SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (IRN) — Rising costs are hitting Illinois farmers where it hurts as inflation continues to grip the nation. 

Illinois Pork Producers Executive Director Jennifer Tirey said that prices continue to rise for feed, supplies, shipping and transportation. For pork producers, it isn’t as simple as simply raising the price of a Big Mac like fast-food restaurant McDonald’s may do to make up for the increased cost.

“One, most of them are already in contract for a particular price and two, they don’t have anywhere that they can put those dollars. They can’t really have that price put down to anyone else so they have to eat those additional expenses,” Tirey said to The Center Square.

Tirey said although livestock prices are doing well, corn prices have slightly increased, which means the output costs are more expensive and things are more costly for farmers. 

“But essentially, it’s feast or famine. With corn prices being a little bit higher, that’s making their output costs more expensive,” she said.

According to Tirey, beef has seen a more dramatic price uptick, as pork prices in grocery stores have “remained reasonable.” 

“It’s so important to keep our supply chain moving in a constant manner because that’s how we keep our prices maintained at the level we are able to keep the prices the way they are at the grocery stores,” Tirey said.

Tirey said Illinois is ranked fourth in the nation in pork production with 1,600 hog farmers across the state.

“We just want to try to keep those farmers in business and making sure that we can, you know, do that in a positive manner, is really our main goal as the only pork producers,” she said.

By Trina Thomas for the Illinois Radio Network

Photo: Young pigs in a hoop house enclosure at Polyface Farm | The Pigs of Polyface / Brian Johnson & Dane Kantner