By Katie Micik Dehlinger
Illinois may have set a record statewide average corn yield in 2022, but the nation's highest-yielding county can be found in Idaho.
Six of the nation's top 10 county corn yield averages come from Illinois, according to data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service Quick Stats database. Two of the top county averages come from Idaho, while two are found in western Colorado.
On the other end of the spectrum, the nation's worst county corn yield averages are found in the Southern Plains. Texas claims four spots, while Kansas and Oklahoma sport three apiece.
For context, we've included the number of planted corn acres. Some of the counties with the highest average yields also have small acreage like Mesa County, Colorado, which typically doesn't grow much corn. On the other hand, the more than 300,000 acres of corn grown in McLean County, Illinois, means it vastly outproduced the other counties on the list.
Among the states with the lowest yields, higher acreage matters, too. Rawlins County, Kansas, planted more than 100,000 acres of corn, but averaged only 34.1 bushels per acre, signifying major losses for producers.
| 10 BEST COUNTY CORN YIELDS |
| | COUNTY | STATE | YIELD | ACREAGE |
| 1. | ELMORE | ID | 247.3 | 19,500 |
| 2. | STARK | IL | 240.6 | 86,200 |
| 3. | MESA | CO | 237.9 | 3,300 |
| 4. | WOODFORD | IL | 235.7 | 125,000 |
| 5. | DELTA | CO | 235.3 | 4,200 |
| 6. | OGLE | IL | 234.7 | 203,000 |
| 7. | DE WITT | IL | 232.9 | 102,500 |
| 8. | GEM | ID | 232.6 | 4,600 |
| 9. | MACON | IL | 232.5 | 142,500 |
| 10. | MCLEAN | IL | 232.3 | 312,000 |
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