Corn seedling; photo by Noël Zia Lee on Flickr (use permitted with attribution).
Official State Soil of Illinois
Drummer silty clay loam was designated the official state soil of Illinois in 2001 to recognize its value to agriculture and the overall economy of the state. Drummer soil is deep, dark black topsoil named for Drummer Creek (in Drummer Township, IL). Each state of the U.S. has selected a representative state soil and over twenty states have recognized their representative soil as an official state symbol. All State Soils
Drummer soils are the most prevalent soils in Illinois (occurring on more than 1,500,000 acres in northern sections of the state). These prairie-derived soils are also the most productive soils of Illinois - corn and soybeans are the main crops (corn is the state vegetable, and popcorn is the state snack food).
