Officials say the county’s water plays a big part in its success
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
Mason County in Illinois is ranked number one in the United States when it comes to producing some specialty crops.
According to the 2012 Censes of Agriculture, 583-square-mile county is ranked number one when it comes to producing popcorn (18,552 acres) green beans (3,907 acres) and vegetables (10,013 acres).
The county is home to farmers who produce crops for companies including Del Monte and Weaver Popcorn, and are proud of the designation.
“Me, my wife and kids eat popcorn every night,” Adam Shissler, who farms on 2,000 acres between Havana and Manito, and serves as the Mason County Farm Bureau president told The State Journal-Register. “Some years, the popcorn won’t yield that well, and whenever I feel like quitting, I think, ‘Yeah, we’d better do it, because we are No. 1 in the nation.’ I enjoy doing it.”
According to officials, it’s the county’s water that helped it get the distinction.
Doug Bailey, chief program specialist with the USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Illinois said the Mahomet Aquifier, an underground water source, helps farmers irrigate fields.
Sandy soil found in the county drains well and the irrigation allows more water to be added when rain isn’t in the forecast.