Best farmland in PA?

[sp2007]

Originally Posted by ker8

i've always heard the best soil was right on the border of Lake Erie. Couldn't tell you if it's true or not (I'm not a farmer), but it's the only place people seem to grow grapes around here!

I've never heard that. But I am interested in grain crops (wheat, corn soy etc) and not grapes. Thanks.

[rsrobbins]

The Mifflinburg area along Route 45 in Union County is quite rural and probably has many farms for sale since it is an economically depressed area with little tourism. North Central PA is more mountainous so there are fewer farms and more fracking going on.

[ki0eh]

There are a number of smaller farming areas, between the Blue Mountain (the rough border of sprawl emanating from Phila/DC, including Lancaster, Harrisburg, York, Allentown, Reading) and the Allegheny Front (the current border of fracking) - basically from SW to NE, Bedford, Fulton, western Franklin, Huntingdon, eastern Blair, eastern Centre, Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, extreme southeast Clinton, extreme southern Lycoming, Union, Snyder, Northumberland, Montour, Columbia, northern Dauphin, parts of Schuylkill and Luzerne counties. Although in these areas the Amish and similar Plain Sect folks have typically already discovered the best land, often many generations ago but increasingly recently among children and those who sold out in Lancaster/Lebanon/Berks/etc.

[concept_fusion]

The USDA may have published the data you're looking for, they have soil samples of every county in the US. The hillier areas in southwestern PA have soil suitable for corn. You may be able to find some good land deals for surface rights with the drilling that's been going on.