ISSUE 1/ 2015
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IOWA SELECT FARMS REFLECTS ON EXCITING YEAR
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ISSUE 1/ 2015
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When Iowa Select Farms was founded over twenty years ago, we made a commitment to grow our business within the walls of Iowa—to be able to provide economic growth to the state, offer opportunities for employment and strengthen the state’s agriculture and pork industry. One thing we are especially proud of is our ability to give back to the communities where we have our farms, and provide resources and programs that strengthen our state and make Iowa a better place to live.
One of the strongest partnerships we’ve fostered today has been our collaboration with Iowa State University, not surprising considering their world-class College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Swine Extension Service and their hundreds of research initiatives that have driven science-based improvements for pork producers of all types and sizes. We’ve taken the time to capture that partnership throughout the pages of this newsletter. We’re also extremely proud of our people who give it their all every day—caring for animals, maintaining our sites, transporting pigs and contributing to our business of quality pork production. We enjoy highlighting the accomplishments of our employees and contractors by featuring photos and stories of the positive impacts they are making every day. This issue contains a summary of our 2014 SelectPride Winners—the top performing farms in our sow, nursery and finishing systems—and takes a deeper dive by offering a feature of a farm that not only ranked #4 in our company last year but also celebrated an entire year without injury or employee turnover. Congratulations Kaci Pohlman and the entire Sow 24 team!
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IOWA SELE REF CT
LE SELECT FAFARMS RMS EXIOWA CITINCTS ON G YE ON REFLECTS AR EXCITING YEAR
SelectCare™ is an official publication of Iowa Select Farms and is mailed to the homes of our employees, contractors and key stakeholders to highlight the efforts we make every day to fullfill our values and principles.
www.iowaselect.com Iowa Select Farms P.O. Box 400 Iowa Falls, Iowa 50126
This issue also highlights just a few of the programs we’ve put in place to provide hunger relief to Iowa families who need a helping hand and show recognition and appreciation to our service members. We’re staying committed to these efforts and will be announcing many new initiatives in 2015. Thank you again for your support,
Jeff Hansen
Jeff Hansen President and CEO, Iowa Select Farms
ABOUT THE COVER The Iowa State University Campanile is located on Iowa State’s central campus, and is home to the Stanton Memorial Carillon. The campanile is widely seen as one of the major symbols of Iowa State University. Photo courtesy of Barb McBreen, Communications Specialist, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Iowa State University.
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PUSHING PRODUCTION
FORWARD
Pushing productivity forward through leadership and accountability was the main theme of the bi-annual Iowa Select Farms Production Management Meeting held January 22 at the Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center in Ames. Over 150 production managers and members of support departments gathered for a full day of learning, training, recognition and fellowship. The day kicked off with a “state of the state” address by Jeff Hansen, President and CEO of Iowa Select Farms, who recognized the determination and resiliency of the entire production team during the PEDv breaks of late 2013 and early 2014. Mr. Hansen acknowledged the hard work and efforts of the farm managers and their teams, especially given the fact the Iowa Select Farms system fought back to come within only one percent of achieving the 2014 goal pounds of pork marketed (833,056,800 pounds) despite battling the disease and subsequent clean-up through much of the year. Noel Williams, Director of Production presented the 2015 goals for the year, challenging the sow system to wean four million pigs. On the heels of that goal is a similar challenge to the nursery/finishing team who oversee the grow-out phase— to finish, market and ultimately sell 900,000,000 pounds of pork to our processing partner, JBS.
Kerry Sweeney Director of Human Resources
Noel Williams Director of Production
Throughout the day attendees reviewed the goals of each individual production area along with the service departments who work to provide support in the areas of information technology, feed and nutrition, health services, nutrient management, repair and maintenance, human resources and many others. After lunch the large group was split into smaller groups to rotate through six break-out sessions focused on technical training topics such as reducing sow mortality, increasing finishing survivability, iSLAT or achieving on-farm safety. The day also featured a keynote address by Col Kevin Heer, Iowa ANG Commander of the 132nd Fighter Wing. Col Heer took time to share his thoughts and observations on leadership, and lessons he’s learned throughout his extensive career in the Air Force.
Jeff Hansen President and CEO
The last hour of the meeting was used to recognize the 2014 SelectPride and Safety Award winners. The SelectPride Awards recognize the top ten sow farms by quarter, and then of those, the top ten overall winners for the year. The SelectPride program also recognizes the overall top ten Finishing Supervisors based on a profitability index and controllable scores. Congratulations Al Schnitker and the entire staff at Sow 117 for earning the 1st Place distinction for the entire sow system, and Loren Pudenz, along with his site managers and staff, for taking home bragging rights for top overall Finishing Supervisor.
Read on for the results!
Tracy Borkowski Director of Maintenance Over 150 production managers and members of support departments gathered for a full day of learning, training, recognition and fellowship.
