Here's Why Bacon Day Has Deep Meaning for Illinois Pork Producers
On Wednesday, the Illinois Pork Producers Association will convene at the Illinois State Capitol to celebrate the commemoration of Senate Joint Resolution 22 sponsored by Illinois Senator Tom Bennett (R-53). The resolution designates May 3 as “Illinois Bacon Day."
"Our Illinois pig farmers need to be commended for the safe and nutritious pork that they work hard to raise 365 days a year,” Bennett said in a release. “I am proud to represent our livestock industry in the 53rd district and to give my colleagues in the general assembly an opportunity to learn more about this viable industry as we celebrate one of my favorite pork products: bacon.”
The capitol will be filled with Illinois pig farmers, IPPA staff and FFA state officers handing out BLT sandwiches to legislators on Wednesday and discussing the role that pork production plays in Illinois, the fourth largest pork producing state in the U.S.
Bacon is in Demand
The average American eats about 18 pounds of bacon each year, recent studies show. Illinois pork producers keep up with that demand by producing over 6 billion slices of bacon, annually.
The pork industry is committed to providing consumers with the highest quality protein available and the pork industry supports over 57,000 jobs and contributes an estimated $13.8 billion dollars to the economy, however, pig farmers and struggling and need our support, IPPA said in a release.
“IPPA is laser-focused on addressing labor shortages on hog farms and producer profitably. We recognize that many stakeholders participating in Illinois Bacon Day don’t represent rural districts,” Chad Leman, IPPA president, said in a release. “That is why we are seizing this opportunity to educate them about our industry and discuss the issues currently facing pig farmers. Our hog farmers have been faced with negative margins now for six consecutive months. These lack of profitability issues will eventually come full circle and negatively affect our state’s economy.”
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