Energy Use and Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Cropland Production in the United States, 1990-2004

These data represent energy use and fossil-fuel CO₂ emissions associated with cropland production in the U.S. Energy use and emissions occurring on the farm are referred to as on-site energy and on-site emissions. Energy use and emissions associated with cropland production that occur off the farm (e.g., use of electricity, energy and emissions associated with fertilizer and pesticide production) are referred to as off-site energy and off-site emissions. The combination of on-site and off-site energy and carbon is referred to as total energy and total carbon, respectively.

Data provided here are for on-site and total energy and associated CO₂ emissions. Units are Megagram C for CO₂ estimates and Gigajoule for energy estimates. Data are distributed in spreadsheet formats (Excel and CSV) and in spatial data format (ArcGIS Shapefile). ArcGIS Shapefiles are zipped and will need to be unzipped once downloaded.

The method of analysis for these data is described in the following paper: R.G. Nelson, C.H. Hellwinckel, C.C. Brandt, T.O. West, D.G. De La Torre Ugarte, and G. Marland. 2008. Energy Use and Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Cropland Production in the United States, 1990-2004. Journal of Environmental Quality 38:418-425, doi: 10.2134/jeq2008.0262.

Net Annual Totals per County

Spatial data are provided below in Excel, CSV, and zipped ArcGIS Shapefile formats: