America’s Stockpile of Bacon Highest in 48 Years

Bacon is at it's highest point in almost 50 years, according to the USDA.

Bloomberg

Being there has been an extreme rise in hog herds in the U.S, up to over 77 million head, there are now over 40 million pounds of pork belly in refrigeration units across the country. Hog farmers started beefing up their production in anticipation for a Chinese demand for pork, due to the Chinese pork population being decimated by a mass disease called African swine fever.

Luckily for us bacon lovers, US demand is mostly for pork belly. Unlucky for us, China's demand is for whole carcasses, which makes the pork belly unusable after the gutting of the pig.