Animal Caretaker III - Houstonia MO
Description
Our Mission
To be the best in all that we do, completely focused on our business, ensuring the best products and services for customers, a relationship of trust with our suppliers, profitability for our shareholders and the opportunity of a better future for all of our team members.
Our foundation & our strength is in our values
DETERMINATION | SIMPLICITY | AVAILABILITY | HUMILITY | SINCERITY | DISCIPLINE | OWNERSHIP
Position Title: Animal Caretaker III
Status: Hourly Non-Exempt
Purpose & Scope: The Animal Caretaker III position is responsible for assisting the sow farm in meeting production goals while promoting safety and wellbeing of animals, self and other team members demonstrating advanced proficiency in highly-skilled production functions. This position will leverage the individual’s knowledge about lactation, reproductive physiology, swine nutrition, selection, genetics, animal welfare, and animal handling. This position is required to adhere at all times to Animal Welfare and Bio-Security protocols, guidelines, and procedures.
Essential Responsibilities:
- Performs routine animal care efficiently and accurately, such as feeding, watering, moving, tagging and ventilation consistent with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Positively collaborates and partners with other team members to care for animals and complete daily duties
- Effectively utilizes farm and production technology and equipment such as hand held devices, wands, and other equipment
- Cleans and disinfects facilities maintaining a healthy environment
- Operates machinery and equipment which may include power washing
- Assists staff with animal management which may include sow breeding, gestation, and farrowing functions
- Assists in the administration of vaccinations and medication to sows and piglets, completes treatment cards
- Cleaning afterbirth, dead pigs, scraping
- Attends safety meetings and adheres to Animal Welfare policies at all times
- Identifies maintenance needs and reports them to management
- Performs production housekeeping duties
- Various other tasks, as assigned
The Animal Caretaker III completes all the duties of an Animal Caretaker I and II and performs the additional highly-skilled and knowledge based functions, usually specializing in one area, as outlined below:
- Understands and performs farrowing functions that drive throughput and high quality wean pigs such as optimizing the farrowing environment, ensuring diet and water availability supports lactation, conducting day 1 and days 3-5 piglet processing consistent with best management practices
- Understands and performs breeding functions that drive superior reproductive performance and results in high quality semen specimens (boar stud) or adequate pig flow, such as optimizing environmental conditions, heat detection, semen dosage and handling, insemination technique and timing, boar exposure, and pregnancy detection (sow farm)
- Identifies and responds to signals of animal health and distress, such as appetite, body condition, response to stimulus, respiration, body temperature, and condition of animal outputs
- Treats minor injuries and ailments, administers medications at the direction of the veterinarian
- Select animals to be bred, and semen specimens to be used, according to knowledge of animals, genealogies, traits, and desired offspring characteristics
Required Qualifications:
- 4-year degree in related field or 4 years of swine production experience
- Advanced knowledge and technical proficiency in Bio-Security and swine production practices
- Available to work weekends, early or late shifts
- Reliable method of transportation to and from work
Preferred Qualifications:
- Advanced education in swine production or related field
Physical Requirements:
- Ability to continually bend, push, grasp, and pull up to 60 lbs.
- Continuous walking and/or standing, up to 95% of the day
The applicant who fills this position will be eligible for the following compensation and benefits:
- Benefits: Vision, Medical, and Dental coverage begin after 60 days of employment;
- Paid Time Off: vacation, and 6 company observed holidays;
- 401(k):company match begins after the first year of service and follows the company vesting schedule.
- Better Futures Program – Online Classes or select 2 Year Community College tuition paid for you or your dependents!
- Leadership Fundamentals Training Program: Opportunity to grow your career through leadership training.
The company is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our team members and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct a drug, alcohol and background checks for all new team members post-offer and prior to the start of employment. The Immigration Reform and Control ACT requires that verification of employment eligibility be documented for all new employees by the end of the third day of work
EOE/Vet/Disability