And anything that replaces the RF supply of gas, even if it plays out in a decade is enough to disrupt European reliance on RF gas - so it probably doesn't matter a lot.

And, yeah, that productive soil, not to mention navigable rivers and rivers that flow South. (I never thought river flow direction was a big deal until I learned about the problems that come from rivers that freeze at the mouth first).

I'm not a farmer, but looking at where wheat is grown in N. America (land marginal for other crops) I'd have to guess that their per-acre productivity is off the charts.