Illinois

With over 70,000 active farms, Illinois is no stranger to agriculture. 24 million of the 27+ million acres of farmland is designated cropland, with the leading crops being corn, soybeans, and wheat. The state produces around 2.2 billion bushels of corn, 683 million bushels of soybeans, and 96 million bushels of wheat annually, accounting for over $21 billion of the states agricultural income.

Livestock utilizes a mere 824,000 acres for permanent pasture and rangeland, As of January 2022, there were over 1 million head of cattle in the state, with 339,000 being for beef production and 81,000 being for dairy production. Dairy cows here produce a staggering 1.77 billion pounds of milk per year. Of all the livestock in the state, hogs outnumber any other animal at over 5.4 million.

Regenerative farms and free-range pasture is a critical component to a healthy ecosystem, however mono-cropping and modern farming practices have become the strong majority in this state. Supporting family owned, regenerative, and responsible farms will help to ensure a future for happy, healthy, free-range animals and will help to keep more land from falling victim to the industrialized farming industry.