SelectPride- Q1 Top 10 GDUs
posted on Monday, July 17, 2017
“The dedication and efforts of the people who work in our gilt development system paired with the filtration technology in our farms has driven improvements in overall total born and born alive across the board,” said Noel Williams, Chief Operating Officer for Iowa Select Farms.
With over 30 percent of sow farms now hitting a 15 total born—the improvements are absolutely a team effort, with ample credit pointing back to the tremendous dedication at the farms where caretakers tend to and breed the gilts that will eventually become mothers in the sow farms.
“If you look at the what is going on within the GDU system, we have the farms meeting the day-to-day needs of the sow farms they are paired with, plus the teams who are leading the breeding projects, then the people who are backfilling the folks running the projects,” said Jeremiah Hall, Senior Gilt Development Supervisor.” Throw in some farm remodels and additional training for the filtration biosecurity and you’ll start to really get a feel for the extra effort these teams have made to funnel high health, high quality gilts into the sow farms.”
Congratulations to the following GDU farm managers and their teams on landing in SelectPride top ten list for Q1 if this year, as measured by PCP rates (confirmed pregnancies), farrowing rate, total born, born alive and biosecurity and production well-being audits.
1st- Stalker 1--Led by manager and repeat winner Chad Bolinger, Stalker 1 GDU feeds into Sow 16 making them a powerhouse team that’s proven tough to beat. “What makes Chad a great manager is that he is so consistent with his day-to-day methods—he believes doing everything right every day when it comes to all aspects of care and maintenance,” said Randy Hosfield, GDU supervisor. “If I don’t get his numbers to him I know he’s been asking me what is happening at the sow farm in terms of total born and born alive. He’s extremely it tune to his results and always tries to get better.”
2nd- Mott, Chris Richtsmeier—“Chris is very consistent day in and day out when it comes to managing the operation, he’s a great caregiver,” said Hall. “He started up our first filtered GDU farm and he and Shane (Hightland) always do the right thing when it comes to biosecurity processes to keep the farm PRRS negative.”
3rd- Conway, Matt Swank—“Matt’s previous experience as a department head at Sow 28 and Sow 15 is a big advantage, because he has a really good understanding of what happens on a sow farm and is also a great people manager,” said Hosfield. “Matt is really down to earth and has strong values and principles guiding his team. He is a solid leader and is almost always in the top ten for SelectPride.”
4th- Gravity, Jay Cox—“Jay never argues change,” said Hosfield. “He always adapts and does really well with new projects or challenges. He’s a great manager and routinely has his GDU in the top ten; he always does a good job.”
5th- Roose North, Desarae Schwab—“Desarae started as a technician and she has really grown into a great manager,” said Craig Whalen, GDU supervisor. “She always has this willingness to learn and is really adaptable, she does a good job managing her farm and hitting her goals.”
6th- Brookes, Angie Nicholson—“Angie is one of those people who comes in early, does extra work, and jumps at the change to fill in at other farms,” said Hosfield. “She’s a very reliable manager, never panics and has great follow through, we are lucky to have her.”
7th- Jensen, Roy Alden—“Roy is always trying to improve his farm, hit targets and make sure biosecurity in 100%,” said Whalen. “He keeps really accurate records to see where improvements are needed and he is always willing to help train and offer ideas.”
8th- Glenview, Jesse Cole—“Jesse recently took over for Dennis Stark who joined the breeding project and he’s doing a good job holding steady,” said Hosfield. “I see a lot of potential in him; he takes a lot of pride in his site and cares about the farm’s appearance and upkeep.”
9th- Huls, Virgil Bolinger—“Virgil is consistent, patient with people and can train just about anyone to raise hogs,” said Hosfield. “I always highly value his opinion and people look up to him as a leader. He’s has a tremendous amount of character and always does the right thing.”
10th- Miles, Linda Schumann—“Every day Linda comes to work committed to her job and getting things done right on her farm,” said Whalen. “She is also consistently in the top ten because of her high level of care.”#billionplus
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