Before fairs were known for their variety of fried cuisine and thrill-seeking rides, they were more about endorsing the importance of agriculture. The first Illinois State Fair was held in Springfield 155 years ago. The event was created to promote not only improved methods of agriculture and raising livestock, but also improvements and innovations for labor, industry, education, arts and sciences.
It isn’t uncommon to think that crop farmland in Illinois typically consists of corn and soybeans. In fact, Illinois is the 2nd largest producer of corn and soybeans in the nation, only to fall behind Iowa. But farmers aren’t strictly limited to planting field crops and Illinois farmers have thrived on many other venues of agriculture. Raising livestock, aquiculture and produce farming are also a big part of the Illinois agriculture industry. But the impact of agriculture on the Illinois economy doesn’t stop at the farm gate. Thousands of jobs are created by the food processing industries that are based in our state, and the financial and commodity markets in Chicago and other locations create more employment opportunities.
“Agriculture is one of the key nodes in the complex global system that feeds the people of the world,” states Robert Easter, Dean of the College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. “As I travel around the world I am always impressed with how often I encounter products that come from Illinois- a John Deere tractor in the Ukraine, a tool of precision agriculture in Brazil, seed corn in Chile or swine breeding animals in China. Each of these items is in some way a product of Illinois agriculture, and that product has created employment and economic opportunity for those who produced it.”
Whether it is farming equipment manufactured in Moline to be sold in Monticello, a seed company in Seymour processing corn seed for farmers, or cattle in Cisco, agriculture is around all of us, impacting the same.
On Tuesday, August 12th, Monticello will have the opportunity to promote the community to fairgoers at the Illinois State Fair. Representing the agri-industries of Monticello, Viobin and the Illinois Farm Bureau will have information on hand on their operations and connections in the agriculture of Illinois. Stay tuned to Enews for more information on this event.
