Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II was the featured speaker at the annual Waterloo FFA awards banquet May 7 at Waterloo High School. 

The husband of WHS principal Lori Costello, touted Illinois’ agriculture as having a $25 billion impact on the state. 

“We are the number one producer of soybeans, second in corn production, fourth in pork, first in horseradish, number one in pumpkin and first in food production in the country,” he said.

Costello added that Illinois has the top 11 counties in the country in soybean production and the top five counties in corn production in the United States. 

He said the skills learned and networking opportunities FFA members receive make them highly sought after by universities and industries. 

Costello said he worked with legislators last year to pass a bill that covered dues expenses for every high school student joining an FFA chapter in Illinois. 

In just one year, the FFA grew from 23,000 to over 37,000 members. 

“They are the talent icons in the state,” Costello said.