,Near-surface soil acidification is becoming prevalent in dryland cropping systems throughout the northern Great Plains. To ensure management recommendations are optimized for crop production, soil sampling guidelines are needed that account for depth stratification of soil pH in surface horizons. Soil pH data from two long-term dryland cropping system experiments were evaluated to document outcomes from three depth increments: 0-7.6 cm, 0-15.2 cm, and 0-30.5 cm. The experiments were established in 1984 and 1993 on the Area IV Soil Conservation Districts Cooperative Research Farm near Mandan, North Dakota USA. Soil cores were collected from the surface 30.5-cm depth near the middle of each experimental plot using a hydraulic probe. Collected soil cores were carefully split into 0-7.6, 7.6-15.2, and 15.2-30.5-cm increments and composited by depth. Samples were dried, mechanically ground, and analyzed within 6 wk of collection. Soil pH was measured in a 1:1 soil/water mixture (by mass) with an ion-selective glass electrode. From the sampled depths, weighted averages were used to calculate soil pH at 0-15.2 and 0-30.5 cm. Data may be used to better understand depth effects on soil pH under dryland cropping systems within a semiarid continental climate. Applicable USDA soil types include Temvik, Wilton, Grassna, Linton, Mandan, and Williams.,

,Crop rotations significantly affect economic and environmental outcomes on agricultural land. In the context of environmental outcomes related to key soil attributes, crop rotations can alter soil structure, soil water properties, and nutrient retention and availability. A study was conducted to quantify crop rotation effects on a suite of soil properties across four long-term cropping systems and a nearby grazed pasture. The cropping systems, differing in cropping intensity and rotational diversity, were located on the Area IV Soil Conservation Districts Cooperative Research Farm near Mandan, North Dakota USA. The pasture was located approximately 2.5 km east of the cropped fields, possessed the same soil type and landscape attributes, had never been tilled, and was grazed by cattle at a low stocking rate (2.6 ha/steer) as part of an experiment established in 1916. Samples were collected in spring 2012 from the 0-10 cm depth using a step-down probe. Soil samples were evaluated for soil bulk density, electrical conductivity, soil pH, total nitrogen, organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, and particulate organic matter carbon and nitrogen. In-field measurements of infiltration rate were conducted at the time of sampling. Laboratory methods followed accepted protocols, while infiltration rate was estimated using a single ring infiltrometer. Data may be used to better understand soil property responses to cropping system diversity under rainfed conditions within a semiarid continental climate. Applicable USDA soil types include Temvik, Wilton, Grassna, Linton, Mandan, and Williams.,

,This study examined average annual changes in soil erosion from rainfall and wind forces, and trends in soil organic carbon (SOC).,The diversity of geo-climatic land bases and potential feedstocks within the United States Central Great Plains (CGP) requires sustainable production that provides optimal resource utilization while maintaining or enhancing localized soil and environmental quality as much as possible. This study examined average annual changes in soil erosion from rainfall and wind forces and trends in soil organic carbon (SOC) as a function of commodity and/or bioenergy-based crop rotations, yield variations, and different field management practices, including residue removal across all land capability class (LCC) I-VIII soils in select areas of the CGP. Soil erosion and SOC (proxied by a soil conditioning index, or SCI) were analyzed on individual soil map unit components using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, Version 2 (RUSLE2) and Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) models.,

,Long-term deployment of dryland cropping systems can alter soil chemical properties in ways that lead to lower soil fertility. Few long-term experiments have investigated cropping intensity, tillage, and nitrogen fertilization effects on soil chemical properties in the northern Great Plains. Near-surface (0-7.6 cm) soil chemistry data were evaluated from two cropping systems (continuous cropping and crop-fallow), each split by tillage (no-, minimum, and conventional) and nitrogen rate (no/low, medium, high) treatments for 16 years. The experiment was established in 1984 on the Area IV Soil Conservation Districts Cooperative Research Farm near Mandan, North Dakota USA. Soil cores were collected in 1983 (prior to establishment of treatments) and again in 1999 from the surface 7.6-cm depth near the middle of each experimental plot using a hydraulic probe. Samples were dried, mechanically ground, and analyzed within 6 wk of collection. Soil pH was measured in a 1:1 soil/water mixture (by mass) with an ion-selective glass electrode. Exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg, K, and Na) were estimated by atomic absorption spectrometry. Data may be used to better understand cropping, tillage, and nitrogen fertilization effects on soil pH and exchangeable cations under dryland conditions in a semiarid continental climate. Applicable USDA soil types include Temvik, Wilton, Grassna, Linton, Mandan, and Williams.,Updated versions of two Excel files were uploaded on 5 February 2025 to remove extraneous information in the metadata tab. We apologize for the oversight.,

