|
Bloomfield, KY. | IA/IL have as many different soil types as OH. Some of their good soils are silt loams, some are silty clay loams and some in IA are classified as loams. I think it is a misconception that IA/IL farms are all just 1 or 2 soil types. They also have some variability- at least that is what I have been told by my wife's cousin who farms in western IL, and a look at soil maps seems to confirm that.
Plowboy is right that quantity is probably a key difference. The "A" horizon of their soils is generally deeper than yours.
Mark ECIN was right, too, in that the tallgrass prairie did a better job of building soil than the trees of OH. Of course IN soils, especially eastern IN soils, are the same as OH soils in that regard. The woods didn't stop at the state line! Soils in IA/IL also tend to have formed from loess over glacial till although that isn't true with all of them.
FWIW, Blount is one of the most widespread and common soils in the Midwest. There are 2.5 million acres mapped. Pewamo is also common with 1.5 million acres. So, farmpro11, you are not alone.
Also,keep in mind that to this KY hill farmer, your OH soils look pretty good!
Jack | |
|
What makes Iowa/Illinois soil so good?
