SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Conrady family from Elkhart, IL has been named the 2016 Family of the Year by the Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA) during the Illinois Pork Expo. For three generations the Conrady family has been an important part of pork production in Logan County. David and Lisa and their family are the proud owners and operators of TriPork, Inc, a family farm.
Dave and Lisa have three children, Brett, Breann, and Ross. All three were involved in 4-H, FFA, sports, and various other activities growing up. The summers for the Conrady family consisted of showing hogs, cattle, and sheep at the Logan County Fair, Illinois State Fair, and some national shows.
Brett married Janna in 2010 and they have two sons (Ryder and Brantley) and are expecting a third child in May, both of their boys love the farm life. Brett went to Illinois State University and graduated in 2004. He now helps his dad, Dave, farm 1,700 acres of corn and soybeans in Elkhart. They use some of the corn at the on-site feed processing facility for the pork production.
Breann graduated from Illinois State University and has continued to be involved in IPPA. She actually meet her husband, Thomas Titus, while working at the Pork Patio at the Illinois State Fair. Breann and Thomas have two daughters (Reagan and Lakin) who love to help on the farm. Breann is the Director of Volunteer Services for Community Action of Central Illinois. Thomas is a former IPPA intern, but currently works for his father-in-law as the Sow Farm Manager and Financial Manager at TriPork, Inc. He is also one of the Faces of Farming with the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance.
Ross, the Conrady’s youngest son, passed away in a vehicle accident in 2008. RBC Chesters was started by Ross in 2003 as an FFA project. After his death Dave and Lisa decided to continue raising Chester White hogs under the RBC Chesters name to keep Ross’s memory alive.
Dave found an interest in hog production through 4-H and FFA. He grew up showing hogs and even continued raising them throughout college with his dad, Ben. After college, in the late 70’s, he came home and expanded their farm to 300 sows farrow-to-finish. In 1990, TriPork, Inc. was founded when they expanded again, this time to a 750 sow breed-to-wean facility with an additional finishing building.
Dave has been an active member of IPPA, serving on the board from 2004-today. In 1999, he received the Pork All-American Award for his lifetime of accomplishments in the pork industry. The entire Conrady family are members of the Logan County Pork Producers, with Dave having served as an officer. They all do a great job of promoting the pork industry in any way they can. They donate hogs to fundraisers and community events and are involved in many organizations in their community. They enjoy giving back whenever possible.
— The Illinois Pork Producers Association
For more news from Illinois, click here.