History

With roots dating back to 1851 in southern Illinois, The Maschhoffs has preserved its family culture throughout its history. The Carlyle, IL headquarters is located just up the road from the family farm.

The history of the family farm starts in the late 1930s with an orchard of fruit trees that were well past their prime. After countless hours of physical labor, Ben Maschhoff worked long hours to clear the land in order to plant corn and wheat. In 1956, Ben’s son Wayne was discharged after a distinguished career with the U.S. Air Force. He returned to the family farm with his young bride, Marlene.

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Focused on Pigs

Wayne and Ben managed a mixed-crop/livestock enterprise that was common in those days. In 1961, Wayne and Marlene became the owners of a new 700-head finishing barn. Until that point, the Maschhoff family’s pigs were all raised outside. Wayne and Marlene’s entrepreneurial spirit continued to push the family farm further throughout the 1970s. That spirit took the next evolutionary step in the form of sons Dave and Ken.

Back on the family farm with freshly-printed college degrees in the late 1970s, Dave and Ken threw themselves into the family business. Early on, they made a decision to focus on hog production. In 1979, they began construction on a project that boosted the sow herd from 150 to 700. They expanded further in the 1980s. In 1996, the brothers signed on their first Production Partner. The decision to work with family farmers to raise wean pigs to market weight marked the next step in the brothers’ business model.

By 2001, the family farm was up to 24,000 sows. In another couple years, they doubled the sow herd again. In 2005, The Maschhoffs made a massive leap in sow herd size with the purchase of Land O’ Lakes’ swine assets. This put the family company at around 110,000 sows. Additional acquisitions throughout the past decade have brought the company to its current size of more than 140,000 sows, with a 6-state footprint.

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Family Values

Today, the business finds itself in a unique position. It is one of the largest family-owned hog production networks in North America. And, yet, the family values remain embedded in the culture. Dave and his wife Karen, along with Ken and his wife Julie, are the sole owners of the company. The hard work and dedication they bring to the company every day are at the forefront as their employees continue to embody the family’s core values in their actions.