Feeding the world from the heart of the U.S.
Illinois is at the epicenter of the agribusiness industry, with a dynamic ecosystem of next-generation agriculture, agtech, and food processing companies committed to a sustainable future. The state's skilled workforce, strategic location, and long-standing history in agriculture offer companies fertile ground to plant roots — and grow.
Agribusiness
Ready Workforce
Ranked #1 in the Midwest for number of agribusiness jobs (180K+) and #1 in the U.S. for agricultural feedstock and industrial biosciences employment, Illinois' talent pipeline is unmatched. From the state's prestigious PhD programs to its robust community college system, Illinois produces the workforce shaping the agribusiness industry — graduating 2.5K+ students from programs in agriculture, animal, plant, vet science and related fields in 2023 alone (#1 in the Midwest, #3 in the U.S.).
Robust Infrastructure
Centrally located in the heart of the U.S., with unique access to the world via air, road, rail, and water, Illinois allows companies to move people and products more effectively — and with greater cost efficiency. Home to 27M acres of farmland, Illinois produces the #1 largest quantity of soybeans and #2 largest quantity of corn in the nation. The state also offers food producers and manufacturers a more localized supply chain — with nearly 60% able to be sourced within the state — surpassing both Texas and California.
Collaborative Community
The state convenes global food processing companies with cutting-edge agtech firms, backed by world-class universities and industry-leading R&D. Over 408 agriculture and agtech companies (#1 in the Midwest) create in Illinois a top-5 state in the U.S. for precision agriculture. Home to 2K+ food manufacturing locations, Illinois is best in the U.S. for food processing: #1 for food batchmakers and #2 for both food cooking machine operators and food processing workers. The foundation — and the future — of agribusiness is in Illinois.
Notable Illinois Businesses
Notable Illinois Businesses
Top Illinois agribusiness employers include:
- Ingredion
- Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM)
- Kraft Heinz
- McDonald's
- Mondelēz International
- Conagra
Key Data
- 179K+ agribusiness jobs across ~6.8K business locations (#1 in Midwest; top 5 in U.S.)
- #1 for soybean production, #2 for corn production, and #4 for hog production in the U.S.
- #1 in the U.S. for private food manufacturing R&D
- #2 in the U.S. for food-related patents
- #3 in the U.S. for exports of agricultural commodities ($13.6B worth of goods)
- 2nd largest food processing cluster in the U.S. ($12.9B GRP)
- Home to the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub, the recipient of a $51M EDA Tech Hub grant
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