US county-level agricultural crop production typology

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Data Science
• Spatial Analysis

Background:

• Crop production data is crucial for socio-economic and environmental studies.
• A county-level typology of crop production similarities across the U.S. is currently lacking.
• Existing data does not adequately capture regional crop production patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a county-level classification of crop production for the contiguous United States.
• To create ten mutually exclusive categories of agricultural production based on crop similarities.
• To provide a novel typology for use in future regional analyses.

Main Methods:

• Cluster analysis was performed on 2012 Agricultural Census data for 21 key crops.
• Undisclosed acreage values were estimated, and proportional scores were calculated.
• County size influence was controlled using proportional scores; internal and stability measures validated the analysis.

Main Results:

• A county-level typology of crop production was successfully created.
• Ten distinct, mutually exclusive categories representing crop production similarities were identified.
• The final dataset includes 2922 counties across the contiguous United States.

Conclusions:

• The developed typology offers a standardized method for categorizing U.S. county-level crop production.
• This classification can enhance the accuracy and scope of agricultural, economic, and environmental research.
• The typology serves as a valuable input for future county- and regional-level analyses.