Agriculture is Pennsylvania's number one industry.
Although Pennsylvania is often recognized for its mining, steel, and manufacturing industries, Pennsylvania has always been a leader in agriculture.
Pennsylvania is America's fourth largest producer of food products. While nearly every county has some type of food plant, Philadelphia, Dauphin, Allegheny, Berks, York, Lancaster, and Montgomery Counties employ the most food workers. Philadelphia is known for its bakery products, its ice creams, and its candies. Hershey in Dauphin County is the home of Hershey Foods while York County is home to Hanover Foods. There are fruit canneries in Adams County and vegetable canneries in Northumberland County. Since 1869 when Henry J. Heinz began bottling horseradish and ketchup, Pittsburgh has been world-famous as the home of Heinz products.
Dairying is Pennsylvania's number one agricultural industry; the state is the fourth largest milk producing state and fourth in the country in the production of ice cream. Dairy farming is centered in the northeast and southwest. Erie County is noted for its fruits and vegetables. Other farm regions supply specialized crops such as mushrooms near Avondale and Kennett Square, cigar-leaf tobacco around York and Lancaster and maple sugar and Christmas trees within the Allegheny Plateaus. Livestock sales account for 68 percent of Pennsylvania's farm income.
Pennsylvania ranks the first nationally in producing mushrooms with annual production of 443 billion lbs. Winter wheat is an important crop in the southeast whereas Buckwheat is a major crop in the northeast. Other important crops include potatoes, oats, rye, barley, and a variety of truck crops. Pennsylvania also grows apples, cherries, peaches, and grapes.
Agriculture in Pennsylvania has a long and rich history and it is an
industry that promises to keep on growing and changing over time.
information and images obtained from: www.phmc.state.pa.us/ppet/agriculture/page1.asp?secid=31
Dairying is 