Illinois Agriculture

A leader of the agricultural pack, Illinois plays a key role in providing food for the U.S. and the world. The Prairie State ranks at the top for several of the nation’s most important commodities, including soybeans, corn and pork, as well as a leader in several specialty crops, such as pumpkins, buckwheat, horseradish and Christmas trees.

Illinois farmers produce these commodities on 71,123 farms, each averaging about 370 acres in size, which span more than 26 million acres across the state.  Farmers benefit from Illinois soil, as the state has some of the richest and most productive soil in the world. Illinois is home to more than 15,000 different soil types.