So why do local farmers grow so much corn?
Field corn has been the county’s top crop for more than a century.
But why do we grow it here? It’s not because farmers can’t find anything else to grow. It’s because DeKalb County, Illinois is one of the best places to grow corn.
• We have a growing season that is long enough and warm enough to suit corn production.
• DeKalb County has deep, rich soils that are ideal for growing corn.
• We typically receive enough rainfall to support healthy corn plants during the growing season.
• In our county we have a significant number of livestock which consume corn as livestock feed.
• A variety of corn hybrids are available that do especially well in our local environment. Farmers grow about 215,000 acres of corn each year in DeKalb County. An acre of corn is equivalent to the size of a football field. Now that’s a lot of corn!