BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Pork producers and equipment manufacturers took center stage during the annual Illinois Pork Tour, playing host to 31 visitors from seven countries who opened their pocketbooks wider than usual.

 

Based on preliminary estimates shortly after the tour concluded last month, officials with the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) said the international buyers this year committed to about $3 million in sales of various products – about four times as much as the annual tour usually generates.

Countries represented during this year’s four-day tour included Mexico – which is the largest buyer of pork from Illinois and the United States – as well as Columbia, China, Ecuador, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic and Myanmar.

“Through the Illinois Pork Tour we can build relationships between foreign buyers and Illinois agribusinesses in the hopes of growing our industry and improving our export sales,” said Raymond Poe, IDOA director.

“The Illinois pork industry is a vital component of Illinois agriculture. The industry contributes billions of dollars to our economy and creates thousands of jobs.”

This year’s tour was the state’s 23rd, and the longevity of the event as well as the quality of what Illinois offers is a primary reason for this year’s success, said Rebecca Clark, a spokeswoman for the IDOA.

 

“We hold those Midwestern values, and our companies do as well,” Clark added. “When you have the opportunity to build these relationships, you have the opportunity to demonstrate the value of high-quality Illinois products.”

The tour usually produces about $750,000 in additional sales of primarily pork equipment and feed ingredients, said Bobby Dowson, international marketing representative for IDOA.

“This year, from the post-event evaluation, we’re closer to $3 million in potential sales,” he explained. “These 31 participants were largely international pork producers and they’re looking for anything to better their operation.”

Stops on this year’s tour included the Chicago Board of Trade, the Mercantile Exchange, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Farmweld, a Teutopolis-based company that IDOA called “a company that is on the forefront of wean-to-finish technology.”

According to the USDA, Illinois ranks as the fourth top pork producer, while the nation is the leading exporter of pork, said Illinois Pork Producers Executive Director Jennifer Tirey.

She noted the foundation is in place for even more successful tour results in future years, given that “several” pork processing plants under construction in Illinois will be operational next year. “This will give our industry the ability to boost slaughter capacity and meet a higher demand for exports,” Tirey said.

Nearly one-third of what the U.S. exported in pork last year, or about 2.2 million metric tons, went to Mexico, she noted. She said this year’s tour was a good opportunity to showcase results overall from the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), something President Trump has indicated he intends to renegotiate.