Chambana Sun

A side of pork had its day in Illinois when May 3 was declared “Illinois Bacon Day.”

State Sen. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City) was Senate sponsor of Senate Resolution 22 that declared the inaugural Illinois Bacon Day. The celebration supported Illinois pig farmers, the Illinois Pork Producers Association’s Facebook page said.

“In recognition of the contributions and importance of the state’s pork industry, I was able to recently pass legislation with the Illinois Pork Producers Association declaring May 3 as ‘Illinois Bacon Day,’” Bennett said in a video.

The Senate joint resolution said that “pork is the most widely eaten protein in the world,” and that Illinois is the fourth largest pork-producing state.

“Illinois pig farmers produce over six billion slices of bacon per year, and the average American eats 17.9 lbs of bacon per year,” the resolution said.

Pork production in Illinois contributes approximately $13.8 billion to Illinois’ economy while supporting over 57,000 jobs, the resolution said.

“In 2017, Illinois produced 2.1 billion pounds of pork, fourth in the U.S. behind Iowa, North Carolina, & Minnesota,” the Illinois Pork Producers’ website said. “11 million pigs were finished in Illinois according to the USDA/NASS (U.S. Department of Agriculture/National Agricultural Statistics Service) 2017 Pig Crop Report.”

Pike County has over 296,000 head of hogs, making it the number one pork-producing county in Illinois.

“The Illinois Pork Producers Association was at the Capitol complex today (May 3), celebrating the newly established Illinois Bacon Day!” the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus’ Facebook post said. “They even provided BLT sandwiches to celebrate the occasion. We can’t pick a favorite day, but if we could, bacon day might win!”

Jerry Costello, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, said in a Facebook post video while frying bacon, “Happy Illinois Bacon Day. Illinois is proud to be the number four pork producer in the United States.”