Lake County Gazette

During a stop on the 2017 Illinois Pork Tour, 31 international buyers visited Amlan International in Vernon Hills to learn how the company allows producers to promote animal health, according to a press release from the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

The department has sponsored the Illinois Pork Tour for more than 20 years, connecting a key segment of the state’s agricultural industry to international markets.

A division of the Oil-Dri Corporation, Amlan International is focused on promoting animal health. The company’s Vernon Hills Innovation Center is a research and development facility that focuses on how animal health can be improved through sorbent minerals.

“The Illinois pork industry is a vital component of Illinois agriculture," Raymond Poe, director of the agriculture department, said, according to the release. "The industry contributes billions of dollars to our economy and creates thousands of jobs. Through the Illinois Pork Tour we can build relationships between foreign buyers and Illinois agri-businesses in the hopes of growing our industry and improving our export sales.”

This year’s tour featured participants from China, Myanmar, Mexico, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Colombia and Vietnam. Over the two decades that the department has run the tour, it has helped local agribusinesses secure sales worth more than $12 million.