 1 days	up to 400 h	6.2 to 7.5	20% to 65%
Sweet potatoes Blockers: none	3a to 12a	24 °C to 32 °C	2,000 to 4,000	140 days or more	450 mm to 1000 mm	any	up to 5%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	5.5 to 6.8	40% to 85%
Melons Blockers: none	3a to 12a	25 °C to 33 °C	1,800 to 3,500	120 days or more	450 mm to 1000 mm	any	up to 25%	up to 10 days	up to 350 h	6 to 7.2	40% to 80%

Tree fruit · 11 crops

Crop	Hardiness	Summer heat	Growing degree days	Frost-free season	Rainfall	Winter chill	Late frost	Extreme-heat days	Disease pressure	Soil pH	Soil sand
Apples Blockers: hz	4a to 8b	19 °C to 28 °C	1,100 to 2,100	150 days or more	550 mm to 1200 mm	900 h to 2,000 h	up to 10%	up to 4 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	15% to 60%
Pears Blockers: hz	4a to 8b	19 °C to 28 °C	1,100 to 2,100	150 days or more	550 mm to 1200 mm	700 h to 1,800 h	up to 10%	up to 4 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	15% to 60%
Cherries Blockers: lateFrost	5a to 8b	20 °C to 29 °C	1,100 to 2,100	150 days or more	550 mm to 1200 mm	900 h to 1,600 h	up to 5%	up to 3 days	up to 400 h	6 to 7.2	15% to 60%
Peaches and nectarines Blockers: lateFrost	5b to 9a	22 °C to 32 °C	1,400 to 2,600	150 days or more	550 mm to 1200 mm	500 h to 1,200 h	up to 5%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	15% to 60%
Plums Blockers: none	4a to 9a	19 °C to 28 °C	1,100 to 2,100	150 days or more	550 mm to 1200 mm	700 h to 1,500 h	up to 8%	up to 4 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	15% to 60%
Apricots Blockers: lateFrost	5b to 9a	22 °C to 32 °C	1,400 to 2,600	150 days or more	550 mm to 1200 mm	500 h to 1,200 h	up to 3%	up to 4 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	15% to 60%
Olives Blockers: hz	8a to 10b	26 °C to 36 °C	1,800 to 3,200	220 days or more	400 mm to 900 mm	200 h or more	up to 5%	up to 40 days	up to 400 h	6.5 to 8.5	15% to 60%
Figs Blockers: none	7b to 10b	25 °C to 35 °C	1,800 to 3,300	220 days or more	300 mm to 900 mm	100 h or more	up to 10%	up to 50 days	up to 400 h	6.3 to 8.3	15% to 60%
Pomegranates Blockers: none	8a to 10b	27 °C to 38 °C	2,000 to 3,600	220 days or more	300 mm to 900 mm	200 h or more	up to 5%	up to 50 days	up to 400 h	6.3 to 8.3	15% to 60%
Persimmons Blockers: none	7a to 10a	24 °C to 33 °C	1,800 to 3,200	150 days or more	550 mm to 1200 mm	100 h to 800 h	up to 10%	up to 10 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	15% to 60%
Kiwifruit Blockers: lateFrost	7b to 9b	22 °C to 30 °C	1,600 to 2,800	150 days or more	800 mm to 1500 mm	600 h to 1,200 h	up to 3%	up to 5 days	up to 450 h	5.5 to 6.8	30% to 70%

Berries · 5 crops

Crop	Hardiness	Summer heat	Growing degree days	Frost-free season	Rainfall	Winter chill	Late frost	Extreme-heat days	Disease pressure	Soil pH	Soil sand
Blueberries Blockers: ph, hz	4a to 7b	18 °C to 26 °C	900 to 1,900	130 days or more	700 mm to 1400 mm	500 h to 1,600 h	up to 10%	up to 2 days	up to 400 h	4.5 to 5.5	30% to 70%
Strawberries Blockers: none	4a to 10a	18 °C to 26 °C	900 to 1,900	130 days or more	600 mm to 1200 mm	200 h or more	up to 10%	up to 3 days	up to 400 h	5.8 to 6.8	30% to 70%
Raspberries Blockers: none	3a to 8a	17 °C to 26 °C	900 to 1,900	130 days or more	600 mm to 1200 mm	800 h or more	up to 10%	up to 3 days	up to 400 h	5.8 to 6.8	25% to 65%
Blackberries Blockers: none	5a to 9a	19 °C to 28 °C	900 to 1,900	130 days or more	600 mm to 1200 mm	300 h or more	up to 10%	up to 3 days	up to 400 h	5.5 to 7	25% to 65%
Currants Blockers: none	3a to 7a	16 °C to 24 °C	900 to 1,900	130 days or more	600 mm to 1200 mm	1,000 h or more	up to 10%	up to 3 days	up to 400 h	6 to 7.5	20% to 60%

Vines · 2 crops

Crop	Hardiness	Summer heat	Growing degree days	Frost-free season	Rainfall	Winter chill	Late frost	Extreme-heat days	Disease pressure	Soil pH	Soil sand
Wine grapes Blockers: hz	6a to 10b	24 °C to 32 °C	1,400 to 2,400	180 days or more	400 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 10%	up to 10 days	up to 500 h	6 to 8	10% to 60%
Table grapes Blockers: hz	7a to 10b	25 °C to 34 °C	1,700 to 3,000	180 days or more	400 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 10%	up to 10 days	up to 400 h	6 to 8	10% to 60%

Citrus · 4 crops

Crop	Hardiness	Summer heat	Growing degree days	Frost-free season	Rainfall	Winter chill	Late frost	Extreme-heat days	Disease pressure	Soil pH	Soil sand
Lemons Blockers: hz, frostFree, lateFrost	9b to 12a	24 °C to 34 °C	2,500 to 4,500	330 days or more	700 mm to 1600 mm	any	0%	up to 15 days	up to 500 h	5.5 to 7.2	25% to 70%
Oranges Blockers: hz, frostFree, lateFrost	9b to 12a	24 °C to 35 °C	2,500 to 4,500	330 days or more	700 mm to 1600 mm	any	0%	up to 15 days	up to 500 h	5.5 to 7.2	25% to 70%
Mandarins Blockers: frostFree, lateFrost	9a to 12a	24 °C to 34 °C	2,500 to 4,500	300 days or more	700 mm to 1600 mm	any	0%	up to 15 days	up to 500 h	5.5 to 7.2	25% to 70%
Grapefruit Blockers: hz, frostFree, lateFrost	9b to 12a	26 °C to 36 °C	3,000 to 5,500	330 days or more	700 mm to 1600 mm	any	0%	up to 15 days	up to 500 h	5.5 to 7.2	25% to 70%

Tropical fruit · 3 crops

Crop	Hardiness	Summer heat	Growing degree days	Frost-free season	Rainfall	Winter chill	Late frost	Extreme-heat days	Disease pressure	Soil pH	Soil sand
Avocado Blockers: hz, frostFree, lateFrost	10a to 12a	22 °C to 30 °C	2,500 to 4,500	330 days or more	800 mm to 1800 mm	any	0%	up to 5 days	up to 500 h	5.5 to 7	25% to 70%
Mango Blockers: hz, frostFree	10b to 13a	27 °C to 35 °C	4,000 to 7,500	frost-free or more	750 mm to 2500 mm	any	0%	up to 10 days	up to 600 h	5.5 to 7	25% to 70%
Bananas Blockers: hz, frostFree	10b to 13a	26 °C to 32 °C	4,500 to 8,000	frost-free or more	1200 mm to 3000 mm	any	0%	up to 3 days	up to 600 h	5.5 to 7	25% to 70%

Nuts · 6 crops

Crop	Hardiness	Summer heat	Growing degree days	Frost-free season	Rainfall	Winter chill	Late frost	Extreme-heat days	Disease pressure	Soil pH	Soil sand
Almonds Blockers: lateFrost	7b to 10a	27 °C to 38 °C	1,800 to 3,200	200 days or more	300 mm to 800 mm	200 h or more	up to 3%	up to 70 days	up to 350 h	6 to 8	25% to 65%
Walnuts Blockers: none	4b to 8b	21 °C to 31 °C	1,400 to 2,600	150 days or more	550 mm to 1200 mm	700 h to 1,500 h	up to 8%	up to 8 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 55%
Hazelnuts Blockers: none	4a to 8b	18 °C to 27 °C	1,100 to 2,200	150 days or more	550 mm to 1200 mm	800 h to 1,600 h	up to 15%	up to 3 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	15% to 60%
Pistachios Blockers: none	7b to 10a	30 °C to 40 °C	2,500 to 4,200	220 days or more	200 mm to 600 mm	800 h to 1,500 h	up to 5%	10 days to 90 days	up to 300 h	6.5 to 8.3	30% to 70%
Chestnuts Blockers: none	5a to 9a	21 °C to 30 °C	1,400 to 2,500	150 days or more	700 mm to 1400 mm	400 h to 1,500 h	up to 10%	up to 4 days	up to 450 h	5 to 6.5	30% to 75%
Pecans Blockers: none	6b to 9b	27 °C to 36 °C	2,200 to 3,800	200 days or more	700 mm to 1400 mm	500 h to 1,100 h	up to 5%	up to 30 days	up to 450 h	6 to 7.2	15% to 60%

Herbs and spices · 6 crops

Crop	Hardiness	Summer heat	Growing degree days	Frost-free season	Rainfall	Winter chill	Late frost	Extreme-heat days	Disease pressure	Soil pH	Soil sand
Lavender Blockers: none	5b to 10a	22 °C to 34 °C	1,200 to 2,800	150 days or more	300 mm to 800 mm	any	up to 15%	up to 30 days	up to 350 h	6.3 to 8	30% to 80%
Basil Blockers: none	3a to 12a	22 °C to 30 °C	1,300 to 3,000	130 days or more	450 mm to 1000 mm	any	up to 10%	up to 10 days	up to 350 h	6 to 7.2	20% to 65%
Rosemary Blockers: none	7b to 10b	22 °C to 34 °C	1,200 to 2,800	150 days or more	300 mm to 800 mm	any	up to 15%	up to 30 days	up to 300 h	6.3 to 8	30% to 80%
Thyme Blockers: none	5a to 10a	22 °C to 34 °C	1,200 to 2,800	150 days or more	300 mm to 800 mm	any	up to 15%	up to 30 days	up to 350 h	6.3 to 8	30% to 80%
Mint Blockers: none	3a to 10a	18 °C to 28 °C	500 to 1,700	90 days or more	600 mm to 1200 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 1 days	up to 500 h	6 to 7.5	20% to 65%
Saffron Blockers: none	5a to 9b	22 °C to 34 °C	1,200 to 2,800	150 days or more	300 mm to 700 mm	200 h or more	up to 20%	up to 30 days	up to 350 h	6.3 to 8	30% to 80%

