Congratulations to Q1 First Place Sow Farm
posted on Friday, September 3, 2021
“Every time I visit this farm, I see such a passion they have for the animals,” said T’Lee, a staff veterinarian for Iowa Select Farms. “As a company we believe in doing what is right for the animals every day, and this team does an outstanding job.”
T’Lee is referring to the team at Popcorn Sow 30 located outside of Ewing, Nebraska. They won first place sow farm for Q1 2021 SelectPride awards.
“We are a family here,” said the farm’s manager, Rhonda. “We work well together because we know these animals and we know what jobs we need to do and we’re committed to doing the right thing.”
The Popcorn farm team is made up of Rhonda, Austin, Doug, Josh, Jen, Leann, Bobbi, Chuck, Tim, Melissa and Jeff all have a tight bond and a teamwork approach.
“This farm has a great tenure,” said Don, the farm’s supervisor. “Most employees have over five years of experience working with pigs, so they have a good understanding of what it takes to be a great farm”
Don also says their competitive nature drives them forward. “You’ll see them always looking at their numbers and comparing to others. They really strive to be the best at what they do.”
With Rhonda having several cross-trained employees, they often help each other with the tasks that need to be completed throughout the whole farm. They work largely in a team environment and motivate each other through open communication, and those competitive attitudes.
“Visitors would be surprised to know they are coming off of an unexpected PRRS break,” said T’Lee. “They recovered quickly, and their pigs look healthy. The Popcorn farm team shines in their animal care by embracing their passion and continually putting the animals first.”
Don agrees, saying they recovered quickly because of the detailed care and attention they gave to their sows, which got the farm back up on its feet quickly with minimal impact.
Rhonda said setting goals as a team helped set the tone of a fast recovery. “We turned our focus on hitting our breeding and farrowing targets. I’m proud of the way everyone stepped up and contributed to the recovery.”
“This is the 7th first place win for sow 30, making them the winningest farm in the company,” said Don, their supervisor. “It shows that they have consistent production excellence as a farm and have tremendous perseverance.”
The other key to success, laughs Rhonda, is a sweet secret. Paying close attention to each sow on their farm, they know the specific “sweet treat” each prefers—everything from gumballs to cream pies, sour patch kids to root beer candies, this team loves to spoil their sows.
Thank you to the team at Popcorn Sow 30 for the undivided commitment to animal care and congratulations on a well-deserved win!
Subscribe to our newsletter: Get fresh articles delivered straight to your inbox.
Subscribe