VOLUME ISSUE 2, 1 /ISSUE 2015 9
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CONGRATULATIONS SELECT PRIDE WINNERS! 2014 SelectPride Overall Sow Awards
2nd Place
4th Place Place If we3rd can achieve Sowback 24 Sow 118 these goals, we will get on track and achieve the system efficiency Kaci Pohlman,weManager Lori Rice, Manager need to be competitive
Sow 112 Adam Swalla, Manager
1st Place
Sow 117 Al Schnitker,
5th Place
Sow 30 Rhonda Root, Manager
Manager
within the indus6th Place 7th Place try Sow 113and achieve the prof- Sow 23 Shawn Chaplin, Manager Mary Kraft, Manager itability necessary for our business sustainability. Over the course of
Iowa Select Farms recognizes
Sow 117 1st Place 2014 SelectPride Overall
8th Place
Q1, 2014
4
9th Place
Sow 116 Gerhard Badenhorst, Manager Q2, 2014
10th Place
Sow 29 Bert Becker, Manager
Q3, 2014
Sow 18 Philip Barncastle, Manager Q4, 2014
1st Place
Sow 30
1st Place
Sow 117
1st Place
Sow 117
1st Place
Sow 112
2nd Place
Sow 19
2nd Place
Sow 30
2nd Place
Sow 112
2nd Place
Sow 118
3rd Place
Sow 18
3rd Place
Sow 24
3rd Place
Sow 116
3rd Place
Sow 29
4th Place
Sow 117
4th Place
Sow 23
4th Place
Sow 114
4th Place
Sow 113
5th Place
Sow 20
5th Place
Sow 116
5th Place
Sow 113
5th Place
Sow 117
6th Place
Sow 23
6th Place
Sow 114
6th Place
Sow 118
6th Place
Sow 22
7th Place
Sow 25
7th Place
Sow 112
7th Place
Sow 115
7th Place
Sow 20
8th Place
Sow 24
8th Place
Sow 118
8th Place
Sow 29
8th Place
Sow 24
9th Place
Sow 29
9th Place
Sow 113
9th Place
Sow 4
9th Place
Sow 16
10th Place
Sow 22
10th Place
Sow 115
10th Place
Sow 24
10th Place
Sow 18
CONGRATULATIONS FINISHING AWARD WINNERS! 2014 SelectPride Overall Nursery and Finishing Awards
2nd Place
3rd Place
Mark Hendricks, Finishing Supervisor
Daniel Lively, Finishing Supervisor
5th Place
6th Place
4th Place
Randy Horne, Finishing Supervisor
1st Place
Loren Pudenz,
Finishing Supervisor
7th Place
Jerimiah Hall, Finishing Supervisor
Chris Lorenz, Finishing Supervisor
Shannon Loyd, Finishing Supervisor
8th Place
9th Place
10th Place
Iowa Select Farms recognizes
Loren Pudenz for Excellence in Production
1st Place
2014 Finishing Performance
Carl Smit, Finishing Supervisor
Kevin Archer, Finishing Supervisor
Dan Roth, Finishing Supervisor
THANK YOU
2015 PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT MEETING SPONSORS!
VOLUME ISSUE 2, 1 /ISSUE 2015 9
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SOW 24 CELEBRATES
INJURY-FREE YEAR!
Kaci Pohlman, Sow 24 Manager
Employees watch out for one another, keep safety top of mind
SowS1ow 24
Q a r ter Quarter 4 –u2014
4–
201 4
The team at Sow 24 brought home top honors in the safety department, earning bragging rights for going all four quarters in 2014 without any recordable injuries, amongst other things. But earning a safety award each quarter wasn’t our true motivation, says Kaci Pohlman, Farm Manager. “We really care about each other and work hard to have a positive and productive workplace. Being safe and injury free is a big part of getting us there.”
Each quarter Iowa Select Farms recognizes teams who score 85% or higher on safety visits conducted by Safety Manager, Eric Wiechmann. They also must have zero controllable safety issues, meaning they need to be following all safety protocols such as wearing their Personal Protective Equipment, and finally, have no injuries for the time period. Pohlman attributes good training, accountability and being proactive to her staff’s safety track record. “We start by keeping the farm clean and organized,” said Pohlman. “That’s not always easy to do,” she adds, “but we keep schedules and rotate responsibilities so the work gets done. Floors get cleaned and are kept dry and supplies get restocked.” Signs and reminders are also posted around the break room and throughout the farm. “Every resource Eric gives us, we use,” said Pohlman, whose break room is covered in whiteboards, posters and signs all displaying important reminders to keep her team motivated and focused on what’s important. From time to time she’ll also make her own signs for extra reinforcement. Safety Talks are reviewed in meetings, and employees hold each other accountable to slow down and follow procedures correctly, especially when moving animals, adds Pohlman. Wiechmann, who tracks and monitors all safety issues closely, says handling and moving animals pose the biggest risk to employees, especially employees who are new to livestock production. “It takes a while to learn and understand how to hold piglets properly, move larger pigs, know flight zones and remember to grab the right size sort board. “Training and helping each other out is key,” he adds. When the Sow 24 team finished quarter three injury free they received a note from CEO Jeff Hansen who recognized their accomplishment and also sent along Nike polo shirts with the Iowa Select Farms logo embroidered. “We were pretty excited,” said Pohlman. “Mr. Hansen said ‘he couldn’t wait to figure out how to reward us if we made it through the fourth quarter injury free’, and we stayed pretty focused after reading that,” admitted Pohlman. Thanks to extra training and teamwork, Sow 24 ended quarter four with another perfect safety record. True to form, Mr. Hansen honored his word by sending another congratulatory note to the team along with a $250 visa check card for every person to use however they wish.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL
SAFETY AWARD
WINNERS! QUARTER ONE Sow 5 Sow 11 Sow 21 Sow 22 Sow 24 Sow 28 Sow 112 QUARTER TWO Sow 1 Sow 3 Sow 5 Sow 10 Sow 14 Sow 19 Sow 24 Sow 28 Sow 30
Sow 24
Sow 24 Staff
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2014 Safety Winners
QUARTER THREE Sow 1 Sow 3 Sow 21 Sow 23 Sow 24 QUARTER FOUR Sow 1 Sow 3 Sow 9 Sow 10 Sow 14 Sow 19 Sow 21 Sow 23 Sow 24 Sow 26 Sow 27 Sow 30 Sow 113 Sow 118
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY & IOWA SELECT FARMS
CELEBRATE LONGTIME PARTNERSHIP Jeff and Deb Hansen recognized as Honorary Alumni Jeff and Deb Hansen didn’t attend Iowa State University, but the founders and owners of Iowa Select Farms have forged a unique and powerful partnership with the land-grant institution for the benefit of students, faculty and Iowa agriculture.
