ABSTRACT
Missouri's climate—the variable temperature, precipitation, and humidity that shape weather conditions and their long-term averages and extremes—is determined primarily by the state's mid-continent location in the middle latitudes. To the pioneers who settled Missouri, the single most important factor contributing to the region's economic development was the quality of soil resources. There are seven major soil landscapes in Missouri. These soil regions are closely related to the distribution of the soil-forming material, the pattern of vegetation, general topography, and the amount of precipitation. The soils of Missouri have great diversity both in physical properties and in levels of fertility. The variations are due to the several factors that affect soil formation—including "parent" or geological material from which the soils are derived—climate, topography, drainage, natural vegetation, and the length of time the soils have weathered. Soil profiles, or the succession of layers of horizons in the soil, indicate much diversity in Missouri soils.
