Pig Breeding Farm Manager

We have a Pig Breeding Farm Manager position available on our Free-Range pork farm 20 minutes south of Timaru.

Highgrounds Free range pork is a farrow to finish pig farming operation. The pigs are run on a continuous rotation around our 370Ha property using a 3 week batch farrow system and finishing all progeny as free range. Currently we are supplying a discerning market with free range pigs weekly.

Animal welfare, environment and sustainability are our 3 major drivers. You will be joining a family run business along with two existing full-time staff members.

This is a full-time permanent position, Monday to Friday and including working rostered weekends and public holidays.

This position will involve working on all aspects of the pig operation but mainly be required to manage the breeding and farrowing unit. Because of this, previous experience is

necessary.

You will be required to:

• Have five years of pig breeding and/or pork industry experience
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of pig husbandry
• Plan feeding of sows daily
• Perform Artificial Insemination (AI)
• Strong communication skills to co-ordinate animal numbers which will be transferred to the grower manager
• Water blasting huts
• Basic tractor driving and loader operation skills
• Motorbike operation experience
• You will also require a good level of written and numeric skills to enable accuracy in the recording of farm data through an electronic recording system
• Electric fencing experience
• Be honest and truthful
• Display an extremely high level of animal welfare and good stock sense
• The ability to work independently at times.

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Location of role:

Property details

• Farm Business Name: Highgrounds Farming Co
• Size: 330 hectares effective, 370ha total
• Cows: 80 Angus/Hereford type
• Dairy Grazers: 120 R2 during winter
• Sheep: 1500
• Pigs: 200 sows
• Winter crop: 50ha
• Location: South Canterbury, 25 mins from the centre of Timaru

Hours of work:

Monday to Friday and including working rostered weekends and public holidays.

Our Aim:

To supply a consistent, quality pork product that meets the expectations of a discerning customer.

We have 280 sows and aim to maintain the highest animal welfare standards, giving the pigs quality of life by providing them with plenty of room to move and display their natural behaviours as well as comfort, warmth and protection from the elements, winter and summer.

Also, extremely important to us is our footprint on the environment. We are wanting to balance the desires of the pigs to display their natural behaviours with the environmental impact that this causes. The pig system is in a slow continuous rotation around our 330 Ha property. This system compliments the rest of the farm in a sustainable manor by improving fertility and nutrients for crops which follow.  The sows are farmed using a 3 weekly batch farrowing system. This is so we can manage groups of animals rather than individuals.

Key KPI’s:

• Maintain 7 batches of 38-40 sows farrowing at 3 weekly intervals
• Achieve a year-round average weaning rate of 11.5 piglets per sow per litter
• Ensure sows condition is optimum to achieve a total of 2.2 litters weaned per sow per year
• Reduce our impact on the environment by managing sow paddocks and ground cover
• Keep all pigs well bedded, fed and watered
• Provide all pigs with shade and shelter

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Purpose of position:

The position of the pig breeder is designed to assist the owners in the running of the pig farm.

Responsibilities include:

Sow and litter management – Breeding

• Observe sows during farrowing, be available to assist sows during farrowing if required
• Even out litter sizes between all farrowed sows
• Remove and attend to ‘fall behind piglets’
• Keep straw bedding clean, and dry for sow comfort and piglet warmth
• Feed farrowed sows according to litter age and sow condition

Accurate record keeping

Record individual performance of each sow; Mating dates, Farrowing dates, Piglets born, Piglets lost Piglets weaned, Vaccines administered, medication used etc

Mating

• Identifying sows or gilts on heat
• Exposing new breeding gilts to a boar for heat detection
• Administrating AI
• Handling boars
• Pregnancy scanning

A high level of animal husbandry

• Separating sick or bullied animals
• Ensuring pigs are well fed
• Identifying any problems and reporting back to owners
• Vaccinating
• Nose ringing

Tractor Driving

• Using a tractor/JCB to feed, move pigs,shift huts and bed pig huts with straw
• General agricultural work at various times of the year

General Duties

• Setting up electric fences
• Setting up water

Reporting lines: The position reports directly to the farm owner.

Hours of work: Generally 7:30 am until 5 pm. A roster system will be put in place to suit successful applicant. Rostered weekend work is required.

Salary: market rate $27 to $30 per hour depending upon applicant qualifications.

Special requirements: Applicants for this position should have NZ residency or a valid NZ work visa and a current driver’s licence. Fluent English is required.

Email your CV and cover letter