Fodder and pasture · 3 crops

Crop	Hardiness	Summer heat	Growing degree days	Frost-free season	Rainfall	Winter chill	Late frost	Extreme-heat days	Disease pressure	Soil pH	Soil sand
Alfalfa (lucerne) Blockers: none	3a to 11a	20 °C to 32 °C	800 to 2,800	any	450 mm to 900 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 10 days	up to 600 h	6.5 to 7.8	20% to 70%
Clover pasture Blockers: none	3a to 11a	16 °C to 26 °C	800 to 2,800	any	600 mm to 1200 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 10 days	up to 600 h	5.8 to 7	15% to 60%
Ryegrass pasture Blockers: none	3a to 11a	14 °C to 24 °C	800 to 2,800	any	700 mm to 1400 mm	any	up to 40%	up to 2 days	up to 600 h	5.8 to 7	15% to 60%

How livestock are scored (indicative)

Thirteen animal types (beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry) are scored on twelve factors, with the same ideal and tolerable ranges idea as crops. The score is the weighted share of factors inside the ranges. Heat stress and water access weigh most. Severe heat stress caps the score at 40 for heat-sensitive types. These ranges are indicative and have not yet been reviewed by a livestock specialist. The pasture outlook is a separate 0 to 100 indicator (water for grass 45%, season length 25%, heat 15%, soil pH 15%) mapped to a rough hectares-per-cow band. For sheep and goats the band is scaled (about 5 sheep or 6 goats to a cow); for pigs and poultry no per-acre figure is given, because their numbers depend on housing, rotation and feed. It is not a stocking-rate calculation.

Factor (ideal · tolerable)	Beef cattle, temperate breeds	Beef cattle, heat-tolerant breeds	Dairy cattle, Holstein-type	Dairy cattle, heat-adapted or crossbred	Sheep, wool and lamb breeds	Sheep, hair breeds (heat-tolerant)	Meat goats	Dairy goats	Pigs, outdoor or pasture-raised	Laying hens, free-range	Meat chickens, pasture-raised	Turkeys	Ducks and geese
Summer heat-stress index (THI)	up to 74 up to 82	up to 80 up to 88	up to 68 up to 76	up to 72 up to 80	up to 74 up to 82	up to 80 up to 88	up to 80 up to 88	up to 74 up to 82	up to 72 up to 79	up to 72 up to 80	up to 70 up to 78	up to 72 up to 80	up to 74 up to 82
Days at or above 35 °C per year	up to 10 days up to 35 days	up to 50 days up to 100 days	up to 3 days up to 15 days	up to 10 days up to 30 days	up to 15 days up to 40 days	up to 50 days up to 100 days	up to 50 days up to 100 days	up to 15 days up to 40 days	up to 5 days up to 20 days	up to 5 days up to 20 days	up to 3 days up to 15 days	up to 8 days up to 25 days	up to 10 days up to 30 days
Distance to mapped water	up to 2 km up to 10 km	up to 2 km up to 10 km	up to 1 km up to 5 km	up to 1 km up to 5 km	up to 3 km up to 12 km	up to 3 km up to 12 km	up to 3 km up to 12 km	up to 1 km up to 5 km	up to 5 km up to 20 km	up to 5 km up to 20 km	up to 5 km up to 20 km	up to 5 km up to 20 km	up to 2 km up to 10 km
Annual rainfall	700 mm to 1600 mm 450 mm to 2500 mm	500 mm to 1800 mm 350 mm to 2500 mm	800 mm to 1800 mm 600 mm to 2500 mm	700 mm to 1800 mm 500 mm to 2500 mm	450 mm to 1400 mm 300 mm to 2200 mm	500 mm to 2000 mm 350 mm to 2800 mm	400 mm to 1800 mm 250 mm to 2500 mm	600 mm to 1800 mm 400 mm to 2500 mm	500 mm to 1800 mm 350 mm to 2500 mm	400 mm to 1800 mm 300 mm to 2500 mm	400 mm to 1500 mm 300 mm to 2200 mm	400 mm to 1500 mm 300 mm to 2200 mm	500 mm to 2000 mm 350 mm to 3000 mm
Aridity index (rain ÷ water lost)	0.65 or more 0.45 or more	0.5 or more 0.3 or more	0.75 or more 0.55 or more	0.65 or more 0.45 or more	0.5 or more 0.3 or more	0.4 or more 0.25 or more	0.35 or more 0.2 or more	0.55 or more 0.4 or more	0.5 or more 0.35 or more	0.4 or more 0.25 or more	0.4 or more 0.3 or more	0.4 or more 0.3 or more	0.5 or more 0.35 or more
Frost-free season (days)	200 days or more 120 days or more	230 days or more 150 days or more	200 days or more 120 days or more	210 days or more 130 days or more	150 days or more 90 days or more	200 days or more 140 days or more	180 days or more 110 days or more	180 days or more 110 days or more	150 days or more 90 days or more	120 days or more 60 days or more	150 days or more 100 days or more	150 days or more 100 days or more	120 days or more 60 days or more
Hardiness zone (winter cold)	3a to 9b 2a to 10b	7a or more 6a or more	4a to 9b 3a to 10b	5a or more 4a or more	3a to 9b 2a to 10b	6a or more 5a or more	5a or more 4a or more	3a to 9b 2a to 10b	4a to 9b 3a to 10b	3a to 10a 2a to 11a	4a to 10a 3a to 11a	3a to 10a 2a to 11a	3a to 10a 2a to 11a
Growing degree days (pasture heat)	1,200 to 3,500 700 to 4,500	1,500 to 5,000 900 to 6,000	1,200 to 3,200 800 to 4,200	1,300 to 4,000 800 to 5,000	1,000 to 3,500 600 to 4,500	1,400 to 5,500 900 to 6,500	1,200 to 5,500 800 to 6,500	1,100 to 3,800 700 to 4,800	1,000 to 4,000 600 to 5,000	800 to 4,500 500 to 5,500	1,000 to 4,000 700 to 5,000	1,000 to 4,200 600 to 5,200	800 to 4,200 500 to 5,200
Topsoil pH	5.8 to 7.2 5.3 to 8	5.5 to 7.5 5 to 8.2	5.8 to 7.2 5.3 to 8	5.8 to 7.2 5.3 to 8	5.5 to 7.5 5 to 8.2	5.5 to 7.5 5 to 8.2	5.5 to 8 5 to 8.5	5.8 to 7.5 5.3 to 8.2	5.5 to 7.5 5 to 8.2	5.5 to 8 5 to 8.5	5.5 to 8 5 to 8.5	5.5 to 8 5 to 8.5	5.5 to 8 5 to 8.5
Topsoil sand content	15% to 55% 5% to 75%	10% to 65% 5% to 80%	15% to 50% 5% to 70%	15% to 55% 5% to 75%	15% to 65% 5% to 80%	10% to 70% 5% to 85%	10% to 75% 5% to 90%	15% to 65% 5% to 80%	15% to 70% 5% to 85%	20% to 70% 10% to 85%	20% to 70% 10% to 85%	20% to 70% 10% to 85%	10% to 60% 5% to 80%
Mean slope	up to 10% up to 25%	up to 12% up to 25%	up to 8% up to 15%	up to 8% up to 15%	up to 15% up to 30%	up to 15% up to 30%	up to 25% up to 40%	up to 15% up to 30%	up to 8% up to 15%	up to 12% up to 25%	up to 10% up to 20%	up to 12% up to 25%	up to 10% up to 20%
Leaf-wetness hours (warm season)	up to 300 h up to 800 h	up to 400 h up to 900 h	up to 250 h up to 600 h	up to 300 h up to 700 h	up to 250 h up to 600 h	up to 350 h up to 800 h	up to 300 h up to 700 h	up to 250 h up to 600 h	up to 300 h up to 700 h	up to 300 h up to 700 h	up to 250 h up to 600 h	up to 250 h up to 600 h	up to 600 h up to 1200 h

