CLU Data Store

Vermont FSA CLU Shapefiles

Download the 2008 FSA Common Land Unit shapefiles for Vermont. Access statewide field boundaries for GIS mapping and agricultural analysis.

Purchase the nationwide dataset to access detailed CLU boundaries for Vermont and every other state.

What’s Included in the Vermont Dataset?

The Vermont CLU download contains shapefiles and GeoJSON files for every county.

State
Vermont
Dataset Format
ESRI Shapefile
Source
USDA 2008 release
Download Type
Instant .zip

How to Use the CLU Data

Mapping and Analysis

Load the shapefiles into ArcGIS or QGIS to view and analyze field boundaries.

Frequently Asked Questions

A CLU is an individual contiguous farming parcel which is the smallest unit of land that has:

  • A permanent, contiguous boundary
  • Common land cover and land management
  • A common owner, and/or
  • A common producer association

Each CLU boundary is digitized to within 3 meters (approximately 10 feet) of ground features visible on digital orthophotography.

The FSA defines farm fields as agricultural land delineated by natural and man-made boundaries such as:

  • Road ways
  • Tree lines
  • Waterways
  • Fence lines
  • Other permanent visible features

These field boundaries were digitized using 1:7920 scale rectified photomaps and digital orthophotography.

CLUs serve multiple important purposes in agricultural mapping:

  • Linking tabular farm records with land maps/images
  • GIS-based acreage calculations
  • Digital image management and high-quality printing
  • Defining crop boundaries for patterns, subdivisions, and conservation plans
  • Creating centralized land unit boundary databases
  • Facilitating disaster payment and specialized systems
  • Improved program implementation and delivery
  • Better communication between agencies and farmers
  • Enhanced geospatial software compatibility
  • Facilitation of shared data warehouses
  • Integration with external data sources (Census, satellite imagery, GPS data)
  • More accurate land measurements
  • Ability to analyze data at multiple administrative levels

The CLU data was created through a detailed process:

  • Digitized by 13 FSA centers across 7 states and contracted companies
  • Used 1980s and 1990s National Digital Orthophoto Program (NDOP) imagery
  • Referenced legacy photo-maps as source documents
  • Digitized to within 3 meters of visible ground features
  • Projected in UTM NAD83 coordinate system

The data is provided in:

  • ESRI Shapefile format (.shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj)
  • GeoJSON format
  • UTM NAD83 coordinate system

These formats ensure compatibility with most GIS software applications.

The CLU data includes key attributes such as:

  • State and County FIPS codes
  • Calculated Acres
  • Shape and Area measurements
Due to Section 1619 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill), newer CLU data is restricted. The 2008 dataset represents the last public release, making it a valuable historical resource for agricultural mapping and analysis.
Section 1619 of the 2008 Farm Bill restricted public distribution of new CLU boundaries. As a result, the nationwide 2008 release was the last version made publicly available.

Both ArcGIS and QGIS can load the provided shapefiles or GeoJSON directly. Use Add Data to import the layers, then re-project if needed from the UTM NAD83 coordinate system.

Nationwide CLU updates after 2008 remain restricted. While FOIA requests to state agencies are technically possible, they are rarely granted. Even if approved, any released data would likely have personally identifiable information and other sensitive details heavily redacted, significantly limiting its usefulness.

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