The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Ken Nimrick oaf Stronghurst was the recipient of the Ag Service Award at the Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau annual meeting. Given annually to a person dedicated to agriculture, the award was first given in 1992. Curt Eisenmayer, the inaugural winner, presented the award to Ken for his outstanding contributions in many agricultural venues.
Ken and his wife, Sara, run a grain and commercial beef cattle operation consisting of 220 cow-calf pairs and 35 replacement heifers on 340 acres of permanent and rotational pasture. They have been on the same farm in Henderson County since 1971 on land that has been in Sara's family since 1852.
Ken met his wife, Sara Allison, while both were undergraduates at the University of Illinois. Sara received a degree in Home Economics with an emphasis on child development. After receiving his B.S. degree, Ken went on to receive his masters and doctorate degrees in animal science. For the last nine years, Dr. Nimrick has also had a "day job". He is an associate professor at Western Illinois University where he teaches animal science courses. Other duties include chairing the Agriculture Field Lab Committee, managing the WIU beef herd, doing research on beef management and grazing systems, supervising the WIU performance bull test program, organizing and hosting the Western Illinois Grazing Conference, and speaking at various beef industry events and grazing programs.
The Nimricks were the recipient of the Illinois Beef Association Commercial Producer of the Year Award in 2004. At the National Beef Improvement Federation Annual Meeting in 2006, they competed with commercial farms from throughout the United States and Canada. The Commercial Producer Award has been presented to outstanding cow-calf firms throughout the United States and Canada since 1972. Only 35 firms have been selected for the award since its inception. The Nimricks were the first Illinois cow-calf firm to be honored as the National Commercial Producer of the Year.
Ken is active in many community activities. He is currently on the board of directors of the Bank of Stronghurst and he and Sara serve as deacons in their church. He has served on the board of the Henderson County Retirement Center and on the state advisory committee of the University of Illinois Extension. He served the Illinois Beef Association as a member of the research committee and as ex-officio board member as well as past president of the Henderson County Pork Producers.
Providing assistance on the farm while Ken is busy with other duties are his wife, Sara, and their daughter and son-in-law, Kristin and Alan Durkee. Their other daughter, Amy, and her husband Brian Johnson live near Roseville. In keeping with her farm background, Amy works at the Roseville Veterinary Clinic. Brian, a local plumber, offers much assistance when needed.
Ken Nimrick has devoted much of his life to agriculture, both living it and teaching it. The Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau¨ is proud to recognize Dr. Nimrick for his outstanding service to agriculture and to present him with their 2006 Ag Service Award.
Ken Nimrick of rural Stronghurst, standing with his wife Sara, receives the "Ag Service Award" from Curt Eisenmayer during the annual meeting of the Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau for his contributions to Agriculture.