Producing Food for a Growing World

The stakes are too high to guess about this year's crop.

From pests to disease to weather, you face mounting challenges that threaten profitability, production, and health. You need strategies to reduce the worry that keeps you up at night. Illinois Extension professionals help you navigate the risk by bringing the research from the university to you at the farm. Stay updated with ways to reduce risk so you can sleep better at night and wake up with a plan that fits your farm operation.

Farming, it's what we do. 

From north to south, Illinois measures 400 miles that is home to 72,000 farms on 27 million acres.* That's nearly 75% of all the land in Illinois. And, it's prime, productive land, leveled by glaciers and wind, that makes it perfect for crop production. 

Our grain farms are a big deal to the world.

  • Illinois is a leading producer of soybeans and corn.
  • Our ag products generate more than $19 billion each year.
    • 54% from corn.
    • 27% from soybeans.
  • Nearly 44% of Illinois grain is exported.
    • We're third in the nation for ag commodity exports at $8.2 billion.
    • We're second in the nation for soybean and feed grain exports.

*2019 stats from Illinois Department of Agriculture

University of Illinois Research Centers
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A large agriculture-related dust cloud over a farm field
Dust storms in Illinois: Identifying farm solutions
URBANA, Ill. — Dust storms have become an increasing concern in Illinois, prompting investigations into their causes and potential solutions. These weather events have resulted in fatalities, including a 2023 traffic accident that took the lives of eight...
A tractor pulling equipment tilling across a farm field causing dust
Dust storms in Illinois: Examining roles of weather and farming practices
URBANA, Ill. — Recent dust storms in Illinois have raised the question of the cause of these events. In the last few years, these dust events have caused fatal accidents among traveling motorists. Another public concern is the drop in air quality during these storms.Some of the emerging...
trees behind a corn field
New agroforestry maps plot environmental, social, and economic benefits of trees
URBANA, Ill. — There’s a longstanding attitude in many farming communities that trees and agriculture don’t mix. But agroforestry — the intentional integration of trees and shrubs in agricultural systems, such as planting trees as windbreaks, integrating trees on pastures, or growing tree crops...

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