banquet hall and 840 fixed seats overlooking the 27,500-squarefoot Marvin J. Walter arena. The $7.7 million building was made possible by the Hansens lead gift of $2 million and nearly 1,200 other private donors.
The most recent examples of that robust working relationship occurred when the Hansens received the Honorary Alumni Award from the ISU Alumni Association, and at the official dedication ceremony for the Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center on the ISU campus.
The center is a key part of how the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences trains students. For students in animal science and other agricultural programs, the facility is a valuable resource for sharpening their skills working with, caring for and learning about animals. “The modern, state-of-the-art facility creates a nearly unmatched learning environment for students who are pursuing careers in agriculture and related fields,” Leath said.
The Honorary Alumni Award is the highest honor given by Iowa State University through the ISU Alumni Association to individuals who have made significant contributions to the University but are not graduates of Iowa State. “Although neither Jeff nor Deb Hansen graduated from Iowa State, they have served our institution as though it was their own,” said ISU President Steven Leath. The Hansens are transforming the educational experience for Iowa State students, Leath added, through their gifts to the Jeff Hansen/Iowa Select Farms Pork Industry Scholarship, their Iowa Foundation for Agricultural Advancement scholarships, the Animal Science Judging Endowment Campaign and the Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center. Iowa State, Leath said, also has benefited from the Hansens’ willingness to fund research, appear as guest speakers on campus and hire Iowa State graduates. Leath noted the Hansens were instrumental in the re-establishment of Iowa Swine Days at ISU and made their farms available for faculty to conduct research in state-of-the-art pork-production facilities. The Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center, opened for classes in January 2014, includes four classrooms, a
Deb Hansen, speaking for the Hansen family at the Agriculture Student Learning Center dedication, told the story of a young Iowa farmer and his wife “who worked hard – finding their rhythm – forging a life. That was 35 years and 170,000 sows ago.” “Today, that farmer and his wife are both deeply humbled and overwhelmingly grateful to be standing on this state’s most beautiful university campus in a building with their names on it, along with those who made it happen, as a testament of years of hard work, sacrifice and dedication because they realize they couldn’t have done it alone,” she said. “That Iowa-born farm couple is proud of this Ag Learning Center and its purpose in forging young students who are passionate in reaching new heights of discovery and achievement in agriculture for generations to come,” she continued. “That couple is proud of this vibrant university and its superb standards of excellence as well as its continuing growth and success in the advancement of agriculture. It’s important because we live here, we work here and we raise our families here,” she concluded.
In spring of 2014 Jeff and Deb Hansen were recognized as Iowa State University Honorary Alumni, the university’s highest honor bestowed upon non-graduates of ISU. VOLUME ISSUE 2, 1 /ISSUE 2015 9
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LEARNING FROM SOME OF THE BEST Funding scholarships
Research partners
Iowa Select’s partnership with Iowa State dates back to 1996, when the company began funding scholarships for students majoring in agriculture. This program proved to be so successful it led to the creation of the endowed Jeff Hansen/ Iowa Select Farms Pork Industry Scholarship Fund in 2002. One or two outstanding animal sciences students receive this prestigious scholarship each year in recognition of their dedication to the pork industry. The recipients are regarded as top scholars in the industry, which opens doors for them to explore and pursue careers related to pork production.
Iowa Select Farms began collaborating with Dr. Ken Prusa at the ISU Meat Sensory Lab in 2008 to evaluate pork quality characteristics, especially in bellies and loins. The study, conducted at Iowa Select’s Research Farm, resulted in significant improvements in the quality of Iowa Select’s pork, said Dr. Howard Hill, a former ISU faculty member and current director of external relations for Iowa Select Farms and president of the National Pork Producers Council.
In 2004, the company established the Iowa Select Farms Livestock Judging Team Coaching Endowment, which helped Iowa State revitalize its livestock judging team. The $175,000 endowment enabled ISU to hire a permanent coach for the team, which had lost its competitive edge due to budget cuts and replacement of faculty coaches with graduate students. “Livestock judging is a very important and rewarding activity in the Department of Animal Science,” said Tom Baas, Professor of Animal Science. “Students who participate in livestock judging gain valuable life skills such as oral communication, decision-making and time management. They also have exceptional opportunities to meet and network with leaders in the livestock industry when they travel for workouts and participate in judging contests. The generous endowment provided by the Hansens has been a tremendous boost to our judging program.” The team also sponsors annual livestock judging camps for 4-H and FFA members, ages 12-18, who receive excellent early training in judging while learning about ISU’s Department of Animal Science.
