an aerial view of a farm

Farmland in New Holland, PA.

Pennsylvania is home to over 49,000 farms, covering 7 million acres, the majority of which are small, family-owned operations. These farms produce a wide variety of goods from mushrooms to apples, but the bulk of Pennsylvania agriculture relies on grain, poultry, and dairy. The Keystone State thrives as an agricultural hub thanks to a temperate climate, ample rainfall, and fertile soils.

To honor this foundational resource, on April 21, 1999, Governor Tom Ridge proclaimed Hazleton as the official state soil of Pennsylvania. First established in 1960 in Carbon County, Hazleton was selected for its massive footprint and economic significance. It is the most extensive soil series in Pennsylvania, covering more than 1.5 million acres across half of the state’s counties. While it is most prominent here, this versatile soil also stretches into Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, West Virginia, Virginia and Ohio.

Soil Description

a cross section of soil

A soil monolith from the Smithsonian Institution’s ‘Dig It! The Secrets of Soil’ exhibit of Pennsylvania’s State Soil, Hazleton. Credit: United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2006. Photo by Chip Clark, Smithsonian.

In the world of soil taxonomy, a ‘series’ is the most specific tier of classification. The USDA’s National Cooperative Soil Survey provides an Official Series Description (OSD) for each one. The Hazleton OSD describes it as a ‘Loamy-skeletal, siliceous, active, mesic Typic Dystrudepts’. This short description tells an in-depth story:

  • Loamy-skeletal (Particle-size class): This refers to the soil’s texture and rockiness. It is about 40% sand, 40% silt, and 20% clay particles (loamy), but contains more than 35% rock fragments (skeletal).
  • Siliceous (Mineralogy class): The soil chemistry is dominated by silica and other highly durable, weathering-resistant materials. These minerals are characterized by high acidity and naturally low nutrient retention.
  • Active (Cation-exchange activity class): Despite its challenges, the clay and organic matter in this soil maintain a moderately high capacity to hold and exchange important plant nutrients.
  • Mesic (Temperature regime): This defines the climate zone. At a depth of 50 centimeters, the mean annual soil temperature stays between 47°F and 59°F, with a seasonal swing of at least 41°F between summer and winter.
  • Typic (Subgroup): This indicates that the soil is a ‘typical’ example of its broader classification group, exhibiting no extreme or unusual outlying features.
  • Dystrudepts (Great group and suborder): This tells us the soil is relatively young with weakly developed horizons (‘epts’), yet it is highly leached, acidic (‘Dystr’), and typically remains moist throughout the year (‘ud’).

In summary, this description tells us that Hazleton is a well-drained, rocky, acidic forest soil displaying the classic developmental features of young, weathered soils in a temperate climate.

Relevance

Official state soil: Hazleton. Where is it?

Hazleton is most prominent across the Appalachian Region of Pennsylvania.

While Hazleton soils successfully support vast forests and rolling pastures, they are not naturally fertile. Managing them agriculturally requires careful stewardship due to 2 major hurdles: acidity and stones.

The OSD notes that Hazleton’s soil reaction is ‘strongly acid through extremely acid throughout’, yielding a pH range between 3.5 and 5.5. Because most crops prefer a neutral pH between 6.0 and 7.5, Hazleton’s high acidity can restrict microbial activity and cause nutrient deficiencies. To unlock the soil’s agricultural potential, farmers must regularly apply lime to raise the pH. Furthermore, Hazleton is notoriously stony. These rocks increase wear and tear on heavy machinery and make harvesting root crops a distinct challenge.

Recognizing soil’s limitations is essential for choosing the right conservation and management strategies. At the Alliance, we meet farmers where they are. While some operate on highly fertile soils, others face distinct challenges with soils like Hazleton. Our mission is to support these farmers, providing them with the management tools they need to maximize productivity without sacrificing our shared natural resources.

hands picking up a chunk of soil

Soils are a finite resource which needs to be protected across farms, forests, developments, and our own backyards.

Understanding soil is the first step to understanding our environment. It dictates what we can farm, where we can build, and how we manage our natural resources. As we move through this series, we will see how these principles manifest in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Stay tuned for the next installation on Sassafras, the official state soil of Maryland.

Want to learn more about the soils in your backyard? Check out Web Soil Survey, a free online tool operated by USDA NRCS. Simply enter your address and draw a box around your area of interest. You can learn what the dominant soil series is in your backyard along with the suitabilities and limitations for use, and soil properties and qualities. This information can help you improve your backyard garden productivity!

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