19 Story Idea? Contact Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Pork | December 2024 Allan: I do all the other stuff, such as moving manure, performing maintenance, and handling rebuilds and renovations as needed. How many people do you employ? Allan: When fully staffed, we have five full-time people. Describe your office or workshop. Laura: I use a room in our home for my main office, and also have an office space in the barn for data entry. Some items always on your desk? Laura: My computer and pens, so we have both hi-tech and low-tech covered. Messy or neat? Laura: It really depends on the day! Allan: Laura secured herself a position as she is the only one who can keep it all straight. What’s your favourite thing about working with pigs? Jamie: Baby pigs are the cutest thing to see, and I love to watch the animals evolve from birth to maturity. Allan: It’s gratifying to help the company grow and steadily improve the quality of its breeding stock. Topigs Norsvin is very production-driven and always seeks the best outcome for customers. How do you protect your herd? Jamie: We run a top-notch biosecurity program that ensures a high health status for our herds. As part of that, we breed our own gilts; nothing comes onto the farm except for semen. Allan: It’s a great selling point that the closest pigs to us are an hour away, making it a very secure operation. How do you keep your records? Laura: Our staff uses hand-held technology to record the number and type of treatments delivered. We also employ ear tags that tell us if an animal has been treated. Our vaccine records are extremely thorough, and we are part of the Canadian Pork Excellence program, so we follow those guidelines and protocols as well. The best thing about farming? Allan: You get to watch your herd grow in terms of production, and be part of other changes, like focusing on vaccines rather than antibiotics. What do you like least? Allan: The uncertainty around labour can be tough. We tend to rely on foreign workers, and the government process is not swift in that regard. It would be nice to just pick up the phone and have a worker here the next day, but it doesn’t work that way. What sort of livestock technology do you use in your barn? Allan: Wi-Fi throughout the barn, wand readers and RFID tags for all of UP CLOSE
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