Lucas County GDU Earns Most Improved
posted on Wednesday, July 20, 2022
“We’re looking at a team with tremendous drive and work ethic,” said Randy Hosfield, the Lucas County farm supervisor. “Doug has built a great team that has gelled together over the last nine months. His efforts to keep performance metrics around livability and to increase PCP rates in the forefront have helped keep what is important in focus. This is a strong farm and a strong team.”
Congratulations to the Lucas County gilt developer team of Doug Gooding, Javier Solis Saldana, Christopher Cruz Moreno and Curtis Beener, earning the Q4 2021 SelectPride Most Improved GDU award! Also, a special shout out to Wes McDonald, who worked there during the recognition period but was transferred to Davis 1.
Doug Gooding, the farm’s manager, says he’s most proud of the team’s everyday positivity, especially when overcoming a PRRS break—something the farm recently experienced.
“There’s no reason we can’t choose to be cheerful every day,” said Doug. “It helps with morale, keeps everyone’s mood positive and makes the days go by quicker.”
Curtis says they’ve made a big difference in the farm’s performance by being more hands-on with the animals—walking the pens often to identify health issues, then treating them right away.
“We’re focused on health treatments, sorting our hospital pens, being aware of our feed and water usage and then the ventilation,” said Curtis. “All this helps us assess the level of comfort the pigs have in the barn’s environment.”
Javier, or “Javie” as his team calls him, trained at ISO Pork, Davis 1 and Davis 2 before joining the Lucas County team. “I enjoy pig care, and the team is great to work with. I also like that my boss has a lot of experience and knows what to do—he passes all of that onto us to make us better.”
Doug has been with Iowa Select Farms for 26 years, or “as long as I’ve been alive,” Christopher jokes.
“Doug’s a good trainer and teaches us to stay on top of things,” said Curtis. “Also, the environment on how he runs the team is helping—everyone is happy, we get along, we don’t see ourselves as individuals. We’re a team.”
Congratulations, Lucas County GDU!
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