Dave Celebrates 20 Years with Iowa Select Farms
posted on Tuesday, February 2, 2021
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A round of congratulations are in order for Dave, who recently celebrated 20 years with Iowa Select Farms!
Early in his career, Dave was hired as a technician that specialized in pregnancy checks. He would travel between Sows 23, 24 and one of the GDUs confirming pregnancy in gilts and sows. It wasn't but a few years before he switched over to working in GDUs full-time and that's where he's found himself ever since.
One of the biggest landmarks of Dave's career was starting up Saratoga G733, a filtered GDU that opened in 2018 as a breeding project. Alongside a great team, Dave helped breed 425 animals per week for several months-a huge task, but one that helped ensure nearby Elmand Sow Farm would be in-full production with bred animals once the farm opened.
"It was busy, busy, busy and a lot of hard work," chuckled Dave, who now reflects on the experience very fondly. "It was definitely an adjustment coming from a smaller farm, but I worked with a great team and we knew our hard work was going to pay off for the sow farms, so that kept us motivated."
Today, Dave continues to work as an animal caretaker at Saratoga. He loves working at the farm and describes the team dynamic there as "really good".
"It's like we're one big family," he said. "If someone needs help, we're all here to lend a helping hand. We celebrate birthdays with team potlucks and just really respect one another. We have a really good team."
Working at Saratoga has also put on full display many of the advancements pork production has made over the years, mainly in efficiency, biosecurity and technology. "It's amazing to look back and see how much things have changed in our industry," said Dave, who grew up on a small pig farm near McIntire. "I've loved having a front row seat to all of the changes that help us get better as a company and industry every day."
Outside of work, Dave enjoys spending time with family and attending his kids' sporting activities. He also loves watching and following football. As a Minnesotan, it's a given that he's a big Gophers and Vikings fan, but admits he's also grown to like the Cyclones over the years.
Now with twenty years under his belt, Dave is looking forward to all that the future has in store. But he'll continue to operate with the same mentality he has since his first day with the company-if you work hard, it will pay off.
"I've always tried to lead by example and show that if you do the best you can every day, the results will come," he said. "At the GDUs patience is key, but we've learned you get out what you put in, so continue to work hard every single day."
Congratulations on twenty amazing years, Dave! We appreciate all you've done and are proud to have you in the Iowa Select Farms' family.
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