Data sources: why each can be trusted

Every number in a report comes from one of these sources. AgLand Profile is independent and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, any government agency or data provider named here; we use their published public data. The label shows who stands behind it. Government, space-agency and EU-program sources are run by public organizations with published methods. Foundation and cartographic-society sources are open and checkable but vary in coverage.

ERA5 climate reanalysis

Intergovernmental/EU program

ECMWF for the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service; Open-Meteo redistributes it

Used for: Temperature, rain, humidity, cloud, evapotranspiration, hardiness, growing degree days, frost, chill and leaf-wetness hours, the year-by-year record, wind speed, direction and gusts, soil moisture, and the disease screening.

Why it is reliable: ERA5 is produced by ECMWF, an independent intergovernmental weather organization, for the European Union's Copernicus programme. It blends decades of real observations (weather stations, satellites, balloons, aircraft) with a physical weather model, and it is one of the most widely used climate datasets in research and by national weather services. Open-Meteo is an independent open-source service that delivers the data through a simple interface without changing the values.

Where it falls short: A 0.25° grid cell (about 25 km) smooths local extremes and cold-air pockets. These are modeled values, not readings from a station on your land.

License: CC BY 4.0 (Copernicus) · Source website

SoilGrids 2.0

Globally recognized scientific organization

ISRIC – World Soil Information

Used for: Topsoil sand, silt, clay, pH, organic carbon, cation exchange capacity and coarse fragments, read from ISRIC's web service or, when that is down, from the same maps in its published files.

Why it is reliable: ISRIC is an independent foundation in the Netherlands with a long-standing mandate for soil information and is a recognized data center for the international soil community. SoilGrids is described in a peer-reviewed scientific paper and is widely used in agricultural and environmental research.

Where it falls short: These are machine-learning predictions from soil profile records and satellite data at 250 m, with real uncertainty, and they are the weakest where soil samples are sparse. Only one cell is read per report. A lab test is the real answer.

License: CC BY 4.0 · Source website

USDA soil survey (SSURGO)

Government agency

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Used for: For sites in the United States: the soil map unit at the site and across the area, its main soils, topsoil texture, pH, organic matter and CEC, drainage, land capability class and subclass, farmland class, flooding, water storage and depth to bedrock, plus USDA's National Commodity Crop Productivity Index (NCCPI) with its corn, soybean, cotton and small-grain sub-ratings.

Why it is reliable: SSURGO is the official US soil survey. Soil scientists walked the land, dug and described soil profiles, and drew the boundaries between soils, and NRCS publishes the results. It is the standard reference for US farm programs and land-use planning.

Where it falls short: Each value is an average for a mapped area that usually holds several soils, plus small patches of others, so it is not a measurement at your exact spot. Survey age and detail differ by county, and some areas (built-up land, water, some public land) are only roughly described. The NCCPI rates cropland productivity only, so range, forest and wetland soils often have no rating or a very low one; the report counts a missing rating as missing, never as zero. It covers the United States only.

License: Public domain (US government data) · Source website

NAIP aerial photography

Government agency

USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), served by the USGS National Map

Used for: For sites in the United States: the aerial photograph of your plot and its surroundings, with the plot outline drawn over it.

