Mike McCarty Joins Iowa Select as a Supply Truck Driver in Osceola
posted on Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Osceola Warehouse driver Mike McCarty used to live in Colorado where he had his own commercial construction business. He also ran a paint store. When his mom and his in-laws needed care, he moved back to his hometown of Afton.
His son, Mark, encouraged him to look at applying with the maintenance team at Iowa Select Farms. Mark is a maintenance technician for the southern Iowa sow farms and told his dad it was a good company.
During the time that Mike applied, the Osceola Warehouse was still a few months from completion. With a bigger footprint, more farms to support and stronger biosecurity protocols, there was also a need for a dedicated driver to deliver supplies out to the farms.
During his interview, HR specialist Adrian Flores mentioned a supply truck driver opening. Mike was interested and soon joined Monte McIntire in settling into the new warehouse.
Now that the warehouse is operational, Mike helps Monte pull the orders that come in from the farms and sets out on deliveries every Thursday, rotating through the different regional “pods” of farms in southern Iowa.
Mike says he delivers to the “deep south” farms—Jernquist, Parker, Ochylski, and Ringgold—one week, then the “Ponderosa” farms week two—Jones, Union, Clarke, Davis and Cartwright. Week three he heads east to Derby, Last Chance, Smyrna and Sow 118 and rounds out the fourth week delivering to the gilt developers and finishing farms.
His truck is washed and baked at the multiplication truck wash (MTW) at the end of every route. In fact, much of his time is dedicated to following the biosecurity protocols for supply entry, downtime, and sanitation, so it doesn’t track any virus or disease to or from a farm.
Mike says it’s a big responsibility, and that it’s been a real eye-opener, especially for someone who wasn’t familiar with livestock production.
“I have been really impressed with how much people take their jobs and roles seriously, especially around biosecurity and animal care,” he said. “It’s been fun getting to know all of the supervisors and managers, and it’s impressive the effort and detail they go through on their farms. Everyone’s committed, and we’re not going to let them down on the supply and delivery side.”
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