Relationships Among Agricultural Data Sources of Conservation Practice Implemented in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Through data sharing agreements with Federal and State agencies, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collects time-series of environmental management practice data to inform studies that guide resource management decisions. These data include agricultural conservation practices, best management practices (BMPs), and pollution control strategies in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This data release includes the relationships among the various management practice names that are used to harmonize the datasets from multiple state and federal agencies. This data release includes the relationship among the Chesapeake Bay Program's Chesapeake Assessment Scenario Tool (CAST) model BMP names and the practice names submitted by states to the National Environmental Exchange Network (NEIEN), the Pennsylvania Practice Keeper system, the Virginia Agriculture Cost Share (VACS) program, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs.