Top 10 Stories of 2025
Tara Desmond
July 3, 2025
Mid-Year Highlights: IL Corn Top 10 Read Stories
It’s hard to believe 2025 is already halfway over. We’re taking a moment to look back at some of the top IL Corn stories from the first six months of the year. From personal stories to political news, these are the moments that caught your attention.
1. Where are they now: Claire Benjamin
2. 5 Things to Know About the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program
3. IL Corn Announces 2025 Scholarship Recipients
4. Nearly Half of Corn Grown in Illinois Leaves the State
5. Illinois Farmers and Football Players: Growing Champions On and Off the Field
6. U.S. Top Trade Exports and Current Tariffs
7. Remembering Dave Loos: A Legacy Rooted in Relationships and Vision
8. Strip-Till Success: One Farmer's Journey with Cover Crops
9. Corn Plastic: A Renewable Solution to Plastic Pollution
10.
University of Illinois Study on Pivot Bio's Nitrogen Fixation Technology

By Lindsay Croke
•
June 30, 2025
When we think of Independence Day traditions, sweet corn on the cob is as iconic as fireworks and often even more central to the celebration. According to Instacart, purchases of sweet corn surge by 380% over the annual average heading into July 4th, outranking other grilling staples like baby back ribs and burgers. But corn's role in your Fourth of July celebration goes far beyond your plate. In Illinois alone, 8,300 acres of sweet corn are harvested annually, averaging 155 cwt per acre. That’s more than 128 million pounds of locally grown sweetness fueling summer cookouts across the state. And while sweet corn makes a big impression on the grill, most of Illinois’ corn crop isn’t sweet corn - it’s field corn. Less than 1% of the state’s crop is sweet corn, while the rest is used in products that are often invisible to consumers but vital to everyday life: fuel, packaging, fireworks, and even spirits.