Illinois Department of Agriculture

Agriculture is the #1 industry in Illinois in terms of economic impact, contributing more than $8.85 billion to the state’s economy annually.  The state’s 72,500 farms contain more than 27.3 million acres of land, including some of the most fertile soil in the world.  To sustain its vast production, the Illinois Department of Agriculture works to implement a variety of conservation programs that protect the nearly 1,500 types of soil found within the state.

From the types of crops grown to the different conservation practices utilized throughout the state, Illinois agriculture is very diverse.  In fact, the state is the largest producer of both horseradishes and pumpkins.  Located in the Midwest, Illinois also annually ranks either first or second in the nation in both corn and soybean production, and is the fourth largest pork producer.

The abundance and variety of agricultural products grown in Illinois make it one of the leading states in terms of the number of food and agricultural companies and helps to make the state a place international buyers seek out when selecting new suppliers.

 

Top 5 agriculture commodities, 2006

 

Value of receipts
thousand $

Percent of state total
farm receipts

Percent of US value

1. Corn

3,594,141

41.6

16.6

2. Soybeans

2,509,651

29.1

14.8

3. Hogs

803,417

9.3

5.7

4. Cattle and calves

595,751

6.9

1.2

5. Greenhouse/nursery

304,986

3.5

1.8

 

All commodities

8,635,700

 

3.6

Farm income and value added data

 

2005

2006

 

Number of farms

72,500

72,400

 

 

Thousands $

       Final crop output

6,050,496

7,208,629

+     Final animal output

1,957,335

1,832,682

+     Services and forestry

1,038,869

1,112,411

=   Final agricultural sector output

9,046,699

10,153,722

 

-      Intermediate consumption outlays

5,395,397

5,350,669

+     Net government transactions

1,255,411

472,862

=   Gross value added

4,906,713

5,275,914

 

-      Capital consumption

1,229,816

1,283,738

 

=   Net value added

3,676,897

3,992,176

 

-    Factor payments

2,304,659

2,481,187

         Employee compensation (total hired labor)

429,862

393,144

         Net rent received by nonoperator landlords

1,183,948

1,304,026

         Real estate and nonreal estate interest

690,849

784,017

 

=   Net farm income

1,372,238

1,510,989


http://www.agr.state.il.us/