SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Woodford County led all Illinois counties in 2011 corn yields with an average of 186.5 bushels per acre, Illinois’ USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service field office reported in its annual County Estimate Report for Corn, Beans and Sorghum, issued Feb. 23.

Woodford bested DeKalb (183.8 bushels per acre) and Carroll (183.3) counties in total production, while the average Illinois county yield for corn was 157. Located in the heart of central Illinois and flanked on the west by the Illinois River, Woodford is traditionally among the annual top-producing counties for corn and soybeans in the state.

In 2007 the county’s producers harvested a state-best 204 bushels per acre of corn, followed with a 206 average in 2008, which was good for only third place in average county production that year.

“It’s just that good, fertile, black gold that we have,” said Woodford County Farm Bureau Manager Jolene Neuhauser, referring to soil prevalent in all but the western extremes of the county. “We’re very fortunate in this part of the state to be among the most productive in all of the country in corn yields, though our county is diverse in its soil types.

“Next to the Illinois River we have sandy ground, but further east we have fertile black soil that is very productive. It’s more of a challenge getting the crop in and out of the sandy soils.”

Though corn production has been down in recent years compared to the record-setting harvests of 2007-08, most Woodford County farmers can’t complain about their last yield, according to Neuhauser.

“We were blessed (in 2011) with rains that other counties didn’t get. We’re just very fortunate in this area,” she said, noting that counties lucky enough to receive rainfall last August while others’ fields sat parched were likely among the top-yielding counties in the state.

“It’s interesting to notice that the No. 2 through (No.) 4 counties (DeKalb, Carroll and Stephenson) in corn production were from far northern Illinois, which we don’t usually think of as the Corn Belt. Like us, they were able to get their crop in and had nice, timely rains,” she added. “I guess we were just living right.”

LaSalle County led the way in corn production with 60,116,000 acres, the report stated, followed by McLean County with 58,342,000 acres. McLean, which borders Woodford to the southeast, boasted the largest number of acres harvested for both corn and soybeans, with 365,500 and 259,500, respectively.

Woodford County was fifth in soybean yields statewide, with 59.9 bushels per acre, behind state leader Carroll County at 63.1.

County estimates are used to evaluate and administer farm commodity, credit, conservation, disaster, insurance and loan programs. Acreage data for all counties along with production data for other crops are detailed at NASS’ Illinois website, www.nass.usda.gov/il