The Illinois House Republican Caucus wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving filled with the warmth of family and friends. 

This year, we are more grateful than ever for the opportunity to serve our communities and be your voice at the State Capitol in Springfield. 

From Chicago to Cairo, from Danville to Quincy and everywhere in between, House Republicans are honored to serve parts of all 102 counties in Illinois. All across our beautiful state, we celebrate this Thanksgiving with appreciation for the people and organizations that make our communities thrive -- and who give so generously of their time and their talents in service to neighbors in need. 

Photo Credit: Yordy Turkey Farm, Morton, Ill.

As Thanksgiving approaches, Illinois families gather around tables filled with gratitude—and turkey. But behind every golden roast is a hardworking network of farmers, processors, and small businesses that make up Illinois’ proud turkey industry. While our state is often celebrated for corn and soybeans, turkey producers are quietly driving economic growth, supporting rural communities, and keeping America fed.

Thanksgiving is a treasured national holiday in the United States, celebrated this year on Thursday, November 28, 2024. Its origins date back over four centuries to 1621, when the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoag people shared an autumn harvest feast. This act of gratitude for survival and a bountiful harvest is recognized as one of the earliest Thanksgiving celebrations in American history.

Five of the top poultry production states in the U.S. are in the Midwest, led by Minnesota. In Illinois, the turkey industry has a smaller, but still very important footprint. Poultry is big business, contributing nearly $600 billion annually to the U.S. economy. That represents three percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. 

In Illinois, there is a concentration of independent growers in the Peoria and Morton areas, along with a couple of USDA-inspected processing plants. The lack of processing plants is a major impediment in expanding the poultry industry in Illinois. The cost of building a plant is very expensive, and finding enough employees willing to work is another issue. Most Illinois turkey producers are contract growers for large, integrated farms in Iowa and Indiana.