This report is the first regional characterization effort and documents our current knowledge of soil health on farmland in Suffolk County, Long Island.
Suffolk County, the eastern two-thirds of Long Island, is home to over 550 farms that are integral to the region’s identity and agritourism based economy. Most of the remaining commercial agricultural production occurs on the East End, within the towns of Riverhead, Southampton, Southold, Shelter Island, and East Hampton.
This region hosts a great diversity of agriculture and remains the state’s top producer of nursery crops, certain vegetable crops (pumpkins and tomatoes), and perennial fruits (grapes and peaches). There are also many small-scale diversified vegetable farms that largely grow fresh market vegetables and several pastured livestock operations.
The high value of land, warmer climate, and higher proportion of coarse-textured soils (high sand and low clay contents) create much different conditions for agricultural production compared to the rest of NYS.