USMCA SENATE PASSAGE STATEMENT
January 16, 2020
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Following the Senate vote to pass the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) for trade, Illinois Corn Growers Association President Bill Leigh, a farmer from Minonk, made the following statement:
“Every step toward USMCA passage is cause for celebration! Trade with Mexico and Canada is a vital part of the market for Illinois corn, with both countries making up 25-30% of corn sales leaving the country. ICGA would like to thank our Senators, Tammy Duckworth and Richard Durbin, for their vote in support of the agreement as well as the entire United States Senate for their bipartisan and overwhelming support.”

By Lindsay Croke
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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.