Lemans IPPA’s Family of Year

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Pork Producers Association honored a family that has contributed to the long-term success of the industry through leadership and pork promotion at the local and state levels.

During its Swine Summit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, IPPA honored the Leman Family of Eureka as the Family of the Year.

Leman Farms Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned agricultural enterprise located in central Illinois.

The farm is deeply rooted in diversified crop and livestock production — raising corn, soybeans and seed beans and producing high-quality pork for regional and national markets.

The operation emphasizes generational land stewardship, efficient production practices and investment in both people and infrastructure to support long-term growth and food-secure rural communities.

Chad Leman is Leman Farms president and a lifelong steward of the family’s farming legacy. As a third-generation farmer, he has helped guide the evolution of the family’s enterprise from traditional row crops and a small farrow-to-finish operation to a fully diversified farm that markets approximately 120,000 hogs annually alongside its corn and soybean production.

Chad’s wife, Staci, has been instrumental in the daily routine at Leman Farms as the treasurer and bookkeeper. She oversees all recordkeeping, accounts payable and receivable and employee payroll.

Her workload increases during spring planting and fall harvest, delivering meals to the field crews. Staci’s attention to detail and ability to take on an ever-expanding role have made her invaluable to the family farm.

“It speaks to my parents and my grandparents who laid a foundation that we can continue to build on.”

—  Chad Leman, president, Leman Farms Inc.

Chad and Staci have four daughters and a son-in-law. Their oldest, Tessa, returned to the farm in 2022 after graduating with a business degree from Illinois State University. Her responsibilities center around agronomic decision-making and human resources.

Their second oldest, Darby, married Hunter Gladson and teaches Spanish at a local high school. Her fluency in languages has been an important resource at Leman Farms as they rely more heavily on foreign workers to care for pigs.

Youngest daughters Sofie and Sierra work off-farm jobs and live nearby.

“At the heart of the farm are the employees, several of whom have worked at Leman Farms between 15 and 30 years. This continuity and experience have made it possible to have measured growth without sacrificing performance and productivity,” the IPPA stated in its announcement.

“Between hog care, feed milling, repair shop, trucking and field work, these men and women have been extremely dedicated and treat the farm as though it is their own. Without this team, Leman Farms would not look the way it does today.

“Also vital to the success at Leman Farms are the contract growers that work alongside the Leman team. These growers provide daily care of the pigs and maintenance of their barns while utilizing the manure on their own crop acres. These relationships have served as a win-win for both Leman’s and the grower partners.

“Within Leman Farms, Chad is known for balancing strategic planning with day-to-day operational excellence — from managing grain logistics and marketing to building a reliable, experienced team and welcoming the next generation into the business. His approach emphasizes hard work, thoughtful risk management and a deep sense of responsibility to the land, livestock, employees and community.”

“It is an honor to have your fellow producers decide to give you the Family of the Year. It speaks to my parents and my grandparents who laid a foundation that we can continue to build on,” Chad said.

“Without the employees that we have on our farm, this award doesn’t come to us. They’re really the ones that deserve the recognition for getting the job done every day.”

IPPA Leadership

Chad has been involved with the IPPA for nine years, serving as president in 2023.

“I was somewhat reluctant initially to run for a position on the board, but I soon realized that what we can do as an association is way more than what I can do as an individual farmer — just to get a voice in Springfield and a voice in D.C., hosting folks on the farm and helping steer policy, it has been a time well spent.”

The pork industry has experienced numerous challenges over the last six years, from the closure of processing plants during COVID to Proposition 12 restricting pork sales in California by producers who fail to meet the state’s minimum space requirements for farm animals.

“When you’re on the farm, especially on a livestock farm, you’re busy every day and you don’t have time to pay attention to what’s going on everywhere. So, when you have a state association and also at the national level that is really keeping an eye on these issues, you’ve got to have it and, as a producer, you really have to participate because it is your checkoff dollars that are being spent,” Chad said.

Chad’s leadership extends beyond the farm. During his term as president, he focused on industry challenges such as labor shortages and policy issues affecting pork producers statewide, advocating for practical solutions and stronger agricultural representation.

Much of his time on the board at IPPA involved working directly with state and federal legislators to improve foreign labor access for small and mid-size farms.

After the 2023 Supreme Court Prop 12 ruling, Chad focused much of his time and energy on creating and communicating a practical solution to lawmakers in D.C. along with representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Beyond his agriculturally focused responsibilities, Chad is deeply involved locally, having served on the Eureka CUSD 140 School Board for 15 years and as an elder at New Castle Bible Church for 10 years.

Farm History

Chad’s grandfather, Vernon Leman, started farming the main homestead in 1948, laying the groundwork for future generations by cultivating crops and raising a mix of livestock.

Vernon and his wife, Viola, had four sons. The youngest, Keith, returned to the farm with his wife, Dorothy, after graduating from Illinois State University with an ag education degree in 1973.

Two of Keith’s older brothers, Gene and Alan, were also heavily involved in the pork industry — Gene as a vice president at Iowa Beef Packers and then Tyson Foods, and Dr. Alan Leman as one of the premier swine vets in the country. A third brother, Hap, is a farmland investor along with his sons.

Keith and Dorothy began slowly transitioning from a multispecies farmstead to a swine-only enterprise. In the early ‘80s, Keith built his first farrowing barn followed over the next few years with gestation, nursery and a finishing barn.

Keith would often hire high school boys to help with hog and field work. Their faith in God was always front and center as they started with meager means and worked hard over many years to create a farm that could be passed down to the next generation — Chad and his family.