Every year around this time, I try to devote my monthly article to a topic I have grown to appreciate since taking this role nearly seven years ago: the deep agricultural roots in Greater Peoria. It’s no surprise that a city kid like me (born and raised in suburban Los Angeles – dozens and dozens of miles from any commercial farming) has to wait about a month to know whether a field is planted with corn or soybeans. But a bit over twenty-one years ago, I moved to Peoria and found myself, for the first time, recognizing the importance of agriculture to an economy. There is no better time to understand this than in late September and early October. You don’t have to get very far outside of the city to watch the landscape change before your eyes; in fact, sometimes, it happens within the city’s limits.
Unlike the other pillars of our regional economy, the agricultural industry is right there for all of us to see. Our manufacturers make their parts and products within the confines of the factory walls. Healthcare is performed in offices and operating rooms, hidden (mercifully) from the public. But the cycle of the agricultural industry happens right in front of us. One day the field is high with corn, and a few days later, when you pass by, it’s a freshly empty field. Those products are turned into food, fuel, and feed. From an economic standpoint, though, the season’s harvest puts money into the pockets of farmers, allowing them to invest in their businesses, feed their families, and support the overall economy.
The farming segment of this economic engine is impressive on its own, but what really makes this sector special is that Greater Peoria is the intersection of agriculture and manufacturing. It’s one thing to grow pumpkins; it’s another thing to can 80% of the world’s pumpkins in your backyard at Libby’s and Seneca. The same can be said of corn and soybeans, grown here but also processed at businesses like BioUrja and Alto Ingredients. Even startups like Natural Fiber Welding utilize locally available crops like soybean to develop next-generation textiles. You will see our farmers out in their fields with big and expensive machinery – and a not insignificant amount is designed, manufactured, and sold here by companies like Precision Planting, 360 Yield Center, and Case New Holland. You might even find a Caterpillar tractor or two hanging around a farm.
We are also on the cutting edge of agriculture. If we weren’t a center of agricultural production, the USDA would not have selected Peoria to be the home of the National Center for Agricultural Utilization and Research (better known as the “AgLab”) in the first half of the 20th century. The AgLab scientists are working to protect crops from climate change, improve plant efficiency and yields, and even develop new crop-based products like sustainable aviation fuel. When Peoria was visited by a delegation of Brazilian farmers and businesspeople this summer, they were all amazed at the confluence of resources available in our region. To capitalize on these intersections, GPEDC, and its partners have hosted quarterly AgTech Connect meetings to bring together farmers, researchers, and innovators and foster collaboration and communication.
There was an ad campaign years ago that suggested that when you ate your dinner, you should “thank a farmer.” That is good advice. But in Greater Peoria, we have more than just our meals as a reason for gratitude.