Farrowing Specialist (Thursday to Monday)

Job Description

Job Description

As a family company, Schwartz Farms, Inc. is committed to caring for its people and animals by demonstrating the values of humility, care, integrity, discipline and excellence. Known for quality pork production, Schwartz Farms is a proud advocate of creating opportunities for rural communities with presence in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota. As a premier pork producer, Schwartz Farms embraces itself for a challenging and rewarding future.

WORK SCHEDULE

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position with a Thursday through Monday work schedule. Regular days off are Tuesday and Wednesday.

The schedule requires a minimum of 36 hours per week (Thursday through Monday), with weekdays typically averaging 8-hour workdays and Saturdays and Sundays typically averaging 6-hour workdays. Holiday work rotations, as established by the Manager, will be required.

SCHWARTZ FARMS VALUES :

Humility : We seek to understand in order to better serve, grow and appreciate others.

• Seek to Understand. We seek out others' perspectives, actively listen, maintain an open mind, and respect different views.
• Embrace personal and professional growth. We acknowledge our limitations, and recognize our talents are gifts which come with the responsibility to develop and share with others.
• Serve Others. We serve with generous confidence. We are committed to bringing out the best in each other and prioritize shared success over individual ambition.
• Demonstrate gratitude. We express appreciation for the contributions and sacrifices of others, past and present.

Care : We foster an environment of empathy, support and thoughtful actions that help others thrive.

• Build relationships. We take time to genuinely learn about the whole person, show empathy, and interact in ways that build long-term trust.
• Model respect. We aspire to be good stewards of the gifts we've been entrusted with: our families, team, animals, environment and communities.
• Communicate thoughtfully. We give and receive respectful, honest feedback to encourage development, knowing that caring for someone means sometimes having hard conversations.

Integrity : We strive to do the right thing, for the right reason, aligning words with actions and building trust.

• Do what is right. We ensure our decisions and actions are morally-sound and reflect our values.
• Be honest. We speak the truth constructively and with compassion.
• Honor commitments. We practice what we preach and do what we say.
• Build trust. We assume good intent in others, acknowledge our mistakes, and are genuine in all our interactions.

Discipline : We approach our work with intentionality, consistency and accountability.

• Demonstrate accountability. We follow through on our commitments.
• Practice self-discipline. We manage our time, energy and priorities with intention, organization, sound information and accountability. We lead with steadiness and objectivity.
• Create alignment. We collaborate intentionally across teams to ensure shared understanding of goals, clarity of purpose, utilization of skillsets and coordination of efforts.
• Serve courageously. We embrace work and conversations that strengthen our character and credibility. We demonstrate grit and resilience in difficult situations.

Excellence : We deliver results by relentlessly pursuing the best versions of ourselves, our work, our teams, our company and our communities.

• Drive performance. We build our legacy on maintaining high standards, continuous improvement, honoring past achievements and embracing new ideas.
• Develop talent. We challenge ourselves and others to develop capabilities, reach full potential and celebrate successes.
• Deliver results. We strive to exceed expectations, demonstrating initiative, creative problem-solving and ownership of outcomes.

Specifically, the Farrowing Specialist is responsible for the following activities:

Farrowing Production:

• Assist Department Leader with preparation of pre-farrow rooms
• Perform inducing of sows*
• Execute proper farrowing of sows
• Ensure proper execution of day one pig care
• Identify piglets that require a nurse sow or litter swap
• Assist Department Leader in ensuring that piglets are with the correct sow and crate; transfer and size piglets as directed
• Movement of animals (sows and piglets) as directed
• Treat and vaccinate sows and piglets as directed
• Keep crates full of lactating sows
• Process and castrate piglets
• Feed lactating sows per protocol
• Assist Department Leader with maintaining accurate documentation (i.e. weekly, monthly inventory of sows and piglets)
• Assist in power washing, as assigned
• Advocate and engage in SFI's animal welfare policy, including promoting animal well-being, remedying circumstances which impede animal care, and properly reporting instances of mistreatment or abuse
• Ensure that SFI training program requirements, and procedures are being met and followed
• Ensure the highest level of a safe work environment and safe work practices
• Maintain PQA certification status
• Ensure and maintain as directed that all SFI bio-security policies and procedures are followed and enforced
• Exhibit strong teamwork, including working to achieve team goals, embracing new technologies, working on new projects, etc.
• Be capable of lifting a minimum of 50 lbs. with reasonable accommodation

Building & Equipment Maintenance:

• Follow bio-security protocol
• Ensure general barn cleanliness, and specifically farrowing rooms and hallways
• Adjust heat lamps, as directed
• Notify Department Leader with ventilation questions and/or concerns to ensure optimal environment
• As assigned perform maintenance task
• Ensure and follow the highest level of a safe work environment and work practices

The preceding statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Additional duties may be assigned as they arise.