East Central Reporter

State Representative Adam Niemerg celebrated Sweet Corn Appreciation Day, urging his constituents, "This Illinois Sweet Corn Appreciation Day, be sure to enjoy an ear or two of delicious Illinois-grown corn." He made the statement in an August 1 Facebook post.

"Today we celebrate Illinois' state vegetable, sweet corn," said Adam M Niemerg, State Representative for 102nd District (R), according to Facebook. "This Illinois Sweet Corn Appreciation Day, be sure to enjoy an ear or two of delicious Illinois-grown corn."

In his Facebook post, Niemerg shared a link to an Illinois House Republicans Caucus blog post focused on sweet corn in Illinois. According to the blog post, Sweet Corn Appreciation Day was created with a bill from State Representative Tony McCombie in 2022. It is a day to commemorate all sweet corn growers and farmers across the state.

Screenshot of Rep. Adam Niemerg's Aug. 1 Facebook post | State Representative Adam Niemerg Facebook page

The blog post also discusses the discovery of kernels of corn that were "unusually sweet" by John R. Laughran in 1953. This led to the development of the Illini Supersweet hybrid, which is now a dominant variety internationally, according to a historical marker on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed it into law on June 10, 2022; it went into effect on January 1, 2023.

Niemerg was first elected in 2020. According to his official biography, he calls himself a "fiscal conservative focused on reducing taxes and fighting for limited government and pension reform." He is a senior claims adjuster with Country Financial and holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University.