Title: Prime farmland - Wikipedia
Headings: Prime farmland
Prime farmland
Contents
Definition
Overlapping interests
Other designations
Demarcation of Prime Farmland
See also
References

Content: Prime farmland - Wikipedia
Prime farmland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This article concerns soils in the United States. For the equivalent in Canada, see Canada Land Inventory; for the equivalent in China, see territorial spatial planning#"Three areas, three lines". Prime farmland in 1997
Prime farmland is a designation assigned by U.S. Department of Agriculture defining land that has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops and is also available for these land uses. Contents
1 Definition
2 Overlapping interests
3 Other designations
4 Demarcation of Prime Farmland
5 See also
6 References
Definition
Prime farmland "has the soil quality, growing season, and moisture supply needed to produce economically sustained high yields of crops when treated and managed according to acceptable farming methods, including water management.". In general, prime farmlands have an adequate and dependable water supply from precipitation or irrigation, a favorable temperature and growing season, acceptable acidity or alkalinity, acceptable salt and sodium content, and few or no rocks. They are permeable to water and air. Prime farmlands are not excessively erodible or saturated with water for a long period of time, and they either do not flood frequently or are protected from flooding. Overlapping interests
Because many of today's major cities were historically founded in agriculturally rich areas, prime farmland tends to be (by virtue of its location) well suited to “growing” houses. Therefore, prime farmland is also prime developable land, and is extremely prone to conversion when in proximity to urban growth areas.