Leanne Casner of Christian County is the recipient of the 2020 Dairy Industry Service Award. This award recognizes an Illinois individual who has shown exemplary service and benefit to the state’s dairy industry.
Casner grew up on the family dairy farm and later returned after college and three years of service in the U.S. Army. She has worked full time on the farm since 2009, overseeing new hires, breeding decisions and heifer reproduction.
Casner also runs a Facebook page, Daily Dose of Dairy, to clarify myths and present facts behind the dairy industry and milk. She often welcomes visitors to the farm for tours and agriculture education opportunities.
The 2020 Dairy Sustainability Award recognizes an Illinois dairy farm or dairy farmer who has made outstanding contributions toward innovative technologies and best management practices to improve environmental stewardship and economic viability. This year’s award recognizes the Kilgus Farmstead in Livingston County.
The Kilguses — Paul, Matt, Justin and Trent — and their families run a second-generation family dairy farm in Fairbury. The dairy was started by Paul’s parents in 1958.
Over the years, the Kilguses have devised solutions to diversify the farm business and include more family members. One of these decisions was the construction of an on-farm creamery. In 2009, Kilgus Dairy began bottling and distributing their own milk and Kilgus Farmstead was born.
Environmental sustainability is achieved on the Kilgus dairy farm through practices such as reducing soil loss with pasture rotational grazing, using crop rotation to minimize weed-insect-disease pressure, improving soil fertility with manure management, and using compost bedded cow housing which increases cow comfort and longevity.
Kilgus Farmstead products — including fresh pasteurized milk, Jersey beef, Berkshire pork and Boer goat meat — can be found in a wide variety of restaurant and retail locations throughout central Illinois and the Chicagoland area, in addition to their own Kilgus Farmstead Country Store located at the farm.
