Tysen Celebrates 15 Years with Iowa Select Farms
posted on Friday, September 18, 2020
Congratulations to Tysen for celebrating 15 years with Iowa Select Farms!
Believe it or not, Tysen has worked in the multiplication group long enough to have had every single Iowa Select Farms’ sow (and pig if we’re really getting technical) in one of his farms. We know, we know… #MicDrop.
Tysen’s career started with Iowa Select Farms in 2005 as he was finishing up degrees in Agricultural Business and Agricultural Education at Northwest Missouri State. Although he had every intention of teaching someday, those plans changed when his dad, Randy, unexpectedly needed help at his farms. Tysen joined the Iowa Select Farms’ team as an animal caretaker and although he still spends a big chunk of his days teaching and training, it’s not in a classroom.
“For me, it’s all about helping others become their best,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot in the past fifteen years, and it’s those lessons I try to pass along to our employees. We’re a big family in the multiplication group and that’s what family does—they help each other out.”
Tysen’s first job was helping with a breeding project at Lee, Howard, Cooper #1 and Cooper #2. The farm they were breeding for, Sow 28, was transitioning from nursery to sow farm. After the breeding project, Tysen continued working in multiplication farms alongside his dad and brother, Brody, for seven years.
“It was like any other family farm,” he recalled. “We would wake up and head to work together, care for our animals and then head home at night. We really treated our pigs and farms like they were our own.”
After seven years, Tysen was promoted to gilt selector and within six months, received another promotion to multiplication supervisor—a position that he’s held ever since.
“What I love most about working on the multiplication team is knowing that the gilts we’re producing are the future of Iowa Select Farms’ herd,” he said. “It’s a very rewarding job."
As multiplication supervisor, Tysen wears many hats. Some days he’s a counselor, teacher and trainer, other days he’s the maintenance guy, loadout crew or sample delivery driver.
“Whatever my team needs, that’s what I am,” he said. “If someone needs to call and talk about issues at home, then that’s what we talk about. If I need to go into a farm and rebuild a feed system, that’s what I do. No two days are ever the same.”
Over the years, Tysen has of course seen many changes, but for him the most notable thing is what hasn’t. “Working in the multiplication group, I’ve been a part of the company’s 50% increase in our herd,” he said. “And sure, our barns and technology have changed, but the biggest takeaway for me is that our values haven’t changed. We’re a bigger company with the same core values. You feel like you’re working alongside friends and family every single day.”
But for Tysen, he actually is working alongside family. In addition to his dad and brother, his mom and sister-in-law also work for the company. The jury’s still out if his two-week one niece, PaizLynne, is going to work for the company someday, but they’ve got high hopes. Collectively, the family has 64 years working at Iowa Select Farms.
“My biggest advice to people starting with the company would be to pay attention to the little things because those are what end up being the most important,” he said. “Take every experience as a learning experience because you’re going to have a lot of them. I know I sure have.”
And lucky of us, Tysen jokes that he’s going to be around for a while. “The future, heck, I have noooo idea,” he chuckled. “I guess I’m going to keep doing it ‘til I can’t no more.”
And for that, we are grateful.
Congrats on an accomplished 15 years, Tysen. We’re lucky to have you on our team.
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