USDA

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USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) The department of the United States federal government that exists to serve the needs of those engaged in agriculture and rural communities. It comprises a number of agencies, each with its own functions, one of which is the US Soil Survey. In 1960, the USDA published Soil Classification; A Comprehensive System, prepared by the Soil Survey. This method of classifying soils hierarchically was renamed the US Soil Taxonomy in 1970, was subsequently adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and is now the most widely used taxonomic system. See soil taxonomy.

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