Inventory of Major Land Uses in the United States

Excerpts from the report: At all times many people are interested in the use of land and the way in which the land is divided among agricultural uses. In response to this interest, the Bureau of Agricultural Economics has compiled and published occasionally over the last 25 years, figures that show the acreages used for crops, the pasture and grazing areas, forests and woodlands, and other major land areas. This report follows generally these past inventories as to scope and in the procedure for the assembly of data. Gradually, however, there has been accumulation of data on land use and ownership for a longer period, thus making possible more complete information on trends than heretofore available. Coverage also is more complete by States and regions than formerly, owing to improvements in mapping by aerial photography and in statistical and other surveys of agriculture, land use and conditions affecting use. The purpose of the present publication is to supply an account of the extent and distribution of the major agricultural land uses and a general analysis of the land use situation in the United States, showing the latest data available for both land in farms and land outside farms. The information on the acreages of land devoted to the chief purposes provides a comprehensive picture of the use of all land in the United States, trends in land use, and elements affecting use