Employee Feature: Ron Vande Wall

A few years ago, I remember sitting at the table eating breakfast when a man I did not recognized pulled up on the yard. This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence on the farm, we had new guys start working for us every so often. I called down to my dad if we had hired a new guy to work for us. “Oh”, he responded, “that’s Ron Vande Wall – he definitely isn’t new.”

As I Ron and I sit down, I ask him if he remembers when he started working for VG Farms. He chuckled and tells me in complete honesty that he wasn’t sure exactly how he started working for us, or even what year for that matter. “I think I started plowing fields for your grandpa probably over 45 years ago now”, he estimates. (For some perspective, VG Farms incorporated only 44 years ago.) While Ron hasn’t been with us for all those years, he has logged quite a few – over 20 years full-time and 10 part-time.

As we branch off and travel down Ron’s memory lane of VG Farms he recalls a few things that are very different from how we farm today. One of those would be combining (one of his favorite jobs on the farm) with a three-row head. Another would be loading pigs at 2am to deliver two full loads to Cargill by 6am for a premium on the market price. “I always looked forward to coming back after that second trip so I could stop and get a donut at Casey’s as they opened.” At the same time, Ron recalled something that hasn’t changed throughout the years. “You know, I can’t say I have ever been mad at your grandpa. He let me make my mistakes, but never said ‘I told you so’ afterwards. That’s pretty remarkable.”

Something else that everyone else finds remarkable is Ron’s ability to fix things. Often referred to as ‘Magic Ron’, he is able to utilize his experience as a handy-man to fix nearly any maintenance issue we have on the farm. “It’s great”, my dad exclaims at dinner, “I write down what needs to be fixed, and Ron fixes it!” Equally adept at moving pigs, Ron often inspires awe from the younger help on the farm. Despite this praise, Ron carries a humble spirit about him. Typically soft-spoken and always carrying a warm smile, we are truly blessed by Ron’s willingness to work for us part-time these past few years.

- VG Farms

Comments

Backing Away from Basics

How many times have you said to yourself or to others that there is a need to get back to basics? A return to the basics can help us realign with the fundamental principles of the task at hand. It’s generally very helpful. When I was struggling in a sport, I often backtracked to the fundamentals to discovered my point of error. Other’s use it in work, family life, and in cooking. Unfortunately, I believe that we have remained a bit too basic in our approach to pork. Go to a retail store and you will see the same cuts that have been available for the past 30 years. You will see chops, shoulder and loin roasts, tenderloins, ham steaks, etc. Now there is nothing wrong with those cuts as they present a myriad of cooking opportunities. But the wonderful pig produces so much more! Take for example some of the dishes we served this week at a pork education event. We made street tacos out of pork steaks (it’s the Spinalis muscle if you want to get technical). We made Chulet...

Can you power wash?

Can you power wash? It may seem odd, but this is often one of the first questions I ask someone interviewing for a job with us. There are generally two reasons for asking this question. The first is practical in nature. Pigs can kind of be like your kids sometimes, leaving a mess where ever they go. This makes power washing a frequent event especially in the farrowing house. Grant does a good job of making sure the next mom has a clean place to have her babies. The second reason is it may give you an idea of the persons work ethic. If they hesitate or try to appear that they are “over qualified” to power wash that may be a red flag. All jobs here are important, whether you are in charge of the books or cleaning farrowing pens, what you are doing is vital to the success of the farm. ...

Merry Christmas!

Christmas has finally arrived here at VG Farms. It is finally white and actually looks like Christmas. Before I go on, let me issue an apology for the lack of blog posts these past few weeks. Between my end-of-semester finals and my father’s busy work-load, it has been difficult to find the time to write. So consider this special Christmas edition a gift from us to you. As any family does, the Van Gilst’s hold several Christmas traditions. Some are small and informal – like watching National Lampoons Christmas Vacation at least a half dozen times. Others are a bit more significant – such as gathering with each side of the family (Van Gilst and Branderhorst) to celebrate the holidays alongside grandparents, aunts and uncles, and an endless supply of cousins. We watch the Iowa Hawkeyes play in their bowl game (fingers crossed for a victory in a few days) and occasionally us boys will head off to Iowa City to catch some hoops. Whatever it may be, there is never a dull moment ov...

Both Sides of the Fork

Search This Blog