History of Soil Survey - Index to Historical Lists of USDA-SCS Soil Survey Staffs

1 - USDA-SCS Soil Survey Staff January 1, 1951

2 - USDA-SCS Soil Survey Staff January 1, 1953

3 - Soil Survey Field Letter and List of all USDA-SCS Soil Survey Staff April 15, 1956

4 - USDA-SCS Soil Survey Staff July 1963

5 - USDA- SCS Soil Survey Washington Staff June, 1965

6 - USDAS-SCS Soil Survey Staff January 1, 1966

7 - USDA-SCS Soil Survey Staff January 1, 1969

8 - USDA-SCS Soil Survey Washington Staff March 1969

9 - USDA-SCS List of State Conservationists, their Principal Staff and Regional Technical Service Center Staff- August, 1971

10 - USDA-SCS Soil Survey Staff January 1, 1972

11 - USDA-SCS List of State Conservationists, their Principal Staff and Regional Technical Service Center Staff - July, 1972

12 - USDA-SCS Soil Survey Staff November, 1972

13 - Reorganization of the Washington Office Soil Survey Staff - July 30, 1973

14 - USDA-SCS List of State Conservationists, their Principal Staff and Regional Technical Service Center Staff - October, 1973

15 - USDA-SCS Soil Survey Staff March 1974

16 - USDA-SCS List of State Conservationists, their Principal Staff and Regional Technical Service Center Staff - July, 1974

17 - USDA-SCS Soil Survey Staff August 1, 1976

18 - SCS State Office Soils Staffs March 1979

19 - Directory of Soil Scientists - States, Technical Service Centers and National Office Soils Staff - Dec.4, 1980

20 - SCS - Soil Scientist Roster May 14, 1984

21 - SCS State Office Soils Staffs January 14, 1987

22 - USDAS-SCS Soil Survey Staff August 1991

23 - UUSDA-SCS Cartographic Units and Heads 1935 – 2012

Historical Soil Survey - Soil Classification

The First Comprehensive Soil Classification System – 10 pages - Talk probably given at one of the soils training courses held in Lincoln, Nebraska in the early 1960’s.

Presentation by Andrew R Aandahl, Principal Soil Correlator, Midwest Regional Technical Service Center, Soil Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska Link To Article

Historical Soil Survey - Soil Survey Legends – National Code

1 – February, 1951 - Nebraska – State Interpretation of National Coding System. A February, 1951 memorandum to All Soil Conservation Personnel in Nebraska from Lloyd E. Mitchell, State Soil Scientist, Lincoln, Nebraska. Link To Article

Historical Soil Survey – Nebraska documents on acreage production, assignment and supervision of soil scientists, training workshops and outgoing report.

I - Report of Yearly Soil survey Acreage Production accomplishments by Field soil Scientists. Reports from Lloyd E. Mitchell, State Soil Scientist to All District conservationists and Soil scientists in Nebraska.

1 - March 9, 1951 – Yearly Summary of Conservation Survey Activities – Lloyd Mitchell, State Soil Scientist, Lincoln, Nebraska memorandum to all Districts Conservationists and Soil Scientists in Nebraska. Link To Article

2 - April 1, 1952 - Yearly Summary of Conservation Survey Activities for 1951 – Lloyd Mitchell, State Soil Scientist SCS, Lincoln memorandum to all Districts Conservationists and Soil Scientists in Nebraska.Link To Article

3 - February 10, 1954 – Yearly Report on Soil Survey Progress for 1953. To State Conservationist, Area Conservationists, and Soil Scientists in Nebraska from Lloyd E. Mitchell, State Soil Scientist, SCS, Lincoln, Nebraska. Link To Article

II - Area assignments and/or supervision for field soil scientists in Nebraska

1 – March 24, 1953 – Area Assignments for Soil Scientists – Memorandum from A. R. Marquardt, Assistant State Conservationist, Lincoln, Nebraska to All Area and Work Unit Conservationists, Survey Supervisors, Soil Scientists, and State Soil Scientist Link To Article

2 – January 1, 1956 – Probably part of yearly State soil survey Plan of Operations – List of Soil Scientists, Grades, and location. Second page includes the Status of Soil Surveys in Nebraska. Acres mapped by county and the percent completed. Link To Article

3 – January 1, 1957 – Part of Annual Plan of Soil Survey Operations. Supervision and Field Review of Surveys, List of Soil Scientists, Grades, and location. Second page includes the Status of Soil Surveys in Nebraska. Acres mapped by county and the percent completed. Link To Article

III - Training and Soils Workshop - Nebraska correspondence – 1950-1960

1 – March 15, 1954 — Transportation to State Soil Scientists Meeting – E.G. Jones, Deputy State Conservationists, Nebraska to All Soil Scientist, All Area Conservationists. Link To Article

2 – November 1, 1960 – Advisory Notice ND-14 Meetings – Soil Scientists Workshops -- from L.E. Mitchel, State Soil Scientist to Area conservationists. Link To Article

IV – Outgoing Report – Soil Scientist

1 - May 13, 1970 – Outgoing Report of Donald A. Yost, Soil Scientist to Rudolph H Hraban, Area Conservationists, Area VII, Scottsbluff, Nebraska Link To Article

Historical Soil Survey - Iowa

Historical Soil Survey – Iowa – List of Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station Soil Scientists – Provided by Tom Fenton, Professor of Soils, Iowa State University - retired

In 1967 the Iowa legislature appropriated money to help support acceleration of the soil survey program in Iowa. Prior to 1967, Iowa counties, generally through the county assessor’s budget, had paid up to ½ of the cost of the field work for a soil survey of their jurisdiction. After the legislative appropriation, cost for the field work was shared by the county, state, and the Soil Conservation Service (SCS). Priority for a soil survey was based on the need for a new soil survey plus the willingness of the county to share in the cost of the field work.

Beginning in 1969,the SCS had personnel ceilings and there was more demand for soil surveys than could be supported by the SCS staff. Since the money was available, soil scientists were hired by Iowa State Agricultural Experiment Station as employees of the Agronomy Department. The soil scientists were evaluated based on Soil Conservation Service standards and paid the equivalent of the federal GS scale, most at either the GS-5 or GS-7 grade. At the peak of the program, surveys were in progress in up to twenty counties per year. The average sized Iowa county required about twelve person years to complete. The party leader was generally a federal employee as party leader with two additional soil scientists who were either SCS or Experiment Station soil scientists. The attached list shows those soil scientist that began their soil survey career on the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station roles. Link To Article