Colorado Reader 04/2017 | Page 7

Interview with Minda Mares from Seaboard Foods in Holyoke .

My name is Minda Mares and I grew up on a ranch in Southeast Wyoming . I have an Associate ’ s Degree in Science from Casper College in Casper , Wyoming and my Bachelor ’ s Degree in Animal Science from Texas A & M University in College Station , Texas . I began working for Seaboard Foods in October of 2002 as a management trainee . I have worked in different areas of pork production . I have worked with male pigs called boars , female pigs called sows and with baby pigs called piglets . I took over management of my first sow farm in September of 2003 . A sow farm is where female pigs are kept .
I was a Sow Farm Manager for 11 years . I worked day to day on the farm with a crew of employees to complete tasks including feeding sows , breeding sows , farrowing sows , care of newborn piglets , weaning piglets and cleaning the barns . In addition to daily tasks , I was also responsible for the upkeep of the farm , payroll , environmental control to protect the pigs , and record keeping .
I moved in to my current role as a Sow Farm Production Manager in January of 2015 . Today I supervise six sow farms north of Holyoke , Colorado . I work with each farm crew to accomplish daily tasks and goals . I oversee 41 employees who care for 14,000 sows . Our teams wean 6,650 piglets each week . I really enjoy the opportunity to work every day with animals and have a true passion for pigs . The most rewarding part of my job is helping my farm managers and assistant managers become successful leaders in our company and industry .
How well did you read ? 1 . What is a male pig called ? ________________ 2 . What is a female pig called ? ______________ 3 . What are baby pigs called ? _______________ 4 . Describe one thing Minda does in her job ? ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________
Colorado Ag in the Classroom 7 www . growingyourfuture . com