posted on Wednesday, June 7, 2017
“What makes Ryan a great manager is his ability to notice even the smallest changes,” said Sham Brown, DVM and Director of Multiplication for Iowa Select Farms. “When Ryan walks the pens, he notices differences in feed intake and water consumption, and can identify changes in the pigs’ behavior allowing him and his team to respond quickly and stay ahead of issues.”
Ryan Lens is the manager of Kerrigan GO42 multiplication grower, a farm responsible for caring for the future gilts of our system. Growers receive their pigs from multiplication nurseries, in this case, Blanchard G006 managed by Chad Drake.
Ryan took home top honors in the quarter one 2017 SelectPride ranking for his category, followed by Tony Davis at Adamson N117 (2nd place), Trevor Spencer at Priest G046 (3rd place), Tony Davis at Damewood G041 (4th place) and Chad Drake at Blanchard G006 (5th place).
Multiplication nurseries and growers provide care similar to finishing nurseries and growers in terms of air, feed, water and daily observations; however, the animals are acclimated to PEDv and vaccinated for PRRS so they can eventually become healthy sows.
“Ryan is the best grower manager in the company because he has a tremendous attention to detail with the animals, and also puts that same level of attention on the facilities and entire farm,” said Sham. “He’s very attentive to the operational aspects that can impact care, like feed motors, water nipples, stir fans—he makes sure these things are always 100% right for the pigs and fixes issues right away.”
Grower performance is measured on mortality level and the scores of biosecurity and production well-being audits. “Success in all of these areas is important when it’s time for gilt selection,” said Sham.
Tony Davis at 2nd place Adamson N117 and 4th place Damewood G041 was recently promoted, taking over management of the farm. He was also trained by Ryan. “Some of the things I appreciate about Tony is that he is willing to share the load,” said Sham. “He’ll show up at his farms to help his crews powerwash and give up his weekend so the whole team can get done faster, he has a tremendous level of dedication to the job.”
Trevor and Chad are also newer managers who have learned the ropes quickly, staying focused on great pig care while also covering the responsibilities that come with being a manager,” said Sham.
Congratulations to Ryan, Tony, Trevor and Chad on being recognized as SelectPride winners! #billionplus
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