It's September Already

The end of August is a time of transition. The days are getting shorter, kids are back in school. As a matter of fact you may notice a change in the writing style of the blog. Cory has gone back to Dordt for his senior year of college. As a result the blog may have fewer words and more pictures.

In late August there begins to be a sense of urgency to finish projects that we had “all” summer to get done.

One major project was to take down an old farrowing house we no longer use. Jerry and his track hoe made short work of the building. I tried to not get to sentimental about it being torn down, but it is where I learned the discipline of daily chores and the basics of pig care. It is important to not let nostalgia get in the way of progress. The farrowing house that replaced it is better for the pigs and the caretakers.

I would like to keep writing but as you can see from the pictures we have projects to get done before harvest. Have a great Labor Day weekend and make the most of the rest of your summer.

-VG Farms

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Employee Feature: Jon Phelps

“This will take only 10 minutes, I promise”, I reassure the head of farrowing as he takes a rare break from his work. A familiar, bashful smile appears while we make our way to the office space of the building. “You’re the first employee we’re doing a feature on, so you should definitely feel special about this one.” He laughs and we begin. This is Jon Phelps, the recently promoted head of farrowing here at VG Farms. For the past six years he has spent his time helping nearly a quarter of a million piglets into the world. It all started when he decided he wanted to return to hog farming since leaving an operation in Alexandria, South Dakota. “I saw the opening online and had previous experience in farrowing that I really enjoyed”, he explains, “I filled out the application and here I am.” Jon has come along quite a ways since first beginning with the VG Farms family; from doing chores at on...

Priorities

Much like fall, spring is a very busy time on a livestock/crop farm. Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is to decide what to do first. When the weather warms and the fields dry it is time to put the crop in the ground. Time is of the essence when it comes to planting. There are weeks were you may only get a few hours in the fields due to weather. An dry, early spring is no indication of a dry later spring. Despite the pressures of planting, the crops are not the first priority of the day. The pigs always get top billing. Chores, weaning, breeding, load for market, all get don...

Harvest Time

Harvest Time Well harvest finally began this past week. It is always a much anticipated time of the year. This first picture is a combine that was purchased in about 1964. It was a huge leap in technology. No longer did you pick the corn in the ear and then shell it later. This machine combined the two operations into one which is the reason it is called a combine. Todays machines are leaps ahead of the originals. Today we have air conditioned cabs with air ride seats. The ability to change settings on the go and yield monitors with GPS that tell you moisture and yield from a specific spot in the field. The way we move the grain from the field to the farm has also change over time. The wooden wagon in the first picture held 100 bushels of corn. In 1974 my da...

Both Sides of the Fork

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