The Role
Manage a farrow-to-wean sow farm, overseeing breeding, farrowing, animal care, feeding, treatment, processing, weaning, sanitation, biosecurity, and recordkeeping. Lead, train, coach, and schedule employees while managing payroll, supplies, maintenance budgets, and production reports. Ensure animal welfare, regulatory compliance, effective communication, and farm financial performance. The role requires physical farm work, rotating weekends, extra hours, and limited travel for meetings and supply pickup.
Summary Generated by Built In
Description
Position Overview:
This role will also involve handling the management of a modern day, state of the art farrow to wean sow farm. This position is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious individual who is looking to take their skillset and career to the next level and contribute to the growth and success of our company.
Essential Job Responsibilities
- Full comprehension of WFR’s Chain of Command, reporting directly to WFR Director of Swine Business Management.
- Overseeing and being actively involved in all sections of the sow farm including all areas of breeding and farrowing, management of employees, understanding of barn operations and coordinates a backup for finishing site as needed.
- Ensuring all animals are receiving proper feed, water, and ventilation
- Shipping and receiving animals
- Treating animals
- Heat checking and breeding sows and gilts via artificial insemination
- Assisting with the birthing process of sows and gilts including sleeving
- Caring for piglets and ensuring they are off to a good start
- Moving animals with a sort board
- Cleaning facilities including power-washing, disinfecting, scraping manure, picking up cleanings, and removing deceased animals
- Weaning piglets from their mothers and giving wean shots
- Processing piglets including castration, docking tails, tattooing, and giving injections
- Following the proper steps for timely euthanasia
- Pen management, culling, sorting
- Keeping detailed, accurate records that comply with integrator
- Responsibility to ensure financial success and proper documentation completion of farm payroll, supplies, maintenance/repair budgets, and production reports
- Have excellent communication with all team members, WFR Swine Management Team, and WFR Staff.
- Participate in assigned training sessions and leadership meetings to support professional growth and contribute to organizational development
- Provide leadership and guidance to develop staff to their fullest potential through comprehensive training, effective onboarding, and clear delegation of responsibilities.
- Manage, coach, and mentor team members while promoting an inclusive, positive work environment.
- Foster collaboration by balancing individual and team priorities, placing the success of the team first, and supporting everyone’s efforts to achieve organizational goals.
- Ensure the highest standards of animal wellbeing by verifying that all animals receive proper feed, water, ventilation, and overall care.
- Balance team and individual responsibilities, put success of team before own interests and supports everyone’s efforts to succeed
- Keeping detailed, accurate records that comply with integrator
- Understand & follow WFR’s biosecurity protocol, must shower in and out of the facility
- Understand & follow WFR’s animal welfare policy
- Understand & follow WFR’s handbook and procedures
- Work respectfully with a diverse team
- Maintain PQA+ certification
Reasonable Accommodations Statement: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.? Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties of the position.?
Requirements
Education and Experience
- 1 year in the swine industry with proven leadership ability or actively fulfilling an MIT/Assistant Manager or leadership position in our system
Qualifications
- Strong leadership
- Ethical
- Strong interest in work with animals with a desire to learn and self-develop
- Self-motivated team player with a positive attitude
- Strong prioritization and organizational skills
- Ability to lift a minimum of 50 lbs.
- Ability to stand, walk and be on feet for 8 to 10 hours a day
- Ability to frequently bend, reach, squat & kneel
- Capable to do repeated actions
- Effectively communicate with team members
Work Environment
- Schedule: Must work scheduled days and hours, will work rotating weekends and extra hours as needed. Must work full time, a minimum of 80 hours each pay period.
- Environment: indoors and outdoors, primarily in a hog farm. Nosie level is usually moderate to loud.
- Travel: Requirements are limited. Will have to travel for meetings, supply pickup, etc.
Skills Required
- At least 1 year of experience in the swine industry with proven leadership ability, or active experience in an MIT, Assistant Manager, or leadership position within the company system.
- Strong leadership skills.
- Ethical conduct.
- Strong interest in working with animals and willingness to learn and self-develop.
- Self-motivated team player with a positive attitude.
- Strong prioritization and organizational skills.
- Ability to lift a minimum of 50 pounds.
- Ability to stand, walk, and remain on feet for 8 to 10 hours per day.
- Ability to frequently bend, reach, squat, and kneel.
- Ability to perform repeated actions.
- Effective communication with team members.
- Ability to work scheduled full-time hours, rotating weekends, and additional hours as needed.
- Maintain PQA+ certification.
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The Company
What We Do
Waukon Feed Ranch Inc. (WFR) is a multifaceted agricultural business based in northeast Iowa. The company provides a diverse range of agricultural products and services, including grain handling, agronomy, livestock feed production, and transportation of feed, livestock, grain, and fuel. They specialize in distributing seeds, fertilizers, and bulk feed mixes for swine, cattle, and other animals to support local farmers.
