The “Prairie Agricultural Landscapes (PAL)” datasets identify areas of the agricultural portions of the Canadian Prairies with similar land and water resources, land use and farming practices. They are represented by vector polygons. Based on selected attributes from the Soil Landscapes of Canada (SLC) and the 1996 Census of Agriculture, the Prairies were classified into 13 (thirteen) classes of Land Practices Group and five (5) Major Land Practices Groups. Typical attributes used to define the Land Practice Groups include: land in pasture, land in summerfallow, crop mixture, farm size and the level of chemical and fertilizer inputs. The five (5) Major Groups were devised to help better understand the relationships between the groups.

The “Soil Landscapes of Canada (SLC) Version 3.2” dataset series provides a set of geo-referenced soil areas (polygons) that are linked to attribute data found in the associated Component Table (CMP), Component Rating Table (CRT), Soil Names Table (SNT), Soil Layer Table (SLT), Landscape Segmentation Table (LST), Landform Extent Table (LET), Landform Definition Table and Ecological Framework Table (EFT). Together, these datasets describe the spatial distribution of soils and associated landscapes for the agricultural areas of Canada. However, some provinces (Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island) contain CMP, SNT and SLT data for the entire province (that is, beyond the agricultural areas). This version is complemented by the previous SLC version 2.2, which covers the entire country.

The “Soils of Canada, Derived” national scale thematic datasets display the distribution and areal extent of soil attributes such as drainage, texture of parent material, kind of material, and classification of soils in terms of provincial Detailed Soil Surveys (DDS) polygons, Soil Landscape Polygons (SLCs), Soil Order and Great Group. The relief and associated slopes of the Canadian landscape are depicted on the local surface form thematic dataset. The purpose of the “Soils of Canada, Derived” series is to facilitate the cartographic display and basic queries of the Soil Landscapes of Canada at a national scale. For more detailed or sophisticated analysis, users should investigate the full “Soil Landscapes of Canada” product.

The “Soil Landscapes of Canada V.2.2/V.3.1 - Soil Order” displays the highest (most general) level of soil classification. Within the Canadian System of Soil Classification there are ten recognized soil orders (Soil Classification Working Group 1998). This system is hierarchical (from general to specific). Soil orders are further subdivided to great groups, subgroups, families, and series.

This product provides information on Acreage and Production of Principal Field Crops, Prairie Provinces and Canada. The number of Seeded Acres, Harvested Acres and tonnes of Production in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba comparison with Canada, and as a Percent(%) of Canada Total are included.