Walsh to lead Illinois Pork Producers Association

Feb 05, 2024

During the 2024 Illinois Pork Producers Association annual meeting, Cheryl Walsh, from Princeville, Illinois was announced as the 2024 IPPA President.

Walsh is a fourth-generation producer from Peoria County. She owns and operates Cowser Inc., which includes a sow farm, hay and a cow-calf operation. All the weaned pigs from the farm are sold directly to customers. She is also an owner/operator of a sister company, Cowser Field & Feedlot, which grows corn and soybeans and helps produce some of the products that are fed to the sows.

Walsh is actively involved with the Peoria County Farm Bureau, serves as township director, is on several local committees, and loves being involved in Ag in the Classroom, where she is affectionately known as “The Peoria County Pig Lady”.

This begins Walsh's second term as an at large director on the IPPA board, where she most recently chaired the marketing committee. She says that there have been many benefits to serving on the IPPA board. In her role, she has been able to connect with legislators, educators and industry professionals and has enjoyed getting to know her senators and representatives on a state and national level. She takes pride in being a voice for all producers.

IPPA delegates also voted on the following officer team for the 2024 year:

Vice President/Treasurer: Josh Maschhoff, Nashville

Secretary: Katie Brown, Morrisonville

Four retiring IPPA directors
During the annual meeting the delegate body also acknowledged four retiring directors. IPPA members serve on the board to discuss the promotion of pork products and meeting the needs of pig farmers across the state.

Jill Brokaw- Years of Service: 2021-2023

Jill Brokaw is a third-generation pig farmer and grew up on her family farm in Joy, Illinois. Over the years she has had many industry experiences, including working with her family's farrow to finish swine operation, management of their feeding and nutrition system and feed mill, as well as row crop farming. She is currently co-owner of Biddle Gilts, LLC. with her father, continuing their decades of partnership with PIC genetics in the sale of female breeding stock throughout the Midwest.

This year, Brokaw stepped into a role with the National Pork Board in producer outreach and sustainability coordination for the states of Illinois and Missouri. Through this role she works closely with the state associations to provide assistance and support for local swine producers while focusing on foreign animal disease preparedness, on farm sustainability reporting, and Climate Smart Grant applications.

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Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.