Mississippi Delta Cotton, the Cropland Data Layer, and Soil Maps, 2006-2009

We studied cotton rotation and cropping intensity available from the Cropland Data Layer (CDL) with specific soils from the NRCS general soils map.  The soils along the Sunflower River and Deer Creek of the Mississippi Delta are particularly well suited for cotton production.  For the period 2006-2008, about 50 percent (50.8 and 49.2, respectively) of the land area of these soils has been used to grow cotton.  But these soils exhibited a major difference in continuous cotton use of 10.6% vs. 2.7%, with the soil along the Sunflower River becoming increasingly more important for growing cotton.  A map of the cropping intensity over the soil types shows the result visually.  The percent land use for the other major crops grown in these soils, soybeans and corn, was also calculated.  Soil near the Sunflower River continues to be used for cotton while soil near Deer Creek has seen a more rapid change to other crops.  Crop rotations starting with cotton in 2006 and maps with successive overlays also show the lack of continuous cropping for corn.  GIS and multiple years of CDL data give maps and crop statistics for important areas of change in farming practices.