Happy Retirement to Randy Abe
posted on Wednesday, September 6, 2023
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Dedicated, humble, family-oriented, dependable, and loyal describe Randy Abell, a man we want to honor for his outstanding contributions as he embarks on a well-deserved retirement.
Tysen, Randy's son, describes Randy as having the gentle touch to care for baby pigs and the strength to handle them when they grow. His wisdom extends to recognizing the importance of storing a can of WD40 in the truck when a winter storm approaches. He is known for imparting valuable life lessons, emphasizing that farming is not merely a job but a chosen way of life. He reminds us that caring for animals is a privilege, not an obligation.
In 1999, Randy saw an ad for a job opportunity with Iowa Select Farms at "The Ponderosa," where five sow farms were under construction. With experience sorting pigs at his father's sale barn in Sigourney, Randy knew he could get to work early and be home for his livestock chores and family time.
Over the past 24 years, Randy's journey with Iowa Select Farms has taken him from sow farms to managing multiple gilt developers. In his most recent role managing Cooper #1 and Cooper #2 multiplication growers, he was pivotal in providing top-quality gilts for nearby GDUs and sow farms.
While he earned numerous SelectPride Awards for his outstanding performance as a farm manager, Randy's proudest moments aren't his own achievements but those of his sons.
“When the boys win, it’s just as good as me winning, maybe even better,” he said.
Randy is talking about his sons—Tysen and Brody.
Tysen is the senior multiplication supervisor (that’s right—Randy’s first boss!), and Brody is a multiplication manager (Randy’s second boss!) at Roger North, Roger South, Cooper 1 and Cooper 2.
“Both Ty and Brody started under me and then went beyond me,” said Randy. “As a parent, that’s what you hope for. You want your kids to do better and more than you. My boys are doing that, and it makes me proud.”
Randy’s wife, Donna, works for Iowa Select Farms at the Afton Warehouse. His daughter-in-law, Courtney, is a multiplication pod manager for Ruger, Wesson, Decatur and Magnum farms.
Now retired, Randy spends his time with family, farming, tending to his small cow/calf herd and helping Tysen with his flock of sheep. His two new farmhands-in-training are granddaughters EmberLeigh and PaizLynne.
“They say Iowa Select Farms is an all-Iowa company, well, we’re an all-Iowa Select Farms family,” joked Randy. “We’d be lost without this company—truly! We’d all be out a good job.”
Thank you, Randy. We’re so grateful you found Iowa Select Farms back in 1999. We wish you a happy retirement!
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