Congratulations to Linda Schumann on your retirement!
posted on Monday, May 20, 2019
It was a feast perfect for the day—on Friday the Saratoga team brought in fried chicken, baked beans, mac and cheese and dessert from a gas station near LeRoy. Shelly Hensley brought a cake. It was the retirement party for Linda Schumann, and a day full of celebration and reminiscing about her last eleven years as a pork producer for Iowa Select Farms.
True to her dependable and reliable nature, she finished her last today at the farm, covering the weekend shift at Saratoga.
Linda and her husband, Chuck, live in Riceville, with many family and friends nearby. Her nephew, Caleb, manages Thorsen Sow Farm (Sow 24), where her niece, Dominque Bird and nephew Eddie Adams also work.
To eight little ones she’s a beloved grandma who crafts and bakes cookies, but to the Iowa Select Farms team, she’s one of the nicest, most caring pig farmers you’ll ever meet.
“She has such a caring and loving attitude for the people, the pigs, the farms she worked on and the company--it doesn’t get much better than that,” said Jeremiah Hall, gilt development director for Iowa Select Farms.
Craig Whalen, manager of Saratoga gilt developer said there will certainly be things the team will soon start to miss, especially during break time, which Linda would entertain the crew with colorful stories and her enthusiasm for the Twins and Vikings.
Linda made a big impact while at Iowa Select Farms. She started as a technician and soon managed Miles, Hemann East and Kiss GDUs, and jumped in to help out at the breeding project for the gilts that would stock Elmand Sow Farm. When the company transitioned to larger, filtered gilt developers a few years ago, she and the area gilt development managers pooled their talents to run Saratoga, located a few miles outside of Lime Springs.
“Linda was instrumental in getting the Saratoga farm up and going,” said Craig. “Everyone put in a lot of time, effort and sweat, and she was no exception. She would and could do anything we asked her—she is easygoing, helpful, hardworking, reliable and dependable.”
“Nothing could get Linda down, said Jeremiah. “Even when she was mad or disagreed with someone, she still had a smile for everyone, her character giggle, and a real easygoing manner about her that made her fun to work with. She trained a lot of employees, helped them get better at their jobs and also cared about their lives and families.”
“No matter what farm she managed or worked on, Linda and her teams were consistently in the top ten for SelectPride, the company’s production performance recognition program, and she always signed up to volunteer at Foundation events, such as Operation Christmas Meal.
“We know she’s miss working with animals, but we hope she loves retirement, gets lots of golf in and spends time with her family, which is so important to her,” said Craig.
Congratulations on your retirement, Linda, and thank you for everything you’ve done!
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