Pillen Stops In Sidney

Monday afternoon Republican candidate for Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and running mate Joe Kelly stopped in Sidney.

“It's about our kids,” Pillen said regarding his motivation for seeking the governorship.

Pillen has been married 43 years and he and his wife have four children. He grew up in Platte County and graduated from Lakeview High School. He grew up raising pigs with his father, Dale.

We learned about faith, family and the value of hard work,” he said about his upbringing.

He said government should be fiscally conservative. He frequently said Nebraska needs to be frugal, but also know when to invest in the future.

He added his history in agriculture is an asset to the state. He said if elected he will be the first governor with his depth of agricultural background in 100 years.

He said children, students, are an asset that need to be nurtured and protected. He said every year the state will graduate 25,000 to 27,000 students. The challenge is educating students to what they want to do.

“I'm a believer we never ever give up on our kids, but the State has,” he said.

He said students need to be encouraged to follow what fits the interests, vocational or college education.

“Every coach knows if you bring the bottom half of the team up, you'll win games,” he said.

He added an increasing number of students want to return to the home communities.

He said the state's economy is thriving, but agriculture is under attack, citing the marketing of meat substitute products, costs of fuel and fertilizer, and property taxes. He said he would like to see a shift from assessed property values to income-based value.

“We have to level it off,” he said.

He also talked about abortion and Roe V. Wade. He said he is 100 percent focused on stopping the murder of babies. He added there needs to be help for young mothers as well.

He encourages residents to be involved in their local government.

“We need to be engaged with our county supervisors, city councils, school boards. The good news is people are getting in the game,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of water in Nebraska. He said Nebraska has five agri-ecological systems.

After high school, He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It was also at this time he married Suzanne Shreve. He earned a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Kansas State, returning to Nebraska in 1983 when he opened a small animal practice and swine consulting practice. Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics are now a multigenerational family-run business with more than 1,100 team members.

Jim and his father, Dale, partnered together, raising 60 sows and 1,200 market hogs on a dirt lot on their home farm. In 1993, Jim started Pillen Family Farms. In 2003, he added DNA Genetics. 2012 brought the addition of Jim’s two oldest children, Sarah and Brock, into the business.

Pillen is involved in numerous organizations including TeamMates Mentoring Program Foundation Board of Directors, St. Augustine Mission Board of Directors, Nebraska Chamber of Commerce Board Member, Youth For Christ, Christians Encounter Christ (CEC) Movement and AKSARBEN Foundation.

Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics are now a multi-generational family-run business, composed of over 1,100 team members. The family business operates by some basic core beliefs — do what is right, do the best you can, and treat others the way you want to be treated.

In April, Pillen announced Joe Kelly as his lieutenant governor running mate. Kelly grew up in Lexington, was appointed by President Donald Trump as U.S. Attorney and then released from his duties by President Joe Biden. He has worked for Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson since.

The two-hour meet and greet was held at the Coffee Corner in Sidney.