This project analyzes agricultural land use and demographic trends in Illinois counties with a focus on the Chicagoland area and collar counties in northeastern Illinois. Using the 2012 and 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture data on farm ownership, economics and demographics, I explore how the average age of IL farmers across most counties continues to increase, leading to implications for farmland ownership and transition. Using Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) land use data from 2006 and 2013, I highlight where farmland parcels are disappearing to development or consolidation and identify counties with highest rates of farmland loss.

Last updated: December 2019