Why it is reliable: NAIP is flown by the US government every two to three years in the growing season, for farm programs, and the photographs are published free of copyright. The report shows a real photograph, not a drawn map, so you can see fields, buildings, trees and water for yourself.

Where it falls short: It is a picture from one day, taken in summer, and the date differs by county (the report shows it). It does not show what is there today, such as new buildings, this year's crops or recent flooding. Some places have no photograph in this service (Alaska, Hawaii and the territories, for example), and a photograph is not a survey: edges and boundaries are not exact.

License: Public domain (US government imagery) · Source website

AWS Terrain Tiles (Terrarium)

Government agency

Elevation data compiled by NASA (SRTM) and the U.S. Geological Survey (3DEP), with national mapping agencies outside the US; tiles assembled by Mapzen and hosted in the AWS Open Data program

Used for: Elevation, slope, slope direction and the elevation and slope map layers.

Why it is reliable: The heights come from public elevation models produced by space and mapping agencies, such as NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and the U.S. Geological Survey, blended with national datasets. The tiles are published in the AWS Open Data registry so anyone can check them.

Where it falls short: Roughly 15 to 30 m detail. Trees and buildings can affect heights, and different source models are blended, so small terraces and ditches are not resolved.

License: Public domain in the United States (USGS 3DEP and NASA SRTM, courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey). Outside the US, each national source model has its own attribution terms. · Source website

ESA WorldCover 2021

Space agency

European Space Agency and a consortium of research partners

Used for: Land-cover shares (cropland, forest, built-up, water) and the land-cover map layer.

Why it is reliable: WorldCover is a global 10 m map made by the European Space Agency from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite images. ESA publishes an independent validation report with its accuracy figures, and the product is used by governments and researchers.

Where it falls short: Accuracy is good but not perfect (ESA reports roughly three quarters of pixels correct overall, and cropland is harder to map than forest or water). It shows land use in 2021, not the crop that grows there.

License: CC BY 4.0 · Source website

OpenStreetMap (Overpass and Nominatim)

Foundation

OpenStreetMap contributors, supported by the OpenStreetMap Foundation

Used for: Place names and address search, rivers, canals, lakes and reservoirs, and the base map.

Why it is reliable: OpenStreetMap is a global map maintained by millions of contributors and used by governments, humanitarian agencies and large companies. Where mapping is dense (Europe, North America) rivers and lakes are usually well covered, and every edit is public and can be checked.

Where it falls short: Community mapped, so coverage varies by region. Small streams and seasonal water can be missing or out of date.

License: ODbL. Attribution to OpenStreetMap contributors is required. · Source website

Natural Earth 1:50m coastline

Cartographic society (NACIS)

Natural Earth, a public-domain map dataset supported by the cartographic community (NACIS)

Used for: Distance to the sea, and the outline of the United States and its territories that decides whether a place gets the US sections.

Why it is reliable: Natural Earth is a long-running, carefully edited public-domain map dataset used in atlases and GIS teaching worldwide.

Where it falls short: A generalized coastline at 1:50 million scale, so distances are accurate to a few kilometers.

License: Public domain · Source website

FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer

Government agency

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Used for: For sites in the United States: which FEMA flood zones your plot falls in and what share of it each covers, the map panel and the date the map took effect.

Why it is reliable: These are the official flood maps behind the National Flood Insurance Program. Lenders and insurers use the same zones to decide whether flood insurance is required, so they carry weight a computer model cannot.

Where it falls short: Flood maps are made for insurance, not as a forecast. They can be out of date (the report shows the effective date) and many rural areas have no digital map at all, which the report says plainly. Zone X means outside the mapped 100-year floodplain, not no risk. The share of your plot in each zone is measured on a grid of points, so it is accurate to a few percent. Smaller streams, drainage and local flooding are often not mapped.

License: Public domain (US government data) · Source website

National Wetlands Inventory

Government agency

US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Used for: For sites in the United States: the wetlands and open water mapped on your plot (marsh, swamp, farmed wetland, ponds, lakes, streams), the share of your plot each covers, the nearest mapped wetland when none is on the plot, and the year of the photographs the map was drawn from.

Why it is reliable: The NWI is the federal government's national wetland map, made by trained photo interpreters from aerial photographs. Planners, the Army Corps of Engineers and conservation agencies use it as the starting point for wetland questions.

Where it falls short: It is a map made from photographs that are often decades old (the report shows the year), not a legal wetland delineation. Wetlands may have been drained, built on or newly formed since, small or seasonal ones are often missed, and a place with none mapped can still have wetland. Only the Army Corps of Engineers (and, for farm programs, NRCS) can say officially whether land is a regulated wetland.

License: Public domain (US government data) · Source website

PAD-US protected areas database

Government agency

US Geological Survey (USGS), Gap Analysis Project

Used for: For sites in the United States: the public and protected land that lies on your plot or within 3 km of it (parks, forests, refuges, wilderness, conservation easements), who manages it, whether the public may enter, and how strongly it is protected.

Why it is reliable: PAD-US is the official national inventory of public parks and other protected open space, maintained by the USGS from the records of federal, state and local agencies and conservation groups.

Where it falls short: It is a compiled inventory, not a survey. Boundaries come from many different agencies and are usually good to tens of metres, not exact. Some land (small local parks, some state trust land, some private conservation land) is missing or out of date, so an empty list does not mean there is none. "Open access" is a general designation: it does not mean you may cross neighboring private land to reach it, and it does not show roads or rights of way. It does not show private parcels, so it cannot tell you who owns your plot.

