The Illinois Pork Producers Association and Illinois Beef Association hosted the inaugural Illinois Livestock Leadership Institute in June to cultivate youth who are interested in the respective industries, or beyond.

The 2019 attendees from their respective counties were:

Andrew McGath, Morgan
Ashlyn Mool, McLean
Bethany Brinkman, Monroe
Brett Buhrow, Lee
Carsen Curry, Henry
Cooper Secker, St. Clair
Danielle Hagemann, Ogle
DJ Cain, Knox
Elizabeth Markley, Fulton
Gabby McDermott, Ford
Grace Arnold, DeWitt
Grace Meyer, Henderson
Gracie Scheets, McLean
Hallie Laning, Brown
Jennifer Davis, Menard
Jordan Tammen, Iroquois
Kathleen Smith, Bureau
Keegan Cassady, McLean
Lathan Dierks, Jackson
Lori Jackson, Morgan
Luke Bergschneider, Morgan
Nicole Moest, Stephenson
Ryan Brinkman, Monroe
Seth Mitchell, Richland
Zachary Perkins, Kendall

This four-day trip took place June 19-22 to Milwaukee, Wis. Each year the location changes to allow new scenery and tours. Formerly known as the Illinois Pork Leadership Institute, ILLI is open to students ages 16-22, who are interested in agriculture. A total of 25 applicants were accepted for the learning experience, based on an application and essay.

“The ILLI trip was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience so many different avenues of the agriculture industry in just four short days,” says Cooper Secker, IPPA intern. “I hope it impacted those that attended as much as it impacted me.”

Day 1 of ILLI began with tours in Illinois on the drive to Wisconsin. The first stop was Larson Farms in Maple Park where students learned about custom feeding cattle and the process of scanning a beef animal for loin eye area and backfat. The second stop was Heuber Feed Mill in Creston where they toured the feed mill and learned from staff about the different products they blend for various species. 

The second day included a stop at MorganMyers in Waukesa, Wis., learning about agriculture communications through the eyes of an agency and exposing the many digital job opportunities within the industry. ABS Global, a bovine genetics company, was the next stop north of Madison. Students enjoyed seeing legendary bull studs, watching a collection and learning the process of sexed semen in their lab. Near Madison was Statz Bros, a dairy farm that is home to more than 8,000 head of Holstein cattle and a milk processing barn. Technology was the main take-home from this visit. That evening Kylee Deniz, National Pork Board, presented a hands-on media training encouraging them to be advocates for the industry.

Day 3 began at UW Provision Co. in Madison, where they source meat from the surrounding states and distribute to clients and have a grocery store front for locals. Just across town at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jeffery Sindelar gave the group an exclusive tour of the brand-new meat science processing lab that is in progress.

The final day of ILLI took place back in Illinois on the drive home. Perks Ranch hosted the group at their farm near Rockford. They raise Hereford cattle for both production and the show circuit. To round out the trip, Wesley Lyons of Pipestone Veterinary Services conducted a swine vet lab with the students at a wean-finish pig barn. The interaction at both farms capped off a successful trip.

“The Illinois Livestock Leadership Institute provided me with a broad scope of career opportunities offered by the agriculture industry,” says Keegan Cassady, IBA intern. “We were able to see careers from farm to fork and every step in between.”

Throughout these four days the attendees gained a new network of peers, professional connections, were exposed to endless jobs in the livestock sector and became more knowledgeable of the industry. There are no doubts that these students will excel in their future endeavors.

Source: Illinois Pork Producers Association, which is solely responsible for the information provided, and wholly owns the information. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.