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Greenwich Loam

Delaware State Soil

University of Delaware, Newark, DE; photo by YU-JEN SHIH on Flickr (noncommercial use permitted with attribution / no derivative works).

Official State Soil of Delaware

Delaware designated Greenwich loam as the official state soil in 2000. All State Soils

Students from Fifer Middle School assisted Rep. V. George Carey (sponsor) in convincing Legislators to adopt Greenwich loam as a state soil. The students made Greenwich soil mini-monoliths, which they distributed to legislators to illustrate the need for public education on the importance of soils and soil conservation.

Greenwich loam soils are found in all counties of Delaware; they enhance water quality, agriculture, wildlife habitat, and natural landscape beauty. Considered prime farmland, Greenwich soils are found in the uplands on the coastal plain of Delaware and adjacent states. These deep, well-drained, permeable soils are among the most productive soils in Delaware for agriculture and forestry.