What is Muck dirt?

Muck is a soil made up of humus from drained swampland. In the fall of 1936, Barre Wood and Vincent DeZetter purchased the 600 acres from individual owners and started to clear the swamp at the end of Bean Station Road. After the swamp was partial cleared and drained, what remained was a rich, black soil called muck.

The Prattsburgh muck does not have wind breaks but other areas in the state use windbreaks. Because the dirt is very light and can be blown around easily the windbreaks are grown. Fences and small cover crops can also used as windbreaks.

As you can tell from the photo the muck can be blown around easily and it is a main concern of J&G Squires.  You can find Muck land all across New York State including Elba, Batavia, Orange County and  Oswego.

So, if you are ever driving around and see that rich black soil it is called Muck.