Illinois produced some of the highest corn and soybean production yields in the nation in 2022, and multiple Central Illinois counties led the way.
Illinois counties held the top spots for both corn and soybean production in 2022, the Illinois Department of Agriculture announced Monday, citing data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistic Service. Piatt and McLean counties dominated in soybean yield and total corn production, respectively.
“Collectively as a whole, our farmers are good producers and good stewards of the land and produce a great crop,” McLean County Farm Bureau Manager Mike Swartz told Lee Enterprises.
The USDA compares crop production through two separate categories: bushels per acre and total yield produced. Counties smaller in size might rank higher on the bushels per acre ranking but lower in total yield produced because their farms simply don’t cover as much area.
Illinois is the overall No. 1 producer of soybeans in the United States, and the top 11 counties for soybean yield in 2022 were all located in Illinois. Piatt County topped the nation in soybean yield with 74.2 bushels per acre. The next ten highest ranking counties in soybean yield were, in order: Macon, Sangamon, Scott, Logan, Tazewell, Stark, Morgan, Christian, Champaign and Woodford counties.
The state also had the top five counties in the country for total corn production, with McLean County coming out on top. The county produced nearly 71 million bushels of corn in 2022.
The other top five counties in total corn production were Iroquois, Livingston, LaSalle and Champaign counties.
Illinois is the second largest producer of corn in the country, behind Iowa.
“For centuries, Illinois has solidified its status as an agricultural state—and 2022 was no different,” said Gov. J.B. Pritzker in a news release Monday. “Thanks to the hard work of our farmers, Illinois counties produced more corn and soybeans than anywhere else in the nation — exporting millions of bushels around the globe and generating billions in revenue. When we say Illinois farmers do it best, this is what we mean.”
Pritzker’s statement was echoed by Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello.
“Our Illinois farmers have once again proved why agriculture is the No. 1 industry in the state of Illinois,” Costello said. “Our agricultural reach goes far beyond our state. In 2022, Illinois exports of corn and soybeans to the world totaled over $3.5 billion.”
Jerry Costello II (copy) Jerry Costello II, acting director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, is pictured in his Springfield office.
BEN ORNER, CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS Illinois farms are prime real estate for corn and soybean production for a number of reasons, Swartz said.
“Soils in Illinois can produce about anything,” he said. “But because we're so well suited with rivers, railways and highways, we can more easily move large quantities of grain, corn and soybeans more efficiently than other states.”
Corn and soybeans also dominate in Illinois because of agricultural manufacturing giants like Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, which takes in large amounts of local crops every year. Manufacturing processes for other commodities that could grow well in the state just haven’t developed over the past century, Swartz said.
Source: pantagraph.com
Categories: Illinois, Crops, Corn, Soybeans