Illinois Agriculture Facts

Agriculture is an important part of Illinois covering about 75% of the total land. They are the leading producer of soybeans, corn, and swine. The state also leads the nation in food manufacturing, with $180 billion in processed food sales. Check out more Illinois Agriculture facts.

There are about 72,200 farms in the state, averaging 358 acres each.
Farmland cover 27 million acres, which is about 75% of the total land in Illinois.
There are about 1,500 different types of soil found in the state.
90% of field crops are corn, soybeans, and wheat.
Because of the fertile soil, farmers can grow a variety of crops, including oats, sorghum, fruits and vegetables, and specialty crops like buckwheat, ginseng, popcorn, and mushrooms.
Corn, soybeans, pork, wheat, and cattle are some of the top agricultural products in the state.
Beef cows are found on about 22% of farms, while about 3% of farms have pigs and about 1% of farms in the state have dairy cows.
About 90% of Illinois' agricultural land can be used to raise crops.
The state is the 2nd leading exporter of soybeans and feed grains. About 44% of the grain produced is used for export.
Nearly 1 million people are employed in the food and fiber industry in the state, with about 75,000 being farm operators.
Over 90% of the farms in Illinois are still family farms.