Page 26 2024 Logan County Spring Farm Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2024 Situated in the center of the state – Logan County is home to Chestnut, the geographical center of Illinois – our county is prime agricultural real estate of flat ground and black soils. Logan County has nearly 700 farms and more than 350,000 acres devoted to agricultural production – with nearly half of those 350,000 acres claimed by soybean production. An economic driver for the state for 100 years, the soybeans I grow right here in Atlanta support a number of industries, including livestock production and renewable fuels, and are a mainstay in the state’s global exports. But what does that mean for Logan County farmers like me, especially with spring planting just around the corner? And how can farmers here in Logan County further the county’s production and export of soybeans? Illinois Leads the Nation For 100 years, Illinois has been a leader in soybean production. Beginning in 1924, just Another Year, Another Crop: What’s in store in 2024 for soybean farmers Continued -- as soybean production was beginning to take hold in the U.S., Illinois took the lead and never looked back. Through most of the 1930s, Illinois produced more than 50% of the nation’s soybeans. This is due in large part to leading research from the University of Illinois Extension. Suitability of the soybean to the climate and changing cropping systems in Illinois also played a key role as well as leadership in soybean crushing, particularly by Staley Manufacturing in Decatur. Development of combines for harvesting soybeans, and an ongoing commitment to research and development of soybeans and soybean varieties by various departments at the University of Illinois, further increased soybean acres in Illinois. Today, Illinois still leads the nation, ranking as the top soybean-producing state in nine of the last 10 years. In fact, Illinois leads the nation in acres planted to soybeans – averaging 9.8 million acres – in the last 20 years. Here at home, Logan County is ranked no. 13
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