Iowa Select also has worked closely on several cooperative research projects with ISU’s Dr. John Patience, an internationally renowned swine nutritionist, and his graduate students. Conducting these studies at Iowa Select’s Research Farm enabled researchers to study large numbers of swine in a modern production setting, something that would not be possible in ISU’s smaller research facilities. “Doing research in a large production setting results in more research getting done with fewer dollars,” said Dr. Noel Williams, Director of Production for Iowa Select Farms. “As genetic improvement progresses paired with new and different feed ingredients coming into the marketplace the research component is critical to our business. Our partnership with the ISU swine nutrition team allows us to continuously improve our production and do what’s right for the pig.” In 2011, Iowa Select partnered with Iowa State on a first-inthe-nation program to research air emissions at one of the company’s swine facilities. Up to this point, research and information on ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from swine operations—particularly from breeding, gestation and farrowing facilities in the Midwest—had been limited. This innovative program, led by Dr. Hongwei Xin, professor in ISU’s Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering, helped establish baselines to later develop mitigation techniques.
In 2008 Iowa Select Farms began collaborating with Dr. Ken Prusa at the ISU Meat Sensory Lab to evaluate pork quality characteristics, especially in bellies and loins, leading to significant improvements in pork quality.
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Animal well-being Iowa Select also launched in 2011 in cooperation with ISU Extension the SelectCare Animal Well-Being Program. It’s designed to increase focus on continually improving farm animal care and well-being practices and stems from a comprehensive independent examination of the company’s animal care practices and standards by faculty member Dr. Anna Johnson, a nationally recognized expert in animal behavior and well-being. Dr. Johnson’s examination, funded by ISU Extension, incorporates on-farm tours and reviews of employees working with animals. Dr. Johnson also serves on Iowa Select’s Animal Care Advisory Committee along with Dr. John Thomson, Professor of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine and Dean Emeritus of ISU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Iowa Select also signed on as sponsor of the inaugural Iowa State Bacon Expo, the first student-powered bacon event in the nation. The expo showcased the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State and increased consumer awareness of bacon and pork production in Iowa. “Iowa State couldn’t be more pleased with the strong partnership we have built over the years with Jeff and Deb Hansen and Iowa Select Farms,” said College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean Wendy Wintersteen. “We are grateful for the many generous contributions Iowa Select Farms and the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation have made to the University. Through our strong partnership, Iowa State and Iowa Select have grown and improved, and we expect this will continue as both organizations move forward together.”
In 2013 Iowa Select Farms teamed up with Elanco to help students get their first-ever Bacon Expo off the ground by coming on board with funding and a title sponsorship.
In fall of 2014 Jeff and Deb Hansen helped celebrate the dedication of the Jeff and Deb Hansen Student Agriculture Learning Center along with fellow donors, ISU faculty and staff, and most importantly— the students!
In 2004, Jeff and Deb Hansen established the Iowa Select Farms Livestock Judging Team Coaching Endowment, which helped ISU revitalize its livestock judging team.
Jeff and Deb Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center
In 2011, Iowa Select Farms partnered with ISU on a first-inthe-nation program to research air emissions at one of the company’s swine facilities. Up to this point, research and information on ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from swine operations—particularly from breeding, gestation and farrowing facilities in the Midwest—had been limited. This innovative program, led by Dr. Hongwei Xin, professor in ISU’s Department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering, helped establish baselines to later develop mitigation techniques.
VOLUME ISSUE 2, 1 /ISSUE 2015 9
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HANSEN FAMILY HOSPITAL A point of pride for community
New hospital a legacy to commitment to Hardin County A highlight of 2014 was the opening of the Hansen Family Hospital, a much-needed, brand new hospital for Iowa Falls—the home of Iowa Select Farms and the hometown of Jeff and Deb Hansen. The Hansens have a strong passion for Iowa Falls, and a close personal connection to the town’s former hospital. Jeff, President and CEO of Iowa Select Farms, and Deb, his wife, were born four months apart at Ellsworth Municipal Hospital, named after its first major benefactor, local businessman E.S. Ellsworth, in 1902. Deb’s grandmother, Blanche Milliken, staffed the hospital cafeteria in the early 1960’s and lived in the house nearest to the hospital’s emergency room. As a young child spending time at her grandmother’s home, Deb remembers hearing the ambulances arrive and seeing the red and blue lights from her bedroom window, and hoping everything would turn out alright for those patients and their families.
Jeff and Deb Hansen taking a tour of
the new Hansen Family Hospital So it was no surprise when the Hansens, who are major donors to charities throughout Iowa, made the largest gift — $1.5 million —to help build a new, state-of-the-art facility just south of Iowa Falls. In total, the project raised over $7 million in community donations, an astounding show of support from families in the Iowa Falls and Hardin County area. Donations ranged from pledges and cash gifts to donations of property and grain. And the size of donations varied, too, from $20 on up to the lead donation contributed by the Hansen family.
Iowa Select Farms has a workforce of nearly 1,000 employees, plus 345 contractors. “With the majority of our employees living in smaller communities such as Iowa Falls, it’s important to us that we work together and give back,” Jeff said. “Quality healthcare plays an important role in the lives of our families and their future, which is why we are happy to support the new hospital.” Giving back is a longstanding tradition for the Hansens, in 2006 the couple established the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation to formalize their charitable giving. The Foundation works with philanthropic organizations to relieve hunger, support military families and strengthen efforts to find a cure for childhood cancers. In 2013 the Foundation donated $250,000 to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines for a new Cancer and Blood Disorders Clinic, a facility that serves families in all 99 Iowa counties. The Foundation also has made countless donations to charitable groups and projects funding cancer research. “These are perfect example of the types of projects we support because of their positive impact on rural communities,” said Jeff. “We are confident this new hospital will provide high-quality healthcare for generations to come, ensuring a healthy future for Iowa Falls and Hardin County.”
