Illinois Leads the Nation in Soybean Production but Feeds Almost None to Its Own Residents
Why It Matters
Illinois produces more soybeans than any other state in the country, yet the vast majority of that harvest never reaches a dinner plate in the state. With trade tensions disrupting export markets and a growing conversation about food security, Illinois lawmakers and farmers are asking whether the state’s dominant crop can play a larger role in feeding the people who grow it.
What Happened
Illinois harvested more than 639 million bushels of soybeans in 2025, surpassing Iowa’s 595 million bushels and Minnesota’s 371 million bushels. Lawmakers recognized the crop’s significance by designating the soybean as the official State Bean of Illinois, effective January 1, 2026. Decatur has been called the soybean capital of the world.
Despite that dominance, roughly 60% of the state’s soybean crop is exported, with most of the remaining harvest processed into animal feed. Consumer food products — tofu, soy milk, edamame — account for a small fraction of what is grown.
The problem came into sharper focus when Governor JB Pritzker declared an “Agricultural Export Crisis” on October 29, 2025, as a trade war with China — one of the largest buyers of Illinois soybeans — slowed overseas demand. The declaration directed state agencies to develop domestic alternatives and expand local markets.
State Rep. Sonya Harper, a Chicago Democrat who chairs the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee, put the vulnerability in stark terms, warning that Illinois imports approximately 95% of the food its residents consume and carries only about three days’ worth of food supply in reserve. She has championed a Local Food Infrastructure Grant program to help farmers and processors build out local storage, processing, and distribution capacity.
By the Numbers
- 639 million bushels — Illinois soybean harvest in 2025, the largest of any state
- 60% — share of Illinois soybeans that are exported rather than consumed domestically
- $2.53 per bushel — premium paid above commodity prices for non-GMO, food-grade soybeans in 2025
- 10–15 fewer bushels per acre — typical yield gap between food-grade and commodity soybeans
- 3 days — estimated food supply Illinois holds in reserve, according to state lawmakers
The Farmer’s Dilemma
For growers, the economics of switching to food-grade soybeans remain difficult. Food-grade varieties use older, non-GMO genetics that produce meaningfully lower yields per acre. A northern Illinois farmer who has grown both types described commodity soybean yields in the low 70s of bushels per acre, compared to the low 60s for food-grade varieties.
Beyond lower yields, food-grade production requires separate equipment cleaning, isolated storage, and stricter weed management — since the non-GMO crops cannot be treated with certain common herbicides. Fields managed under food-grade protocols can appear visually unkempt, which has created friction with landowners.
The $2.53-per-bushel premium that food-grade soybeans commanded in 2025 was not enough, in many cases, to compensate for those added costs and complications. The northern Illinois farmer who has supplied food-grade soybeans to large buyers including Danone said he planted none this year.
State Rep. Charlie Meier, a Republican from Okawville who farms roughly 1,000 acres of soybeans himself, noted that farmers respond to market incentives. “We will go wherever the markets are,” he said.
A Small But Growing Sector
A handful of businesses in Illinois are working to close the gap. Phoenix Bean, a Chicago company on the city’s North Side, processes thousands of pounds of food-grade, non-GMO soybeans each day into tofu and soy milk. The company sources its soybeans from Illinois farms, including Janie’s Mill in Ashkum, and has operated that way since its current owner took it over in 2006.
The Illinois Soybean Association acknowledged that food-grade soy represents a fast-growing but still small slice of overall soybean use. Building out the infrastructure — processing facilities, cold storage, distribution networks — needed to scale that market will require significant investment and sustained policy support.
What’s Next
Harper’s Local Food Infrastructure Grant program is intended to give smaller producers the resources to build out that capacity. Broader momentum in the state legislature will depend in part on how long export disruptions persist and whether commodity prices give farmers a reason to diversify.
With Illinois agriculture under pressure from international trade uncertainty, state officials are expected to continue pushing domestic consumption as a partial hedge — though the transition from field commodity to dinner-table staple remains a long and economically difficult road for most growers.
For more on Illinois politics and policy, see the 7th Circuit’s ruling upholding former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s bribery conviction.