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Illinois Agriculture Overview
Explore Illinois agriculture and learn what makes it unique.
Illinois ranks 6th in the nation for the sale of agricultural products and is a leading producer of field crops such as Corn and Soybeans. The midwest is known for great soil quality and growing conditions, and Illinois is certainly no exception. There are over 27 million acres of farmland in Illinois, of which, over 90% is considered “prime” farmland or land that has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing crops. In fact, Illinois ranks third in the nation for the number of active farming acres considered “prime” cropland. For this reason and many others, Illinois has remained in the top 5 states in terms of agricultural exports in the nation since 2000.
Hover over the chart to view values by county.
Data For Region Not Available
Production Value
illinois Farmland Returns
Over the last 20 years, illinois farmland has offered average returns of 10.51%. At this rate, $10,000 invested in farmland in 2003 would now be worth over $70,126. Farmland returns are made up of two values, land appreciation, and capitalization rates of the property. Total farmland returns have been positive every year since 1990.
10.5%
Average Annual Returns
Cumulative Returns of Farmland
Source: NCREIF
7.2%
Standard Deviation of Returns
Year Over Year Change (%)
Source: NCREIF
Farmland Returns: Top 5 States
1. nebraska
14.3%
2. north dakota
14%
3. south dakota
12.6%
4. kansas
12.3%
5. washington
11.8%
6. iowa
11.4%