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The $30 million hospital offers high-quality, accessible healthcare to residents throughout Hardin County.
The operating rooms at the Hansen Family Hospital feature spacious floor plans, integrated technology and a special surgery waiting room for family and friends.
Hansen Family Hospital Board, hospital donors and members of the Hardin County community take part in the ribbon cutting celebration.
ISSUE 1 / 2015
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IT’S A RECORD, TWICE! Iowa Select Farms support for Iowa youth reached new heights in 2014! The reaction was instantaneous – loud cheers, tears all around and heart-felt hugs with family members and Iowa Select Farms representatives. That was the reaction from 17-year-old Lexi Delaney as she basked in the aftermath of the record-setting purchase by Iowa Select Farms of her Reserve Grand Champion FFA market hog at the 2014 Iowa State Fair Sale of Champions. The $50,000 winning bid was not only a record price for a hog sold at the event, it was the all-time record price for any animal ever at the sale! Delaney, daughter of David and Tami Delaney of DeWitt, Iowa, is now a freshman at Iowa State University majoring in animal science. She says the income from the sale will help finance her education. Iowa Select Farms purchased the pig with support from Cargill, Custom Precast, Elanco, Newsham Choice Genetics, SGI, First Central State Bank, Lettow Show Pigs, Jake and Angie Supple and $14,500 in funding from businesses and citizens of DeWitt. Iowa Select Farms was also the winning bidder for the 4-H Grand Champion market hog shown by Taylor Brinning of Keota, Iowa. The $36,000 purchase price was a new record for that category, as well, and included support from Lucta USA, Dave & Janie Fenton, Zoetis, thepigplanet.com, Viagen, JBS United, Custom Builders and $11,000 from businesses and citizens of Keota.
Iowa Foundation for Agricultural Advancement The Iowa State Fair Sale of Champions is conducted in partnership with the Iowa Foundation for Agricultural Advancement (IFAA). It’s a non-profit organization founded in 1988 by agricultural enthusiasts from across the state of Iowa and dedicated to the agriculture industry and encouraging 4-H and FFA livestock, poultry and agriculture project members to pursue ag-related careers. Sale of Champions exhibitors receive a check from IFAA only after satisfactory carcass results for each animal sold have been reported by the ISU Meat Laboratory. The exhibitor keeps 75 percent of the proceeds and the remaining 25 percent is available for scholarships and IFAA administrative expenses. The 2014 Sale of Champions generated $326,900. Scholarships totaling $189,250 and carcass and performance awards totaling $31,150 were also awarded. In all, 254 Iowa youth received a total of $547,300.
Winner’s Circle Scholarships Iowa Select Farms is also a major contributor to the IFAA Winner’s Circle Scholarship and Awards program. The program was established in 1990 to provide incentives for collegebound youth seeking post-secondary education in an area of agriculture.
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Iowa Select Farms’ 2014 Winner’s Circle scholarships were awarded to Matthew Romoser of Keota, Iowa; Matthew Schulte of Dorchester, Iowa; and Kolton Greiner, also of Keota, Iowa. Romoser was awarded a $10,000 Iowa Select Farms swine scholarship. Schulte and Greiner each received $6,000 Iowa Select Farms swine scholarships. Romoser, son of Robert and Mary Romoser, is a senior at Iowa State majoring in Animal Science and plays an active role in the family owned farrow-to-finish operation. He was the 2014 Block and Bridle president and Chair of the 2013 Proven to Win Pig Sale. He’s an Animal Science Peer Mentor, Student Ambassador for the College of Agriculture and Life Science and member of the Livestock Judging Team. He plans to attend graduate school with an emphasis in swine reproduction. Romoser says his interest in pork production began as a young 4-Her. “As a 4th grader I didn’t always know what was going on,” he said, “but I knew I wanted to be out in the barn with dad helping breed sows, wean pigs and with the baby pig processing. As I grew older, I got more involved in helping make genetic decisions along with my dad and my brother.” Matthew Schulte, also a senior at Iowa State majoring in animal science, is the son of David Schulte. He says his passion for the swine industry was developed working in his father’s farrow-to-finish operation and showing swine through 4-H and FFA. Schulte has served as the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Council Senior Representative for Block & Bridle, Animal Science Peer Mentor, Block & Bridle Summer Sausage and Cheese Fundraiser Tri Chair, 2013 Grill Team Co-Chair and Block & Bridle Spring Market Hog Show Chair. He is a member of the 2014 ISU Meats Judging Team. Kolton Greiner, son of Lindsay and Shelley Greiner, is a freshman at Iowa State majoring in animal science. As president of his local FFA chapter and high school student body, he was nominated to attend the L.F.A.P. Leadership Academy at Indian Hills. He also received the Rising Star Award from the Iowa Soybean Association. Kolton has been involved in the family’s swine operation and with his brother started Greiner Brothers Show Pigs. He has been very successful at the Washington County and Iowa State Fair with numerous champions and showmanship awards with both his swine and sheep projects. “Iowa Select Farms is proud to play a role in the IFAA mission through the purchase of animals at the Sale of Champions and scholarship support,” said Jeff Hansen, Iowa Select Farms CEO. “We are totally committed to the future of Iowa and its rural youth as they prepare for promising futures in animal agriculture and many related fields.”
