Or, last Nov. 5, when he returned home after finishing harvest to spend some final moments with his father, Dean R. Zehr, who passed away that morning with Zehr by his side.
But the family has also experienced great joy during that period, such as when their new farmhouse at 28940 Dutch Lane – also the address for their farm operation and branded meat business – was ready for occupancy. Or when Zehr was elected president of the Illinois Pork Producers Assoc. (IPPA) by his hog farmer-peers.
He officially took office Feb. 3 during the Illinois Pork Expo at the Peoria Civic Center. "I’d like to thank you for the opportunity to do this," Zehr said after being introduced by outgoing president Todd Dail later that evening, during the IPPA Generations of Commitment Awards Banquet in East Peoria.
Zehr began an emotional speech that addressed the state of the pork industry but also, perhaps most important, served as a public acknowledgement to fellow producers who reached out to him and his wife, Sue, and the rest of the family during the tribulations of the past 15 months.
He began by describing the family’s farm operation as featuring four streams for revenue: market hogs, genetics, grain and branded pork products. But when he came out of the University of Illinois in 1981 to work on the farm, he had no idea that more than 30 years later he would be creating swine genetics for a French firm, marketing his own pork products or employing the type of modern machinery and technology used in today’s swine operations.
Zehr credited his late father’s early guidance with being the biggest influence on his success. "I spent the better part of my life going to pork events with my dad, whether it was showing Durocs at local, state or national shows or going to pork producer meetings. He introduced me to a lot of leaders in the swine industry," he told banquet attendees.
"As I got older, he stayed home and sent me to a lot of these events to represent our farm. I’ve been very fortunate from a very young age to have made many lifelong friends in the pork industry. This has never been more evident than in the last year when so many of you called and offered your help and support when we lost our farm in a tornado.
"Words can’t truly express what that meant to Sue and I, so I want to say thank you right now in person."
Just as there have been sea changes in the Zehrs’ world, the pork industry as a whole has experienced its share of recent transition, he noted.
"Some things have remained constant, however. Whether we raise 50, 500 or 5,000 head, we’ve endured and survived in this business. We care about this industry and we all try to do the right things for our farms, for our pigs, our employees and our environment," he said.
Zehr, who served as an IPPA district director for his region before being elected president, sees the organization’s primary role as serving to educate legislators and the public, along with protecting pork producers’ "social license" granted by consumers and government, allowing farmers to use modern technology to produce pork.
"It’s a very humbling experience for me to be elected as president of the IPPA this year," he concluded. "Past (IPPA) leaders have left us a legacy of a relevant, dynamic organization that’s had a powerful, positive impact on the swine industry in Illinois and the U.S. I intend to do my best to continue that tradition."
