Borgics named Pork Family of Year

Each year, the Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA) honors a pork producing family who has contributed to the long-term success of the industry through leadership and pork promotion on the local, state and national levels. In 2025, IPPA proudly recognizes the Phil and Karen Borgic family of Raymond as the IPPA Family of the Year.

The Phil and Karen Borgic family has been involved in the Illinois pork industry since before their wedding 42 years ago. As president/CEO of Borgic Farms, Inc., Phil has been a mainstay in the industry for decades and Karen has been at his side throughout as the office and finance manager. The farm celebrated its 50th anniversary of incorporation in 2024 but has been around since 1952 when Phil’s parents (Betty and Erval Borgic) started a diversified farm of crops, dairy, beef, chickens and of course pigs in Montgomery County. 



After graduating Lincolnwood and Morrisonville High Schools in 1974, Phil and Karen, respectively, attended Lincoln Land Community College where they attained associate’s degrees. Phil continued to the University of Illinois and earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics. After graduating from the U of I, Phil moved back to Montgomery County and began working at the farm full-time, primarily running the crop operation. Karen and Phil were married in 1982, and have raised three children: Mike, Kevin and Michelle.

Phil became the farm manager when Erval and Betty chose to retire in 1991, and since then he’s continued to grow and evolve the farm in many ways. One prime example was in 1994, when he made the decision to reduce the focus on crops and expand the hog operation. In 1999, Borgic Farms shifted from farrow-to-finish to a farrow-to-wean farm and continued to expand, meeting the market need for weaned pigs. Since the early 2000s, the farm has grown to include two sow farms, two wean-to-market farms and over 50 grower partners across Illinois, marketing 450,000 pigs annually along with a 1,200-acre grain operation.

In addition to the farm operation, Phil and Karen have been heavily involved with the pork industry throughout the world. Phil was a member of the IPPA Board from 1998 to 2014 and served two terms as president in 2008 and 2009. He was also a two-term member of the National Pork Producers Council Board of Directors from 2014 to 2020. Additionally, Phil has served on multiple committees for NPPC, National Pork Board, USDA and multiple legislators. Karen has been involved in both county and state pork producer groups, helping with fundraisers, pork stands, Illinois Pork Expo hospitality rooms and is a previous recipient of Elanco’s Bell Ringer award. They were recently honored to serve as a featured family for the US export standards video that is shared with foreign countries as a model for the health and wellness standards for US Pork.

Over the years, Phil and his team have hosted over 40 farm tours to help educate the public about the pork industry. “We have been hosting individuals and groups at our farms for decades,” states Phil Borgic. “I am proud of the pork industry and the production family we have built. If we don't show others the great things we do every day, our detractors will tell their stories without knowing what really is happening on our farms.”