A shake-up in the production standings
As we watch the progress of the 2012 corn crop with bated breath, it’s interesting to think about the most productive fields in the country. No surprise, they are found in central and northern Illinois, where the Illinois and Wisconsin glaciers once rolled across the land, bringing debris from the Laurentian Mountains of Canada that further enriched the soils. In fact, nine of the top 10 producing counties in 2011 were in Illinois.
For most of the past decade, McLean County has been in the top spot, but in 2011, the county had dry conditions during pollination and grain fill. Later rains, however, favored soybeans, helping McLean County claim the No. 1 spot for soybeans. Interestingly, McLean County had the highest corn planted acres and the most harvested acres, but yields were 159.6 bu. per acre, compared with LaSalle County’s 177.3 bu. per acre.
LaSalle County harvested 60,116,000 bu. of corn from 339,000 acres. Even though LaSalle County’s average corn yield was lower in 2011, its 177.3 bu. per acre was enough to pull off a win. McLean County, Ill., came in second place with 8,342,000 bu. harvested from 365,500 acres.
