For the crew at Sow 114, Beast Mode is a way of life.
“We work hard to protect our pigs from disease every single day,” said Lynda Garza, the farm’s manager. “But now everything that we do for our pigs is an extension of ourselves. We are very mindful of keeping our pigs and our team healthy.”
Lynda and her team take their role in feeding the world seriously, now more than ever. Recently, they’ve implemented additional efforts to keep biosecurity top of mind.
“We realized that the farm’s entry way was one of the easiest and most common places to have a mishap,” said Cruz Perea, the farm’s breeding department head. “So, we decided that every day we’re going to have someone monitoring that process. Not to call anyone out, rather to identify ways we can improve to make sure we’re not bringing any disease into our farm. It’s just to lend a helping hand.”
Inside the farm, the team is being extra mindful when it comes to gathering. A few weeks ago, it would have been typical for the farm to start and end their days together, with a midday lunch in between. Now, they limit breakroom gatherings to four people and make sure to clean and disinfect anything they may have touched before the next group comes in.
“We know that if someone gets sick, our farm won’t be able to operate the way we need to,” said breeding lead, Ismael Reyes. “So, we’re doing everything we possibly can to keep everyone healthy. That’s our top priority right now.”
Outside of work, the farm is also finding unique ways to connect. Some may even say they’re kicking it old school with a game of telephone—kind of.
“We know that we can’t have large gatherings, but it’s still important for us to communicate every day,” said Lynda. “So, our department heads have been calling each other and then relaying messages onto other team members. It helps us eliminate larger meetings but still allows us to connect. It’s been great to see everyone work together to keep our pigs and team healthy.”
Way to activate Beast Mode everyday, Sow 114!
