USDA: Illinois farmers finished 2021 with record year for soybeans

Mark Schleusener, state statistician, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, says Mother Nature gets some of the credit for big numbers for corn and soybeans in 2021. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois farmers finished 2021 with a record year for soybeans, and led the nation with that crop. The soybean total was 64 bushels per acre, totaling 673 million.

They were number two to Iowa in corn, with 2.2 billion bushels, or 202 per acre.

Mark Schleusener, Illinois state statistician for the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, says Mother Nature deserves some of the credit.

“Timely rain is probably the best way to describe it,” he said. “In general, a little bit too much rain for the corn yield, where people worked earlier –  let’s say, August and September – farmers were expecting higher yields.” 

Dryness in September and October held things down, Schleusener adds.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].

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