The crop production index in 1996 for Illinois was 118 percent of the 1977 base. Farmers harvested 23.2 million acres of crops in 1996, up from 22.6 million acres in 1995. The value of the crops produced was 7.7 billion dollars, up ten percent from 1995. This is a record high value since records began in 1975.
Corn production in 1996, at 1.469 billion bushels, was up 30 percent from 1995. Acreage harvested for grain in 1996 was 10.8 million acres, up largely due to the zero percent set aside required for participation in the Government Feed Grain Program.
Production of soybeans totaled 398.9 million bushels, five percent above the 1995 production. Soybean yields averaged 40.5 bushels
per acre compared to 39.0 bushels per acre in 1995. Harvested acres totaled a record 9.85 million acres. This acreage is two percent greater than the previous record harvested acreage set in 1995.
Production of sorghum for grain in 1996 was 18.5 million bushels, up 58 percent from the 1995 production of 11.7 million bushels. Acreage harvested for grain totaled 220,000 acres, up 50,000 acres from the previous year. The average grain yield in 1996 was 84 bushels per acre, up 15 bushels per acre from the previous year's yield.
Wheat acreage harvested decreased in 1996 after farmers abandoned 33 percent of the acres planted compared to only six percent
in 1995. This was the largest abandonment since 1986. Production, at 41.8 million bushels in 1996, was down 39 percent from 1995. Production decreased due to the high abandoned acreage and the lower yield of 38 bushels per acre, which was 11 bushels below the previous year.
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| Crops | Unit | Date series began | Acres harvested | Yield per acre | Production | |||
| Year | Acres | Year | Yield | Year | Production | |||
| Thousands | Thousands | |||||||
| Corn for grain | Bushels | 1924 | 1976 | 11,590 | 1994 | 156 | 1994 | 1,786,200 |
| Soybeans | Bushels | 1919 | 1996 | 9,850 | 1994 | 45.5 | 1994 | 429,065 |
| Sorghum for grain | ||||||||
| Bushels | 1931 | 1985 | 470 | 1992 | 103 | 1985 | 36,190 | |
| Wheat | Bushels | 1866 | 1919 | 4,103 | 1987 | 59 | 1989 | 105,020 |
| 1989 | ||||||||
| Oats | Bushels | 1866 | 1925 | 4,855 | 1989 | 80 | 1917 | 207,000 |
| All hay | Tons | 1912 | 1940 | 3,523 | 1990 | 3.72 | 1956 | 5,065 |
| Illinois Agricultural Statistics Service Annual Summary - 1997 |
Page 19 |
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