USDA: Illinois has record corn, soybean crops in 2014

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The federal government says Illinois corn and soybean growers had a record year in 2014.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that farmers statewide produced an estimated 2.35 billion bushels of corn last year. That tops the 2007 record of 2.28 billion bushels.

Yields of that commodity were a record 200 bushels per acre, up 22 bushels from 2013.

That's despite a 1 percent decline in corn acreage planted, to 11.9 million acres.

The 9.8 million acres of soybean acres harvested last year were up 3 percent from 2013, and farmers got the most out of them. The USDA says a record 548 million bushels were produced, with an average yield per acre also set a new milestone at 56 bushels.

Nationwide, corn and soybean production also set records.