(The Center Square) – With a lack of extreme heat or precipitation this summer, the Illinois corn and soybean crops are faring well.
According to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture survey, the soybean crop condition was rated 3% very poor, 6% poor, 21% fair, 53% good, and 17% excellent. Soybeans setting pods reached 89%, compared to the 5-year average of 79%.
The corn condition was rated 4% poor, 18% fair, 56% good, and 20% excellent. Corn dented reached 40%, compared to the 5-year average of 27%.
In 2023, Illinois farmers produced 2.2 billion bushels of corn, slightly up from the previous year, with an average yield of 206 bushels per acre. While Illinois ranks number two in corn production behind Iowa, the state is number one in total economic output contribution due to corn farming.
The National Corn Growers Association used economic analysis software to calculate the direct, indirect, and induced impact of corn farming for grain production on the U.S. economy at the state and national level.
There is news of a new use of corn. Cameron Rylance of Bluestem Biosciences told the Illinois Corn Growers Association that they have uncovered a technology that could boost corn demand by over a billion bushels.
“Through anaerobic fermentation which is currently used to produce ethanol, we can produce chemicals that are currently made using petroleum,” said Rylance. “So if you think of a lot of clothing materials, or the super absorbent polymer in a baby’s diaper.”