Matthew Schulte
Kolton Greiner
DEB & JEFF HANSEN FOUNDATION
CELEBRATES A BIG YEAR OF GIVING! Ham Sandwiches for Kids™ Program reaches over 8,000 More than 8,000 students in Central and Northeast Iowa are receiving coupons for free sliced or shaved ham this 2014-2015 school year thanks to the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation’s expanded Ham Sandwiches for Kids program. The program provides $5 coupons, four times a year, for sliced or shaved ham to over 8,000 families who have children participating in the Food Bank of Iowa’s and Northeast Iowa’s BackPack Program.™ The total value of these coupons is $166,000. The BackPack Program™ provides child-friendly, easy-to-prepare nonperishable food items on weekends and during school breaks when students do not have access to the federal free and reduced price meal program. “I appreciate the continued support and generosity of the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation,” says Carey Miller, executive director of the Food Bank of Iowa. “When there is a child in need, there is a family in need. This partnership provides children and their families with a nutrient-rich protein not always found in their homes.” According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate guidelines, children need up to six ounces of lean protein daily, depending on age and gender. Ham is included in the MyPlate as a nutrient dense lean protein that promotes growth and development in today’s youth. “We are passionate about providing hunger relief, especially for children,” said Jeff Hansen, CEO of Iowa Select Farms and co-founder of the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation. “We started our Ham Sandwiches for Kids™ program in 2012 and the number of children impacted has grown significantly each year. Since hunger relief is one of the major focuses of our Foundation, we are committed to the success of this program,” adds Hansen. This year all families received a booklet with easy, kidfriendly ham recipes such as scrambled eggs and ham, ham pizza, and a variety of ham sandwiches and wraps for easy meals.
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VOLUME ISSUE 2, 1 /ISSUE 2015 9
at checkout. Also good towards the purchase of pre-packaged sliced or shaved ham.
No es necesario hacer otra compra. En la vitrina fiambres de su supermercado pida $5 dólares en rebanado (casi 1 libra) y presente este cupón en También lo puede usar para jamón rebanado o j desmenuzado pre-envasado.
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DEB & JEFF HANSEN FOUNDATION
CELEBRATES A BIG YEAR OF GIVING! Foundation cooked up support for every single armed services member in Iowa Iowa service members had a little more on their plates this holiday season, quite literally, with an unprecedented donation of coupons good for free pork from the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation and Iowa Select Farms. Every single service member in Iowa received $28 worth of coupons good for various pork products— including ribs, fresh pork, ground pork and bacon—through their unit readiness coordinators. In total, more than 10,800 active duty and reserve service members received coupons, totaling $302,400 in free pork. “Providing support to military families in Iowa is the least we can do for those on active duty and those who dedicate their time to civilian duty and the Reserves,” says Jeff Hansen, president and CEO of Iowa Select Farms. “Supplying the resources for a home-cooked meal that brings their families together is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the men and women who sacrifice so much of their time away from their families in order to protect our freedom.”
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“I’m humbled and proud to be a recipient of this gift,” says SFC Larry Hingtgen, a member of Delta Company 1/133rd Infantry. “I know that I speak for most of the men and women in uniform all over the state in saying that this is hugely appreciated. From bacon breakfasts, to our holiday gatherings and tailgating, this is a practical and hugely helpful gift. The thoughtfulness of Iowans never ceases to amaze me.” The foundation also distributed the coupon packets the Iowa State University ROTC programs.
Rural food pantries replenished with 24 tons of pork Empty freezers in Iowa food pantries were filled in 2014 when the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation and Iowa Select Farms donated approximately 48,000 pounds of fresh, boneless pork loins to help feed Iowa families in need. The pork was distributed by employees of Iowa Select Farms to over 70 rural community organizations. “We focus on helping Iowa families who need a helping hand,” says Jeff Hansen, President and CEO of Iowa Select Farms. “The pork loin donation helps bring families together for a good meal, something they can’t always afford to do.” One in eight Iowans, or more than 390,000 individuals, face the risk of hunger every day, according to Cory Berkenes, Executive Director of the Iowa Food Bank Association, so the donation, valued at $125,760, came at a time when there is a great need. “These are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days,” says Berkenes. Each community has their own unique needs, so the Foundation works with local pantries to determine how they can best meet those needs. In total, 800 cases of pork loins were handed out during this round of donations, and with the great need for fresh pork, pantries exhaust their supply very quickly. Whether the pork is used to meet immediate needs or saved for holiday food baskets, the loins help ease the stress for families wondering where their meals will come from. “You have no idea how much this donation helps,” said Diana Bass, a representative of the food pantry at United Methodist Church in New Hartford, Iowa. “Protein is such an important part of our diets and unfortunately, high meat prices make it hard for many people to access these nutrient-rich foods.” The boneless pork loins are approximately 4.5 pounds and each can feed 24 people a 3-ounce serving of pork. The 800 cases of pork loin roasts donated by the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation and Iowa Select Farms provided approximately 230,400 servings to Iowa families.
