Illinois is one of the top agricultural states in the country.
The state’s climate and soil types enable farmers to grow a wide variety of crops and livestock. Illinois produces soybeans, corn, wheat, oats, sorghum, hay, sheep, poultry, fruits, and vegetables.
The state also raises many specialty crops, such as buckwheat, horseradish, ostriches, fish, and Christmas trees.
Illinois farmers take advantage of the state’s diverse terrain to raise a variety of livestock.
Cattle are raised on the grassy plains in the central and western parts of the state.
Hogs are popular in the eastern part of Illinois near the Indiana border. Swine production is concentrated in Fulton County, where many large commercial operations are located.
US Plant Hardiness Zone for Illinois
Before we go ahead, let us take a look at the US Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Plant Hardiness Zone Map Of Illinois
Climate
Illinois has a humid continental climate in the majority of the state with hot summers and cold winters.
Summers range from humid and warm to hot in the state with occasional extreme temperatures during a heatwave.
The average high temperatures are above 80°F at the peak of July.
Winters are cold, with ice storms and invasion of cold waves. Low temperatures in winter often drop below 10°F.
Precipitation
The state of Illinois receives an average annual precipitation of 32 inches in the northern part and 48 inches in the southern portion.
The annual snowfall ranges from 14 inches in the south to 38 inches in the north.
Soil Type
The given map shows the soil orders spread across the state.
Soil Orders Of Illinois
Now, let us make it more clear with the help of the table below.
Soil Order Of Illinois
| Soil / Sub Order | Location | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Alfisols/Udalfs and Aqualfs | Udalfs are found across the boundaries of the state while Aqualfs in the Southern Till plains. | 1. Aqualfs have warm and aquic conditions. Most Aqualfs have some artificial drainage or other water control. 2. Udalfs have a udic moisture regime |
| Mollisols/Udolls and Aquolls | Udolls are found in the northern and the central part of the state and Aquolls around the boundary in the western forest prairie. | 1. Udolls are the more or less freely drained Mollisols of humid climates. 2. Aquolls are the wet Mollisols. |
| Entisols/Aquents, Arents, and Psamments | Aquents are found in the southern part of the state, Arents in the Northeastern Morainal, and a small patch of Psammants in the western forest prairie | 1. Aquents are the wet Entisols that are forming in recent sediments. 2. Arents do not have diagnostic horizons because they have been deeply mixed by plowing, spading, or other methods of moving by humans. 3.Psamments soils are sandy in all layers and are productive rangeland soils in some arid and semiarid climates. |
| Inceptisols/Aquepts | In the lower Mississippi River bottomlands | 1. Aquepts are wet Inceptisols and require artificial drainage due to their poor natural drainage. |
