Illinois Director of Agriculture Jerry Costello says successes in 2022 paint an optimistic outlook for Illinois agriculture in 2023.
He tells Brownfield the state is celebrating record corn and wheat yields, and near record soybean yields last year. “We are coming off of an incredible year for agriculture in the state of Illinois and I think 2023 can be a great year as well.”
Costello says last year a one-time appropriation was made to pay FFA membership dues for all high school students enrolled in agriculture classes, boosting membership by more than 50%.
“If you are going to make sure that agriculture stays on track as the number one industry in the state of Illinois, you’ve got to make sure our youth are involved.