BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Illinois farmers brought in a record 688 million bushels of soybeans in 2024, while also recording a record harvested area of 10.75 million acres. This places Illinois as the national leader in soybean production for a third consecutive year, a fact that was acknowledged by the Illinois Legislature on January 6 when they passed a bill designating the soybean as the official state bean.  

HB 4439 recognizes the importance of soybeans to the state’s economy and agricultural heritage, according to an Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) news release. Acknowledging the 43,000 Illinois soybean farmers who account for 16 percent of total U.S. soy production, Andrew Larson, Director of Government Relations & Strategy at the ISA, thanked State Representative Matt Hanson (D-Aurora) for sponsoring the bill, which at press time was awaiting Governor JB Pritzker’s signature. 

“This bill helps raise awareness of the importance of soybeans to our state’s economy and agricultural sector,” Larson said in an ISA news release. ISA Chairman Ron Kindred praised the state’s acknowledgement, noting that the designation coincides with ISA’s 60th birthday. 

Bill co-sponsor Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield) noted that due to its location as ADM world headquarters, Decatur, Illinois is the “soybean capital of the world.” In her support for the bill, Turner emphasized soybeans’ economic impact and job creation in Illinois.

Up to 60 percent of Illinois-grown soybeans are exported to 82 countries, according to the ISA, for use in a variety of products. Some of the most common products produced with soybeans are animal feed, biodiesel, soy crayons and ink, vegetable oil, candles, soy sauce, soy flour and milk alternatives. 

The true economic impact of soybeans in Illinois was examined in a 2020 study by the United Soybean Board and National Oilseed Producers Association. The data revealed that 8,200 farm family members in Illinois grew soybeans, accounting for 22,870 paid jobs, $1,117M in wages and $15,330M in revenues. 

The highest number of jobs in the state’s soybean industry, 12,410, were in soybean production, which produced $675M in wages and $13,113M in revenues. Elevator work (3,070 jobs) and soybean delivery employment (2,470 jobs) were second and third, respectively. 

Jobs in crushing facilities numbered 1,180 in 2020, according to the survey. However, the number of crushing jobs is on the rise in Illinois as companies rush to build out soybean processing infrastructure to take advantage of tax credits and market expansion. 

In 2023, a 170,000-square-foot expansion of a soybean processing plant created 40 new jobs in Illinois. Incobrasa Industries LTD  invested more than $250 million in its Gilman site for a soybean crushing facility. In Hennepin, Marquis Energy is anticipating a grant of $38 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2025 to construct a new, 700-foot barge loading facility to serve its expanded crush facility. Mark Marquis, company owner, has said the expansion will create additional jobs in Putnam County and Hennepin, which has a population of less than 1,000.

In 2022, Illinois generated around $29.0 billion in agricultural cash receipts with the highest valued commodities being corn, soybeans, and hogs. That same year, the value of Illinois’s agricultural production and processing industries represented 3.5 percent of total state gross domestic product (GDP).