It's like putting together a new puzzle every day
posted on Monday, March 14, 2016
“My billion pound journey comes down to one thing—teamwork,” said Julie, Multiplication Flow and Logistics Administrator for Iowa Select Farms. “I know that it’s something that we talk about all the time, but it really does take all of us to get the job done.”
Julie, who has been with the company for 18 years, is described as a great team builder, a tremendous organizer and a powerful extension of the southern Iowa production team, nutrient management team, health services team, gene transfer center team, human resources team and transportation team.
From her desk in our regional office and warehouse in Afton—which sometimes can feel like command central— Julie’s typical day starts with organizing the multiplication and gilt flow and then the transportation schedule, all while tackling health, production and transportation challenges as they happen. Her day involves many phone call and emails and following up on test results that directly impact gilt movements and transportation biosecurity. It sounds challenging and intense, but to Julie this just means gathering information and putting it into a logical summary and then communicating to all of her teams—and that’s exactly what she does.
“It’s like putting together a new puzzle every day, all while the pieces and the picture keep changing,” she laughs. “And when one piece changes, all departments are impacted, so we work together closely on communication throughout all the departments and out to the farms,” she said. “The method to the madness is understanding that every department is directly impacted by the others, and that it takes everyone doing their job to make things happen.”
“For example, when that winter snow hits, we all know what it takes to get those trucks out on the roads to keep moving animals,” said Julie. “It takes everyone helping to move up movements, push back movements and clear out driveways to the farms—Clint, Ray and David in maintenance, Chris, Doug and Wes in nutrient management, Randy, Greg, Clint and all of the drivers in transport, the list goes on and on.”
“Every farm and department depends on Julie as the central contact,” said Don, the senior sow supervisor for the region. “I depend on Julie for her vast knowledge of the overall southern Iowa system. She is quick to give out a helping hand to anyone, she accepts change very well and can multitask like no other. For instance, last week I scheduled 10 loads of gilt movements with Julie and changed it 4 times in 4 days, and she just smiles and says she will take care of it.”
“Julie also keeps all the blood testing, oral fluid and diagnostic results in order for us, making sure that each week we have all the samples needed turned in for upcoming movements and diagnostics testing,” said Tysen, Senior GDU Supervisor. “And sometimes she’s delivering samples herself to the UPS drop off in Creston because “we” just missed the UPS guy!”
“Julie is also the first person that everyone meets as they come into Afton office,” adds Don. “She always has a positive attitude and represents Iowa Select Farms very well. We are all grateful to be able to work with her.” #billionpounds
P.S. – Here’s a fun fact—Julie received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education, and her husband, Ray, is also employed by Iowa Select Farms as a maintenance technician.
Subscribe to our newsletter: Get fresh articles delivered straight to your inbox.
Subscribe