PRODUCTION TECH LEAD- BREEDING

About the role

Serve as liaison between team members and management, evaluate and implement continuous improvement of swine production process.

Responsibilities

• Adhere to and monitor team members during production activities to ensure adherence to safety, Animal Welfare, and Bio-Security procedures
• Motivate team members to increase production and maintain high production standards
• Ability to perform necropsy and collection of tissue samples including PUC sampling
• Examine animals to detect symptoms of illness or injury
• Treat minor injuries and ailments; communicate with appropriate management and/or veterinarians to obtain treatment for animals with serious illnesses or injuries
• Stock supplies of feed and medicines
• Understand and implement advanced sow/gilt care and handling (feeding/watering/moving/ventilation)
• Observe animals in heat to detect approach of estrus and exercise animals to induce or hasten estrus, if necessary
• Conduct advanced breeding functions (artificial insemination, heat check, day-one pig care)
• Select animals to be bred, and semen specimens to be used, according to knowledge of animals, genealogies, traits, and desired offspring characteristics
• Record animal characteristics such as weights, growth patterns, and diets
• Brand, tattoo, or tag animals for animal identification
• Place vaccines in drinking water, inject vaccines, or dust air with vaccine powder to protect animals from diseases
• Exercise animals to keep them in healthy condition
• Adjust controls to maintain specific building temperatures required for animals' health and safety
• Maintain logs of semen specimens used and animals bred
• Inject prepared animal semen into female animals for breeding purposes, by inserting nozzle of syringe into vagina and depressing syringe plunger
• Prepare containers of semen for freezing and storage or shipment, placing them in dry ice or liquid nitrogen
• Package and label semen to be used for artificial insemination, recording information such as the date, source, quality, and concentration
• Experience with or ability to learn farm technology (hand held devices/wand sows and other equipment, as necessary)
• Attend safety meetings
• Cleaning and disinfection of facilities, including removal of mortality and waste
• Check feed system and fill lines
• Production/facility housekeeping duties

Required Qualifications

• 4-year college degree in related field or equivalent experience in similar production environment
• Strong communication and listening skills
• Experience with or ability to learn farm technology (computers, hand held devices/wand sows and other equipment, as necessary)
• Demonstrated ability to solve problems and make decisions independently
• Ability to effectively lead a team
• Team oriented, self-motivated, and positive individual with strong work ethic
• Ability to efficiently multi-task in a fast-paced environment
• Familiarity with Bio-Security and swine production
• Ability to work weekends, as scheduled
• Ability to continually bend, push, grasp, and pull up to 60 lbs
• Continual walking and/or standing, up to 95% of the day
• Reliable method of transportation required
• Ability to work early 1st shift hours or late 2nd shift hours

Preferred Qualifications

• Bilingual English and Spanish

Pay

$21.10 per hour