Application of nutrients generated by non-cattle livestock to farmland within the Pacific drainages of the United States, 2012

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is developing SPARROW models (SPAtially Related Regressions On Watershed Attributes) to assess the transport of contaminants (e.g., nutrients) through the Pacific drainages of the United States (the Columbia River basin; the coastal drainages of Washington, Oregon, and California; the Klamath River basin; the Central Valley of California, and the west slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains). SPARROW relates instream water quality measurements to spatially referenced characteristics of watersheds, including contaminant sources and the factors influencing terrestrial and aquatic transport. Livestock manure used as fertilizer on farmland is a potential source of nutrients delivered to streams. The spatial data set "Application of manure nutrients generated by non-cattle livestock to farmland within the Pacific drainages of the United States, 2012" represents an estimate of the amount of manure nutrients generated by non-cattle livestock (such as hogs, poultry, sheep, and horses) in 2012 that was applied to farmland within the counties in which those animals were located. This data set was created by estimating the manure nutrients generated by non-cattle livestock in 2012 within each county and disaggregating that amount to the farmland within that county.