Governor Quinn Salutes Illinois Farmers for Nation-Leading 2013

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today saluted Illinois' grain farmers on an outstanding 2013, including a nation-leading soybean crop. Final 2013 crop production figures released by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) show Illinois harvested 462 million bushels of soybeans last fall, 51 million more than any other state in the country.

"After the drought of 2012, these figures are welcome news and demonstrate the resilience of Illinois agriculture," Governor Quinn said. "They're also a perfect culmination to the 50th anniversary celebration of the Illinois Soybean Association, a model organization that uses member contributions to invest in programs that increase yields and profitability."

The Illinois corn crop was a bin-buster as well. Production totaled 2.10 billion bushels, making it the third-largest corn crop in state history, exceeded only by the 2.28 billion bushel harvest in 2007 and the 2.13 billion bushel harvest in 2008.

"Vastly improved weather certainly contributed to these results, but good management practices played a role too," Agriculture Director Bob Flider said. "Illinois wouldn't be a leading supplier of grain if organizations like the Soybean Association were not investing in research and market development to increase production."

Corn production, which ranks second in the United States, was up 63 percent compared to 2012. Soybean production increased 20 percent and was the state's sixth-highest total on record.

According to NASS, Illinois farmers harvested 11.8 million acres of corn and 9.4 million acres of soybeans. The corn crop yielded 178 bushels an acre, while the soybean crop yielded 49.