Did you know, the United States is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of corn in the world? In 2022, corn and soybeans accounted for more than half of the U.S. crop cash receipts—totaling $148.5 billion. This is in no small part thanks to the Heartland Region states of Illinois and Missouri.
The 2022 Census of Agriculture, published by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), found that U.S. farmers harvested over 80 million acres of corn, 13% of which are grown in Illinois and 4% grown in Missouri; and almost 85 million acres of soybeans, 12% grown in Illinois and 7% grown in Missouri.
When you look at state agriculture rankings by production, Illinois is number one in soybean and number two in corn crops. Missouri ranks highly with these crops as well, coming in seventh in soybeans and tenth in corn.
Both Illinois and Missouri are also major producers of hogs & pigs, cattle & calves, and poultry & eggs. Perhaps more surprisingly, Missouri is the top producer of elderberries, and Illinois maintains its number one spot in pumpkin acreage with 18,777 harvested acres. Illinois also dominates the U.S. in pumpkins harvested for processing, which accounts for 86% of the U.S. total in 2022.
As these 2022 Ag Census stats highlight, Illinois and Missouri are at the heart of major crop production in the U.S. Visit USDA NASS' 2022 Census of Agriculture state profile page to explore more state agriculture data.