The Dewey Haag family of Emington, Ill. is the 2013 Illinois Pork Producers Family of the Year. (Photo courtesy Illinois Pork Producers Association)

PEORIA - A Livingston County family is the 2013 Illinois Pork Producer Family of the Year.

The Dewaine (Dewey) and Marie Haag family of Emington received the honor during the Illinois Pork Expo in Peoria.  The award recognizes a pork producer family who has done an outstanding job in promoting pork and has exemplified leadership skills at the county, state and national levels.

The family includes Dewey and Marie and their children, Mike and Christine.  Mike and his wife, Trisha, have three children.  Christine and husband Jeff Stark have two children. Dewey serves as owner and President of Haag Farms, Inc. Marie is the chief financial officer and secretary. Mike and Jeff serve as managers of the farm. Trisha is the feed mill manager, while Kaleb helps on the farm with both the crops and swine operation. The rest of the children help as needed around the farm. Colin is always willing to operate machinery at a moment’s notice.

The Haag family has been an integral part of pork production in Livingston County for more than 44 years. Dewey and Marie were married Nov 30, 1963.  Dewey started with 12 sows in 1969 and took over the family farm for Marie's parents, which has been in the family since the 1920’s. The farm has grown and changed over the years as more family members have become involved. The Haag Farm currently has 1,200 sows  farrow to finish and 1,800 acres of corn and soybeans. Dewey also operates a dragline custom manure application business and pumps millions of gallons of manure each fall for surrounding farmers.

The Haags have always been active in promoting pork and the pork industry and continue to hold leadership roles at a variety of levels.

"I think it's a nice complement to what we do... kind of job safety, in a way, to continue pushing for those important issues in our industry and being a part of that rather than just sitting back and letting someone else hold the reins," said Trisha Haag.

Carrie Muehling can be reached at carrie@wjbc.com.