Utah Agriculture in the Classroom Utah Agriculture in the Classroom Discussion 1. If you dug deep enough, you would hit solid rock. This is called bedrock. The layers are often referred to as horizons. The first horizon or layer is usually darker in color and contains most of the organic matter.
Organic matter is the layer formed by plants and animals.
In Utah, and the western U.S.A., in general, we have less organic matter and in many rocky places it may be nonexistent. In an area where there is more moisture and plant life you will find a deeper layers of organic matter. The first layer of soil is called topsoil . The topsoil is where plants take root and grow. Minerals come from rocks.