ILGLC Names 2026 Master Grazier Award Recipients
The Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition (ILGLC) wrapped up the 2026 Heart of America Grazing Conference by recognizing three Illinois producers with the Master Grazier Award: Rick Adams, Terry Becherer, and Perry Hottes. The two-day conference, hosted by ILGLC July 15–16 at the Effingham Event Center, brought together 150 producers, landowners, and industry partners from several states for a full slate of grazing education.
ILGLC’s Master Grazier Award recognizes Illinois producers whose grazing management, willingness to adapt, and commitment to helping other graziers reflect what ILGLC works to promote statewide.
Pictured from left to right (Cliff Schuette, ILGLC President - Perry & Cary Hottes - Angela & Terry Becherer - Rick Adams)
Rick Adams
Rick Adams of Chebanse has spent a lifetime building and evolving a diversified sheep operation, starting with a flock of Hampshires he purchased during his 4-H years. He and his wife, Brenda, went on to build a highly competitive Hampshire club lamb program, earning championships throughout the 1980s and '90s at shows including the Indiana State Fair, NAILE, the National Western, and Oklahoma City.
After ending their hog enterprise in 2003, the Adams expanded their commercial flock, added Ile de France genetics, adopted rotational grazing, and grew to 250 ewes — developing a strong direct market for hothouse and roaster lambs along the way. Starting in 2018, they began transitioning toward hair sheep, adding their first Australian White ram in 2020 and building out the program since with embryo purchases and fullblood genetics prized by their customers for eating quality.
This year brought a new challenge: Rick and Brenda began solar grazing across four sites totaling roughly 70 acres. Rick also shares what he's learned with sheep and goat producers nationwide through Linessa Farms LLC, a producer-education resource on Facebook.
"I enjoy sharing my experiences with others and helping guide others in the sheep industry," Adams said.
Terry Becherer
Terry Becherer has raised sheep since 1987, when he started alongside his father. After relocating to a 40-acre farm in Trenton in 1992, Terry got serious about grazing and pasture management in 1996, working with researcher Ed Ballard to learn what his pastures were truly capable of producing.
That groundwork shaped an accelerated lambing operation that grew to as many as 400 ewes fed on a mix of annual and perennial forages. When Terry lost most of his sight in 2020, he and his wife adapted by dividing the farm between row crops followed by grazed cover crops, and dedicated pasture rotated through cool- and warm-season annuals. Today they run 235 ewes with a goal of building back to 300 or more.
Perry Hottes
Since establishing his Waltonville farm in 2005, Perry Hottes has built a cattle operation grounded in rotational grazing, genetic improvement, and conservation. Working 145 fenced acres with more than 20 miles of high-tensile fence, Perry keeps his herd intentionally small — fewer than 30 cow-calf pairs — so he can manage grazing resources carefully and invest in the land's long-term health.
USDA EQIP funding helped Perry build the fencing and water infrastructure his rotational system depends on, and he's continued investing in his own education, completing the University of Missouri Grazing School in 2005 and the University of Illinois Artificial Insemination Program in 2009. He now pays that forward, partnering with organizations like ILGLC to host on-farm demonstrations for other producers.
About the Award
“Rick, Terry, and Perry represent what we aim to recognize with this award: producers who find what works for their operations and then take the time to share it with the next person,” said Christian Lovell, Executive Director of ILGLC. “The three of them demonstrate decades of learning, adapting, and implementing improved grazing management on their farms. That's the kind of experience that can’t be gained from a textbook, and it's exactly what we want other Illinois producers learning from."
Rick, Terry, and Perry exemplify the importance of not only land and animal stewardship, but also sharing the knowledge they have gained with other producers who are eager to learn. Their stories will be featured on the Illinois Grazing & Forage Hub (grazingforage.com) in the coming months.