My love for pigs comes from a greased pig from a county fair pig scramble. I did not grow up on a pig farm, or even a farm for that matter. I grew up in a subdivision much like most of America these days, but I learned about farming, crops, and animals from my grandparents. I grew up in a single parent household, where money didn't just grow on trees, yet I was always taught from a young age to always chase my passion.  How unlikely given this upbringing that pigs would eventually fill this fervency.

 

At 8 years old, I found I had a new talent, catching greased pigs.  I was entered into a “pig scramble” contest by my family.  It all started there.  I kept the pig I caught, raise it and loved it. This led me to join 4-H for an outlet to learn the stockmanship skills necessary for success in the show arena. 

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Quickly, I found I had a knack for livestock management and focused all of my energy into learning everything I could about swine. I continued to show pigs all throughout high school and college, winning several events and fair shows.  From these experiences, I began to receive questions from more and more people about my success in the arena.  This only served to spark my passion with swine and allowed me to meet so many wonderful people in the industry. 

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By the time I entered college at the Ohio State University, I had already decided that swine was my future. I tried to continue showing pigs in college, feeling this would allow me to fill the void of working with these animals.  However, it wasn’t enough to satisfy this growing passion.I decided at that point commercial production may be an avenue in which I could parlay my zeal for pigs into a career. This led me to undertake a production internship with Kalmbach Swine Management, a leading swine producer in Ohio, and one that defines its success by striving for excellence.  I was hooked. I loved it so much that I came back the next summer and completed another internship. 

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During this second internship, I was exposed to new avenues of swine production. I started carrying out more macro functions for the company involving vet work and statistical analysis. I excelled in this new role, loving the fast paced and ever changing skillsets I was exposed to. Once I was due to end the internship, the Director of Sow Operations and our Senior Staff Veterinarian approached me about creating a new position in the company.  So upon graduation, I became the first Swine Production Specialist for Kalmbach Swine Management, a diverse and multi-discipline position. 

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My duties include overseeing the in-house andrology lab, performing necropsies, collecting and coordinating disease testing, overseeing multiplication vaccinations and tagging, managing medication orders and inventories, and providing analysis on performance data.

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This new role has been extremely exciting.  Not only do I get to work with my favorite animal, but I also have the opportunity to learn an incredible amount from the very talented team there every day.  Working with pigs, having a passion for the animal, also serves to push me to do the best I can every day.  And because of this passion I strive to do the right thing for the animals I care for. I have grown as a person working in this industry, not only personally but through communicating and educating other people. I love tackling daily problems in our production system and sharing this passion with those around me.  I feel it’s important to get the word out there. We care greatly about this industry and these animals as real pig farmers.

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