,These data provide field measurements at two geographical sites of plant and soil as affected by (a) tillage and water erosion and (b) replacement of translocated topsoil through soil-landscape rehabilitation. Data include pre-restoration soil properties, a digital elevation model, and tillage and water erosion estimates. Data reported after restoration include annual assessments of crop emergence, biomass and grain yield; soil physical, chemical, and biological properties; weed communities; and weather information. The Stevens County, Minnesota site was a heavily eroded site while the Roberts County, South Dakota site was moderately eroded. The data can be used to develop agronomic best management practices to improve crop production and to protect environmental and soil health. The data also could contribute to meta-analyses describing effects of erosion and soil-landscape rehabilitation (translocating soil from areas of net deposition to areas of net soil loss by erosion) on crop performance and changes in soil properties.,

These are the soil quality data for each county (listed by fips code) for each scenario. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Zhang, X., T. Lark, C. Clark, Y. Yuan, and S. LeDuc. Grassland-to-cropland conversion increased soil, nutrient, and carbon losses in the US Midwest between 2008 and 2016. Environmental Research Letters. IOP Publishing LIMITED, Bristol, UK, 16: 1-14, (2021).

These are the soil quality data for each county (listed by fips code) for each scenario. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Zhang, X., T. Lark, C. Clark, Y. Yuan, and S. LeDuc. Grassland-to-cropland conversion increased soil, nutrient, and carbon losses in the US Midwest between 2008 and 2016. Environmental Research Letters. IOP Publishing LIMITED, Bristol, UK, 16: 1-14, (2021).

,Use of perennial forages in cropping systems can improve soil quality. The length of time needed to accrue improvements in soil condition under perennial forages is unclear, particularly in semiarid regions. A study was conducted to quantify soil responses to perennial grasses, legumes, and grass-legume mixtures over a 5-yr period on a Parshall fine sandy loam near Mandan, ND USA. Five forage treatments and an annual crop treatment were evaluated. Forage treatments included field pea (Pisum sativum L.), intermediate wheatgrass [IMWG; Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkw. & D.R. Dewey subsp. Intermedium], switchgrass (SWG; Panicum virgatum L.), an intermediate wheatgrass-field pea mixture, and a switchgrass-field pea mixture. After the establishment year (2006), alfalfa (Medicago spp.) was seeded in treatments where field pea was present the year before. Continuous spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) represented the annual crop treatment. In April of 2008-2011, soil samples within each fall-converted forage treatment and continuous annual crop treatment were collected prior to seeding spring wheat. Samples were collected from the 0-30 cm depth in increments of 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30 cm using a step-down probe with an inner tip diameter of 3.13 cm. Soil samples were evaluated for soil bulk density, water-stable aggregation, soil pH, total carbon and nitrogen, and particulate organic matter carbon and nitrogen. Assessments of carbon and nitrogen were determined by dry combustion. Water-stable aggregation was measured using the 1-2 mm aggregate fraction. Data may be used to understand soil responses to perennial forages under rainfed conditions in a semiarid continental climate. Applicable USDA soil types include Parshall, Cabba, Farland, Flasher, Lehr, Lihen, Manning, Morton, Straw, Tally, Vebar and Williams.,

,This is digital research data corresponding to a manuscript, Above-ground plant properties are not leading indicators of grazing-induced soil carbon accrual in the Northern Great Plains, published in Ecological Indicators.,Little is known about how grazing-induced shifts in plant properties correspond with shifts in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. To help fill this gap, we used data from a field experiment to test whether above-ground plant properties (i.e. biomass, species richness) act as leading indicators of grazing-induced SOC accrual in the Northern Great Plains, USA.,Our 5-yr bovine grazing experiment had a randomized complete block design and pre-treatment data. Moderate summer grazing (control) is widely used in the Northern Great Plains, and treatments that may alter grassland vegetation and SOC included: severe summer grazing, moderate fall grazing, and severe fall grazing. The four grazing treatments were applied to 20 paddocks (60 × 30 m) arranged in a randomized complete block design with 5 replications. Grazing intensities approximated recommended (i.e. moderate; 1 animal unit month [AUM] × ha-1 × year-1) and severe (1.5 AUM × ha-1 × year-1) stocking rates. Summer grazing occurred during the third week of June and fall grazing was after killing frosts at the end of October.,This study's dataset is of a subset of data for this grazing experiment. Given the study aim's, the dataset included a single measure of SOC stock (0-60 cm depth increment) and three plant properties (current-year above-ground biomass, older dead above-ground biomass, and plant species richness). SOC data were for 2013 and 2018 while plant data were for 2014 and 2017. Additional details can be found in the readme file, open access manuscript, and manuscript's supplement.,