License: Public domain (US government data) · Source website

Cropland Data Layer (USDA image service)

Government agency

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)

Used for: For sites in the lower 48 states: what crop each year's map shows on your plot and on the land within 1 km of it, for the last five years, read from USDA's own image service.

Why it is reliable: The CDL is NASS's annual crop map of the country, made from satellite images and checked against Farm Service Agency crop reports. It is the standard public record of what has been grown where.

Where it falls short: It is a classification of satellite images at 30 m (10 m from 2024), not a record of what a farmer planted. It is strong for the large crops (corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton) and weaker for hay, pasture and small plantings, and a field edge can fall within a cell of the wrong class. The newest year is released about a year behind. It does not cover Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico.

License: Public domain (US government data) · Source website

CropScape

University research center

Center for Spatial Information Science and Systems, George Mason University, for USDA NASS

Used for: A second reading of the same Cropland Data Layer, for the plot's bounding rectangle, set against USDA's image service. It also fills in a year if USDA's service does not answer.

Why it is reliable: CropScape is the long-standing public web service for the CDL, built by George Mason University for NASS. Two services over the same data catch a service that is down or a reading that went wrong.

Where it falls short: It can only read a rectangle, not the plot's outline, so its figures include neighboring land. It is run by a university research center with no published uptime promise, and is sometimes slow or down; when it does not answer, the report says the check was not made.

License: Public domain (US government data) · Source website

USFWS critical habitat

Government agency

US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Used for: For sites in the United States: whether the plot lies inside, or within 5 km of, habitat that USFWS has designated or proposed as critical habitat for a species listed under the Endangered Species Act, with the species, its listing status and the year of the designation.

Why it is reliable: Critical habitat is the official map of the areas the federal government has found essential to a listed species' recovery. It matters for federal permits, funding and Army Corps wetland approvals.

Where it falls short: A designation limits federal actions, not private land use as such, and it says nothing about whether the species is actually on a given plot: a plot outside any critical habitat can still hold a protected species, and a plot inside may not. Boundaries are generalized for reading, designations change, and stream or river habitat may be drawn as narrow strips. For any building, drainage or permitting question, ask the USFWS field office for the state.

License: Public domain (US government data) · Source website

GBIF species records

Intergovernmental/EU program

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

Used for: The number of bird and mammal species reported near the plot in the last 10 years, the most-reported species, and the datasets the records come from, counting only records licensed CC0 or CC BY.

Why it is reliable: GBIF is the international open archive of species sightings and specimen records. It pools observations from naturalists, eBird and museums, and lets anyone see what has been reported where.

Where it falls short: It shows where people have looked and reported, not what lives there: a rarely visited place looks empty, and a popular spot looks rich. Most bird records come from eBird, which is far thinner for mammals. Records licensed for non-commercial use only, or with no license stated, are left out and their number is shown, so the counts are lower than everything reported. It does not show hunting quality, game numbers or the absence of any species.

License: CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records only (credit the contributing datasets) · Source website

EPA Facility Registry Service

Government agency

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Used for: Superfund (National Priorities List) sites, brownfield sites and toxic-release facilities near the plot, with the distance and direction of each.

Why it is reliable: EPA keeps the national register of regulated and cleanup sites, and the Superfund list is the federal government's own list of the most serious contaminated sites. The records are public and tied to each site's EPA page.

Where it falls short: It lists registered sites only. Contamination that was never reported, small spills, old dumps, fuel tanks and farm chemical storage are not in it, so none mapped does not mean none exists. Points are a site's reference location and can be off by some distance.

License: Public domain (US government data) · Source website

US Wind Turbine Database

Government agency

US Geological Survey with the Department of Energy and the American Clean Power Association

Used for: Wind turbines near the plot, grouped by wind project, with the number of turbines, the year built and the height.

Why it is reliable: The database is built by the USGS from aerial imagery and industry records and is the standard public list of US wind turbines, updated regularly.

Where it falls short: It covers onshore utility-scale turbines only, not small farm turbines, and new or planned projects can be missing for a time.

License: Public domain (US government data) · Source website

USGS National Hydrography Dataset

Government agency

US Geological Survey (USGS)

Used for: Streams (perennial, intermittent and ephemeral), ditches and canals, ponds, lakes and marshes on and near the plot, from the large-scale map.

Why it is reliable: The NHD is the federal government's map of surface water, drawn from aerial photographs and field work at 1:24,000 scale or finer, and used by agencies for water planning.

Where it falls short: It was drawn from photographs and older maps, so small streams, new ponds and ditches can be missing or have moved, and an intermittent stream may be dry for most of the year. It does not give water rights or whether you may use the water.

License: Public domain (US government data) · Source website

BLM Public Land Survey System index

Government agency

US Bureau of Land Management (BLM), with the states that steward the data

Used for: The township, range, section and quarter-quarter section of the plot's center, and the sections the outline touches, where the land was surveyed in the public land survey grid.

Why it is reliable: The PLSS is the federal grid of townships, ranges and sections that most western and midwestern deeds describe land by. The BLM's national index assembles each state's survey records into one map.

Where it falls short: It is an index for mapping, drawn from survey records and local data, not a survey and not a legal description: the deed and a licensed surveyor give the legal description. Some places are missing or approximate, and Texas, the original thirteen states and some other land were not surveyed this way.

License: Public domain (US government data) · Source website

USDA NASS land values and cash rents

Government agency

US Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)

Used for: The state's average value of farm real estate (cropland, pasture and all farm real estate) and the average cash rent for non-irrigated cropland, irrigated cropland and pasture, for the last five years, and the county's cash rents where NASS published them.

Why it is reliable: NASS runs the federal surveys of what farmland sells for and rents for. Their published averages are the standard yardstick that lenders, extension services and farm economists compare against.

Where it falls short: Averages for a whole state or county from a survey, shown as published. Your plot's soil, access, buildings, water and location make it worth more or less, and a county figure can be missing where too few farms answered. It is not a valuation, an appraisal or a comparable sale. This product uses the NASS API but is not endorsed or certified by NASS.

License: Public domain (US government data) · Source website

US Census Bureau geocoder

Government agency

US Census Bureau

Used for: The county and state that contain the plot's center, which the drought history, land value and "who to ask" readings depend on.

Why it is reliable: The Census Bureau defines the counties used in federal statistics, and its geocoder answers which county a point is in.

Where it falls short: It answers for one point (the center of the plot). A plot that straddles a county line is reported in the county of its center, so check the county of the parcel you mean.

License: Public domain (US government data) · Source website

US Drought Monitor

Government agency

National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), USDA and NOAA

Used for: How often the plot's county has been in drought, week by week since 2000, which years were worst, and this week's map.

Why it is reliable: The Drought Monitor is the weekly federal drought map. Experts combine rainfall, soil moisture, stream flow and local reports, and USDA and the US government use it to decide on drought aid.

Where it falls short: It is made for whole counties and regions, not single fields, and it describes drought, not how much water your own soil holds. A county can be in drought while one farm is not.

License: Public domain (US government data) · Source website

GloFAS river discharge

Intergovernmental/EU program

ECMWF and the EU Joint Research Centre for the Copernicus Emergency Management Service

Used for: The river flooding indicator.

Why it is reliable: The Global Flood Awareness System is part of the EU's Copernicus Emergency Management Service and is used by civil-protection agencies for flood forecasting. It simulates river flow worldwide.

Where it falls short: A river-model cell of about 5 km, which may represent a nearby larger river or a small stream. It is an indicator, not a flood-zone map. Check official flood maps before buying.

License: CC BY 4.0 (Copernicus, Open-Meteo) · Source website

USGS Earthquake Catalog (ComCat)

Government agency

U.S. Geological Survey

Used for: The earthquake indicator.

Why it is reliable: The U.S. Geological Survey is a U.S. federal science agency. Its catalog combines data from seismic networks around the world and is a standard reference for earthquake history.

Where it falls short: Completeness varies by region and time. Small earthquakes outside the United States may be missing. It shows history, not a hazard model.

