Illinois Valley Times

State Representative Bradley Fritts highlighted the significance of August 1 as Illinois Sweet Corn Appreciation Day, stating, "This Illinois Sweet Corn Appreciation Day, be sure to enjoy an ear or two of delicious Illinois-grown corn." He made the statement on August 1.

"Today we celebrate Illinois' state vegetable, sweet corn," said Fritts, according to Facebook. "This Illinois Sweet Corn Appreciation Day, be sure to enjoy an ear or two of delicious Illinois-grown corn."

According to an Illinois House Republicans Caucus blog post, Sweet Corn Appreciation Day was established through a bill introduced by State Representative Tony McCombie in 2022. The day is intended to honor all sweet corn growers and farmers across the state. The blog post also mentions the discovery of kernels of corn that were "unusually sweet" by John R. Laughran in 1953. This discovery led to the development of the Illini Supersweet hybrid, which has become a dominant variety internationally, according to a historical marker on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Screenshot of Rep. Bradley Fritts' Aug. 1 Facebook post | State Representative Bradley Fritts Facebook page

Illinois Public Act 102-1068 states: "The State of Illinois provides an optimal setting for growing sweet corn with its deep fertile soils, moderate rainfall, and temperate weather making it ideal for high yields and quality. Most of the sweet corn production in the United States happens in the north central region mainly within an area from western Indiana through northern Illinois, and southern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Many family farms plant sweet corn to sell in local farmer's markets across the State, providing high quality, nutritious produce at fair prices. Sweet corn, and its importance to Illinois agriculture and family farmers, deserves recognition and appreciation, and the General Assembly declares that August 1 of each year shall be designated as Sweet Corn Appreciation Day." McCombie filed the bill on January 24, 2022; it passed the House of Representatives on March 3, 2022. The next day it arrived in the Senate and was passed on April 6. It was signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker on June 10, 2022, and went into effect on January 1, 2023.

Fritts is the State Representative for District 74 and took office in January 2023. He is a lifelong resident of Illinois; when he’s not in Springfield, he works as a substitute teacher and farms with his family. He holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and consumer economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.