Kent Blunier of Forrest, Ill, was named the new at-large director for the Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA) during the 2022 IPPA annual meeting on Feb. 22.
Blunier, his wife Jarrin, and son Reed, live in Forrest, Ill., where Blunier is the owner and daily operations manager of Blunier Farms which currently markets 10,000 hogs annually and farms 1,300 acres of corn and soybeans. He and his family have been very involved in the industry over the years. In addition to attending district meetings and serving as a pork delegate, he also has worked at the Pork Patio during the Illinois State Fair. Blunier is active in his community, serving as president of the Livingston County Corn Growers and as active member of the Livingston County Farm Bureau. He is a proud FFA alumni and member of the Pontiac Bible Church.
“The biggest challenge for the pork industry in the next five years is maintaining fair regulations for pork producers while educating a consumer audience that continues to get further removed from the farm and biosecurity and herd health issues,” Blunier said in a release.
The IPPA board consists of six district representatives, 12 at-large positions and representatives from the following organizations: Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Purebred Swine Council, National Pork Board and National Pork Producers Council. They meet quarterly to discuss promotion of pork products and meeting the
needs of pig farmers across the state.
In addition to Blunier’s election, other notable elections that took place are District 2: Tom Wilkey of Fairbury, District 6: Josh Maschhoff, and at-large directors, Thomas Titus of Elkhart, Matt Frizzo of Gillespie, and Dale Weitekamp of Raymond.
IPPA delegates also voted on the following 2022 officer team:
• President: Thomas Titus, Elkhart
• President-Elect: Chad Leman, Eureka
• Vice President-Treasurer: Cheryl Walsh, Princeville
• Secretary: Matt Frizzo, Gillespie
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