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Foundation delivers pork loin roasts to 132nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines Continuing another tradition of supporting our military men and women, the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation was proud to make a holiday delivery of pork loin roasts packed in festive cooler totes to the nearly 1,000 members of the Iowa National Guard’s 132nd Fighter Wing. The totes were delivered directly to the airmen during their December drill weekend.
Foundation delivers pork loin roasts to Iowa Army National Guard units just in time for Christmas Representatives of the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation joined holiday parties in Boone and Waterloo to hand deliver pork loin roasts to the Soldiers of the Det 2 HSD 248th, Det 3 Co B 248th, Det 1 S&S, Det HSC 148th and B CO 248th units. Many of these Soldiers had recently returned from deployment in Kosovo where they provided aviation maintenance support to a combat aviation brigade, which includes aircraft diagnostics, repair, maintenance, and testing.
Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation honors US Marine Corp Reserves On a crisp autumn day the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation was privileged to show gratitude to the members of the 2D BN 24th Marine Regiment of the US Marine Corp Reserves. Foundation representative were on-hand to present each Marine an insulated tote stuffed with pork loins and ribs along with a grilling apron and coupons for even more fresh pork, ribs, ground pork and bacon at the grocery meat case.
VOLUME ISSUE 2, 1 /ISSUE 2015 9
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OVER 3,500 FAMILIES IN NEED RECEIVE A HELPING HAND At the annual Pork Loin Giveaway!
THANK YOU 2014 FOUNDATION SPONSORS!
Continuing what has become an annual holiday tradition, the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation once again gave away 3,500 free pork loin roasts to families in need in conjunction with a special live remote broadcast of the “Van and Bonnie in the Morning” program on News Radio WHO 1040.
PREMIER
Employees sporting Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus costumes and festive Christmas hats handed out the fresh, boneless roasts to the steady line of participants, many of whom took the time to share their personal stories of hardship. “Some even broke down into tears when they were handed the pork loin, others shared a look of appreciation while children squealed in delight from the back seats,” said Allyson Ladd, who filled the role of Mrs. Claus for the event. “The stories we heard were heart wrenching,” said Ladd. “Many people passed us handwritten thank you notes, or responded by exchanging a donation back through the window as they received a pork loin they intended to take to a family they knew could use a helping hand.” GOLD
This year a small drone captured aerial footage of the event and showed cars winding through the state fair parking lot and out onto University Avenue. It was steady for the full four hours of the event. “This year we did more outreach to area food pantries and children and family service-based organizations that help families in need,” said Jen Sorenson, Communications Director for Iowa Select Farms. “We wanted to make sure they were aware of the giveaway and get someone down the fairgrounds, it’s amazing how something like a pork loin can bring the magic of Christmas back into a home.”
SILVER
Each 4.5-pound roast provides 24 servings of lean, nutrient-rich pork, with the 3,500 roasts supplying 84,000 total servings. The pork loins have a combined weight of 7.8 tons and a value of $36,697.
Randy & Jean Thompson
BRONZE
Gold-Eagle COOPERATIVE
Tony & Mari Thies
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Everyone
WE BELIEVE DESERVES A
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TEAMS COME TOGETHER TO GET SOW 31 OFF TO A GREAT START Chad Besemer, Sow 31 manager, responded the way most of us do when faced with a massive workplace change. “When I first heard about the project, I started thinking about all the reasons why it couldn’t work,” he smiles. But the manager who spent most of 2014 helping start up Iowa Select Farms’ newest sow farm near Holstein, Iowa, also recalls, “The more I thought about it, the more positives I found. Now that we’re fully into the project, things are running smoothly and we’ve adapted to our new workflow.” The “project” is called batch farrowing in a recently acquired pen gestation sow farm. Besemer was one of 10-14 team members pulled together in spring of 2014 by project manager Dan Dean to start up the sow farm and test the concept compared to the company’s standard breeding and farrowing practices. The advantages of batch farrowing are improved downstream pig quality and space utilization. “Batch farrowing means we’ve changed a lot of things about how and when we handle animals at the sow farms,” Dean says. “But the biggest impact we should see from batch farrowing will be in grow/finish performance. It may take a few parities, but we’ll get there.” “The biggest difference between batch farrowing and conventional farrowing,” Besemer says, “is that at conventional sow farms, we farrow sows every day, process pigs every day, wean sows every day and breed sows every day. With batch farrowing, you concentrate on one task at a time within a specific time period.” At Sow 31, a total of 720 sows are housed in 24, 30-stall farrowing rooms. “All 850 sows are bred in one week so farrowing can be completed in one week,” Besemer says. “Then we focus on processing and baby pig care until we’re done with that task. Then we wean until that task is done. After three weeks, we move the 720 sows from the farrowing rooms to the breeding pens, clean and disinfect the farrowing rooms and then start moving in the next batch of 720 sows.” “When we weaned our first group, we were able to fill two wean-to-finish barns in 48 hours,” Dean says. “With conventional farrowing, it takes about two weeks to do that. With batch farrowing, we’re able to fill a site and shut the door. This creates health and performance advantages for the pigs and improved labor efficiency for employees.”Dean emphasizes the project wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation and teamwork of everyone in the entire Iowa Select Farms system.