License: Public domain · Source website

Datasets, resolution and license

Source and dataset	Resolution and period	License
Open-Meteo Historical Weather API ERA5 reanalysis (ECMWF / Copernicus C3S) Reanalysis values for the grid cell containing the site; hardiness zone from the 30-year mean annual extreme minimum; GDD, chill hours and frost metrics computed from daily and hourly series.	0.25° grid (about 25 km) Daily temperature, rain, humidity and evapotranspiration 1991–2020; hourly temperature, humidity, cloud, wind speed, direction and gusts, and soil moisture 2011–2020	CC BY 4.0 (Copernicus / Open-Meteo)
ISRIC SoilGrids 2.0 REST API SoilGrids 2.0 (machine-learning soil property maps) Sand, silt, clay, pH, organic carbon, CEC and coarse fragments read at the site point and weighted over 0–5, 5–15 and 15–30 cm. Organic matter is estimated as organic carbon × 1.724.	250 m cell at the site point Modeled from soil profiles, 0–30 cm depth-weighted mean	CC BY 4.0 (ISRIC)
USDA NRCS Soil Data Access SSURGO, the Soil Survey Geographic Database The map unit at the site point and the map units inside the analyzed area were read. Sand, silt, clay, pH, organic matter, CEC and coarse fragments were averaged over 0–30 cm, weighted by horizon thickness and by each soil's share of the map unit. The National Commodity Crop Productivity Index (NCCPI, version 3.0) was read for each soil, averaged over the soils USDA rated in a map unit, and then over the plot by each map unit's area.	Mapped soil polygons (survey scale about 1:12,000 to 1:24,000), one set of values per map unit Current published survey. The survey year differs by county	Public domain (US government data)
USDA Farm Service Agency NAIP, served by the USGS National Map NAIP (National Agriculture Imagery Program) aerial photography The photographs under the analyzed area (plus a margin) were requested as one picture and stored. The outline of the area is drawn over it by the report page.	0.3 to 1 m per pixel in the original photographs Flown in summer, each state every 2 to 3 years; the date differs by county	Public domain (US government imagery)
Mapzen / AWS Terrain Tiles Terrarium elevation tiles (SRTM, ASTER, national DEMs blended) Slope and aspect from central differences over the analyzed area; statistics count only cells inside the area.	Roughly 15–30 m depending on zoom and latitude	Attribution to the source DEMs required
ESA WorldCover 10 m v200 (2021) ESA WorldCover 2021 Class shares counted over pixels inside the analyzed area (radius circle or drawn polygon); farmland is the Cropland class.	10 m (read from overviews for large radii) 2021	CC BY 4.0 (ESA WorldCover consortium)
OpenStreetMap via Overpass API; Natural Earth 1:50m coastline OSM rivers, canals, lakes and reservoirs; Natural Earth coastline Nearest distance from the site point to mapped rivers, canals, lakes and reservoirs within the search radius, plus distance to the coast.	Vector features; distances measured to the nearest mapped line	ODbL (OpenStreetMap contributors); Natural Earth is public domain
Open-Meteo Flood API (GloFAS), USGS Earthquake Catalog, ERA5 via Open-Meteo GloFAS river discharge 1991–2020; USGS ComCat 1976–present; ERA5 climate Indicative ratings from our own threshold bands. Not a substitute for official hazard maps.	Flood grid about 5 km; earthquakes within 200 km; climate 25 km	CC BY 4.0 (Open-Meteo / GloFAS); USGS public domain
FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) NFHL flood hazard zones, FIRM panels and study availability The flood-zone shapes under the plot were read from FEMA's map service. Each of a grid of points inside the plot takes the most severe zone whose shape holds it, and the share of each zone is its points over all points in the plot. A place with no zone shape, no map panel and no digital study is reported as having no FEMA map.	Mapped flood-zone shapes at the scale of the flood insurance maps (often 1:6,000 to 1:24,000); the share of your plot is measured on a grid of about 4,000 points The effective date of each map differs by county	Public domain (US government data)
US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) NWI wetland and deepwater habitat polygons, with the mapping project's source imagery The wetland shapes under the plot (and 500 m around it) were read from the NWI map service. Each of a grid of points inside the plot takes the kind of the shape that holds it. Where none is mapped on the plot, the distance to the nearest mapped wetland within 500 m is measured from the plot's edge. The year, scale and type of the source photographs come from the NWI mapping project that covers the plot.	Polygons drawn from aerial photographs at scales from about 1:12,000 to 1:65,000; the share of your plot is measured on a grid of about 4,000 points The year of the photographs differs by area, from the 1970s to the 2020s	Public domain (US government data)
USGS Gap Analysis Project, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) PAD-US 4.x: fee lands, easements, designations and administrative boundaries The PAD-US records under the plot and within 3 km of it were read from the USGS map service. Each point of a grid inside the plot is tested against each record's shape. Public land is fee land owned by a federal, state, local, tribal or joint body. Records that do not touch the plot are ranked by distance from its edge, with the compass direction.	Boundaries compiled from many agencies' own data, usually good to tens of metres but varying; the share of your plot is measured on a grid of about 4,000 points A compiled inventory: each record carries its own source date, and the release date is the version's	Public domain (US government data)
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Cropland Data Layer CDL annual crop-type maps, read from USDA's image service and checked against CropScape (George Mason University) For each year, the cells under the plot outline were counted by crop class and turned into shares of the plot; the land within 1 km of the plot's bounding rectangle (outside the plot) was counted the same way. The CropScape service, which can only read a rectangle, was asked for the plot's bounding rectangle and set against USDA's reading of the same rectangle. The CDL is made from satellite images by a statistical classifier and is checked by NASS against Farm Service Agency records, so it is strong for the major crops and weaker for hay, pasture and small acreages.	30 m cells up to 2023 and 10 m cells from 2024, all read at 30 m here so the years compare The five newest years the service publishes	Public domain (US government data)
US Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Conservation Online System: critical habitat USFWS critical habitat polygons, final (designated) and proposed The critical habitat shapes under the plot and within 5 km of it were read from USFWS's national map service, from the final and the proposed layers. Designations USFWS marks as vacated are left out. Each point of a grid inside the plot is tested against each species' shapes. Species that do not touch the plot are ranked by distance from its edge.	Boundaries as published for each species, simplified to about a 200th of the plot's width for reading; the share of your plot is measured on a grid of about 4,000 points Each designation has its own Federal Register publication year, shown on the card; the map service is updated by USFWS as designations are made, changed or set aside	Public domain (US government data)
GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility: occurrence records from many contributors (mostly eBird for birds) GBIF occurrence records of birds and mammals, the last 10 years, licensed CC0 or CC BY only GBIF's search was asked for sightings and specimens of birds (class Aves) and mammals (Mammalia) with a coordinate, no flagged coordinate problem, present, dated in the last 10 years, inside the plot's bounding rectangle widened by 5 km, and licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0. Records licensed for non-commercial use only, or with no licence stated, are not counted, and their number is shown. The number of species and records per group and the most-reported species are taken from GBIF's counts. Cite as: GBIF.org (12 October 2026) GBIF Occurrence Search; the contributing datasets are named on the card.	Each record is a point with its own stated accuracy; counts are for the plot's bounding rectangle widened by 5 km The last 10 years	CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records only (credit the contributing datasets)
OpenStreetMap Nominatim OpenStreetMap place data	Municipality level	ODbL (OpenStreetMap contributors)

Place search

Place names and searches use OpenStreetMap Nominatim: one request per second, results cached, and the search runs only when you submit it.

Plots, crops and links

Area: you can mark land by tapping its corners on the map or as a location and radius (1 to 25 km). A drawn plot can have 3 to 60 corners and must fit within 25 km of its center. Terrain, land cover and water use every cell inside the plot. Climate is a 25 km grid and soil is one 250 m cell, both read at the plot's center.
Crops are optional. The land profile is complete without them. Choosing one to four crops, on the input screen or later inside the report, adds crop scores, limits and mitigations. Changing crops never reloads data.
Saved reports: each report is saved under a private id. The address of a report carries only that id, never the location, and once the data has been pulled it is saved with the report, so opening the link again shows the same data without pulling it again.
Plain-language summaries at the top of each section are written by fixed rules from the numbers below them, not by a language model, so each sentence traces back to a value you can inspect.
Source buttons: the small i next to a number opens where it came from, how it was worked out, and the raw response the source sent back.

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