SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Projected sales from the 2026 Illinois Grain Tour, hosted by the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), are expected to eclipse $200 million. This is according to IDOA International Marketing Manager Jenni Davids, who explained that the popular tours have been divided into two groups. While final sales figures from the two 2026 grain tours were not yet available, IDOA’s Middle Eastern and Asian tour had projected sales of $120 million. In addition, the Latin American 2026 grain tour had projected sales of $85.2 million with 148 new contacts established. 

“We had eight participants from three countries — China, Egypt and Vietnam— in our Middle Eastern and Asian tour, and 14 buyers from Mexico, Colombia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Honduras for our Latin American tour,” said Davids, an Aurora, Ill., native who is in charge of foreign trade shows, trade missions and other international trade activities for IDOA. She earned a bachelor’s degree in soybean biology at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., and a Ph.D. in genetics at the University of Florida College of Medicine before embarking on a 13-year career in biotech marketing prior to her March 2026 hire by IDOA.

“The buyers that attended were very impressed by both the specific quality and high protein content of our soybeans, as well as just the tremendous amount of the yield of high-quality wheat. And seeing the amount of high-grade corn that Illinois is able to produce was, to many of them, mind-boggling,” Davids said. 

IDOA welcomed the group of buyers from Middle Eastern and Asian countries in September, while  Latin American visitors took the tour during October. Each four-day event showcased Illinois’ transportation logistics and infrastructure, grain quality and agribusiness strength. Tour stops across Illinois included the Melvin Price Locks & Dam in southern Illinois, Gray Family Farm in Waverly, Grain & Protein Technologies, Perten Instruments, Clarkson Grain in Cerro Gordo, Illinois Soybean Association offices in Bloomington-Normal, Marquis Energy on the Illinois River in Hennepin, Seedburo Equipment Co., Delong Co. and the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade.

“It was also a rather ‘shock and awe’ moment for many of them to see examples of our transportation infrastructure, and Marquis Energy was a great example of that,” said Davids. “It is such an enormous building, and the volumes of corn they go through every day are incredible. And there is the speed of production; they can go from the input corn being dropped off to end bio-ethanol production in three or four days.”

Economies of scale were also on display when the Middle Eastern Tour visited the Shane Gray farm, which is the site of an elevator facility and train loading loop. “Seeing the economy of scale partnered with our ability to do things at all of these facilities is not only physically impressive, but buyers were also impressed with the way we very expeditiously get corn and soybeans from the field to New Orleans in many instances in less than a week,” said Davids, adding that in the end, buyers were most interested in the genetics behind U.S. corn and soybean hybrids that consistently produce the most yield per acre while maintaining the highest quality. 

“We do a lot of soybean sales to Egypt; they are a big crushing country. They were worried about how long (crops) sit in a silo and degrade, so we were able to do some educational stops at elevators, silos and general stores and explain to them how we maintain the high quality of exportable crops when they are harvested and not immediately loaded onto trains,” said Davids. 

In addition to questions around quality concerns, some foreign buyers expressed interest in the most cost-efficient methods for transporting grains and oilseeds. “Prices are ever-changing, but I believe that the river freight average is something like one nickel per mile-ton. It’s a very, very economically-effective  method of export down the Mississippi River to New Orleans compared to rail freight or semi freight,” Davids explained.

“A lot of our competitor states don’t have as much access to river exports, so we are in an ideal position to be answering these questions around quantity, storage and quality and how we get it to their markets at competitive prices.”

IDOA’s grain tours date back to 1996, including a virtual tour during the COVID pandemic. 

All participants of the Illinois Grain Tour are required to pay their own airfare as well as a participation fee prior to joining the tour. The 2025 grain tours generated an estimated $236 million in projected sales, which exceeded 2024 projected sales by nearly $77 million. 

“Illinois exports nearly half of its grain, but in a competitive global marketplace, the political turbulence of the past two years has damaged trade relations,” said IDOA Director Jerry Costello II, in a news release. “These grain tours are a powerful opportunity to strengthen international relationships and build trust with buyers. When people meet face-to-face and see first-hand the quality of our crops and the reliability and efficiency of our agricultural supply chain, the results speak for themselves.”