Breeding Project Site
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Breeding project crew accomplishes a monumental task Once the farm purchase was completed, a construction and repair crew set out to the site to give the farm a facelift, while Dean immediately went to work pulling together the team needed to establish a Breeding Project batch farrowing system. Crew His first call was to Tysen Abell, Gilt Development Unit (GDU) supervisor for southern Iowa and gilt selection specialist. Abell’s assignment was the task of finding 4,000 gilts needed to populate the 3,400 slots at Sow 31. “Oh, and by the way,” Dean told Abell, “we need all of those gilts in less than six weeks.” After being convinced that Dean’s request was a serious one, Abell quickly went to work. Dean next called Besemer, a GDU supervisor at the time, to enlist his efforts to join the breeding project and ultimately, Sow 31. Besemer and Abell then worked together to get the selected gilts moved to three breeding sites—Emmett Avenue, Kraft and Norway. Gilts were loaded into the breeding sites in groups sized to match the pen dynamics at Sow 31. They were sorted by heat detection dates so it would be known when to start administering Matrix, a heat synchronization feed additive. That allowed gilts to be grouped and bred for movement every four weeks to Sow 31. “We had four people at the breeding sites every day for heat checking and sorting,” Dean says. “Then, every fourth week, we’d bring in another 10 to 14 people to breed 850 gilts. This group was made up of supervisors, GDU managers and gilt breeding specialists. Their sole job for the week, from the time they showered in to the time they left the building at night, was to breed gilts.” Dean says he’s particularly grateful to those who volunteered to help with the breeding as they gave up entire weeks and weekends of their time away from their regular jobs and families – including Easter Sunday and many other holidays. “That also meant the farms they came from were shorthanded while they were working on the batch project so their co-workers there had to pick up that extra workload.”
Brody Abell (with board) and Chad Besemer
Hannah Simmerman, Ryan Johnson, Courtney Foster and Monica Dodge
Dean offers special thanks to Noel Williams and his family for supplying a holiday dinner for crew members working that day, David McGee from PIC, James Bergett and his repair crew for help getting the Emmet facility ready to receive gilts, the crews at Farris, 3 Fires, Stalker 1 and Lucas City for loading and getting all the gilts caught up on vaccinations prior to loading, and boar stud employees. “Boar stud supervisor Brian Qualley told me the first 7-day stretch of the breeding project was like adding 20,000 sows to the Iowa Select system without any additional boars,” said Dean. “I’ve been in GDUs for 10 years so breeding is my specialty,” says Ryan Johnson, GDU manager and member of the breeding team. “From the breeding perspective, I have to say we’re very satisfied with the project. To have 14 people who’ve never worked together before achieve the results we did is astounding.” “What is most memorable to me about the breeding project,” Abell says, “is the way team members worked together so well after just a day or two on the job. I think that happened because we were all focused on completing a single task that was clearly identified and everybody understood the goal.”
SPECIAL THANKS Qualley Boar Stud Hasting Boar Stud (Back up to Qualley Boar Stud) The Breeding Project Crew • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Tysen Abell, GDU Supervisor Brody Abell, Technician, GDU 38 Connie Kraft, Manager, Hemann East G447 Chad Besemer, Manager, Sow 31 Bernardino Pelico-Guox, Technician, Sow 31 Janea Shannon, Farrowing Department Head, Sow 31 Craig Whalen, GDU Supervisor Nick Pickar, Manager, G162 Arthur Schwab, Manager, G241 Darian Fisher, Manager, G044 Eric Hensley, Technician, Gravity GDU 541 Monica Dodge, Breeding Assistant, Grouse G400 Hannah Simmerman, Intern Courtney Foster, Intern Ryan Johnson, Manager, Gast G938 Orin J Cox, Manager, Gravity G541 Dan Dean, Director of Multiplication and GDUs The entire Transportation Department The Construction, Repair and Maintenance Department Noel Williams and the entire Williams family
People who held down the fort at their GDU sites by keeping production at expected levels • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Chris Bessman, Manager, Grouse G400 Dave Hemann, Breeding Assistant, Kiss G162 Virginia Garcia, Technician, Hemann East G447 Jaime Chaplin, Manager, Gast/Greenfield 4 GDU Larry Last, Breeding Assistant, Gast/Greenfield 4 GDU Desarae Schwab, Breeding Specialist, Gast/Greenfield 4 GDU Randy Deahl, Breeding Specialist, Gast/Greenfield 4 GDU Doug Gillmore, Manager, Gast/Greenfield 4 GDU Hebert Nunez Aragon, Department Head, S115 Zach Behrens, Technician, Greenfield 4 G561 Gus Olson, Technician, Cyclone G562 Randy Abell, Sow 29 Growers Nate Taylor, Sow 29 Growers Jerri Stewart, Sow 29 Growers Rodney Briner, Sow 29 Growers Dave Maxson, Technician, Gravity G541
About Sow 31 • • • •
Was purchased by Iowa Select Farms in early 2014 4,000 head, pen gestation sow farm Gilts bred off site at Roose South and enter the farm one week prior to farrowing Bred sows are housed in gestation stalls until day 37, then moved to one of 16, 20 x 45 gestation pens each housing 50-60 sows • Sows farrow in one of 24, 30-stall farrowing rooms • The farm also features two on-site nurseries each holding 1,800 pigs
Ryan Johnson
Sow 31
Tysen and Brody Abell
Monica Dodge VOLUME ISSUE 2, 1 /ISSUE 2015 9
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SelectCare™ PO Box 400 Iowa Falls, IA 50126
Thank You
employees and contractors—warmer weather is just around the corner! We’re looking forward to another great spring and summer of family fun.
ADVENTURELAND H SUMMER PARADES H IOWA STATE FAIR