The best places to farm were the Energy Belt stretching from ethanol plants in Iowa to the oil and gas fields of North Dakota; the Bacon Belt across the South, “where America goes for meat:” the Beef Belt in the central and southern Plains; the fruit and vegetable-growing West Coast, dominated by California’s Central Valley and including powerhouse Yuma County, Arizona; the Pacific Northwest, with lush rainfall for dairies and row crops; and the Wine and Cheese Belt of the Great Lakes, home to dairies and diversified farms.
For a summary of the story, a video describing the regions and a link to the ratings of nearly 3,000 counties, click here.