How Tosh Farms Is Equipping an Unlikely Source of Employees In the Sow Barn

By the world’s standards, they looked like an unlikely group of employees to bring into a sow barn. But to Jimmy Tosh, owner of Tosh Farms, they looked like a group of women who could use a second chance.

By Jennifer Shike

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February 02, 2023 03:59 PM

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes, 27 seconds.

Drug addicts. Drunks. Disappointments. By the world’s standards, they looked like an unlikely group of employees to bring into a sow barn. But to Jimmy Tosh, owner of Tosh Farms in Henry, Tenn., they looked like a group of women who could use a second chance.

Full of questions and doubt, Tosh eventually said yes to Dana Bowden, now the West Regional Director for Hope Center Ministries, when she approached Tosh Farms to join forces with their long-term rehabilitation recovery program.

Bowden knows all too well the challenges the women in the program are facing. When she was 39 years old, she was arrested twice in one day for drug possession—prescription pain pills. She went to Hope Center Ministries in McEwen, Tenn., where she graduated eight months later from the program. She stayed with the ministry and worked her way up into a director role and helped start the Hope Center Ministries program in Paris, Tenn.

“I feel like God called me to use what I’ve been through for a higher purpose—to help other addicts get back on their feet and give them a second chance at life,” Bowden says. “I want them to know they are loved. Many of these women have been told their whole life that they are of little or no value.”

Hope Center Ministries gives women a chance to start over through a program that includes counseling, vocational training and tough love.

After Bowden made several visits to the farm, Jay Oliver, director of livestock productions for Tosh Farms, agreed to take two women at the farm.

“Initially it was somewhat selfish on our part, because we really needed the labor. It worked out well for us at a time we were short-handed. It has grown into something far greater than we ever imagined,” Oliver says.

A No-Judgment Sow Barn

When Oliver first told Amy Halbrook, barn manager at Tosh Farms’ Crutchfield sow unit, about the addition to her team, he said they needed to give it a little time at first.

“We all wanted to give it a shot,” Halbrook says. “I thought to myself, ‘Human nature says I don’t know this person, but if I know their background coming in, there is a possibility to pass judgment.’ I decided these girls were going to come in with a clean slate so there would be no pre-judgment in our culture here.”

From day one, Halbrook and Oliver made it clear they would not be prying into anyone’s past and the women would not be treated differently than other employees. However, they did have some special rules to enforce as part of the rehab program.

“The women can’t use somebody else’s cell phone and you can’t bring them cigarettes,” Oliver explains. “Even though we want to treat them like others on the team, there were a few exceptions.”

That approach worked well with the first two women who came through the program. After time, both women opened up and shared their stories. Lidia Williams, one of those women, has been with Tosh Farms ever since.

“Because they came in with a clean state, there was never a single ounce of judgment in this barn to start with. We’ve carried that culture with every single person that comes in to work here,” Halbrook says.

Meet Lidia

An understanding of Lidia Williams’ journey requires going back to the beginning. Born and raised in Paris, Tenn., Williams grew up in a good family. Although life wasn’t perfect, she knew she was loved and cared for by both of her parents who shared split custody. At the age of 13, her world crashed around her when her father died by suicide.
“I became really depressed and aggressive. No one knew what to do with me,” says Lidia, now 23. “I didn’t know what to do with me. I just wanted to feel something happy.”

One night, she snuck out with friends and experienced firsts that haunt her still today. She smoked weed, drank alcohol and for the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel miserable.

That was the start of her addiction.

In and out of rehab facilities and an arrest later, Williams found herself on a path she never dreamed she’d be on. She moved in with friends because her mother told her she couldn’t live at her home anymore until she got help.

“Some friends introduced me to crack and meth,” Williams says. “And that’s how I became really hooked.”

She went from a warm home and two jobs to being homeless without a job. That lasted for a month until she decided to go back to the church her mother raised her in.

“I knew my aunt would be there,” Williams recalls. “She’s an addict in recovery as well. I broke down and told her what was going on. The next day, I enrolled in Hope Center’s program.”

Meet Daniela

Williams’ story shares common threads with Daniela Lemus, another program participant. Lemus grew up in Los Angeles where she also had a good childhood. Her parents sacrificed a lot for her and moved back to El Salvador once Lemus graduated from high school. She lived with her sister until she was 18 and started working and going to college.

“Everything was going well,” Lemus says. “Unfortunately, when I hit my early 30s, I started drinking a lot. It became an addiction, but I was in denial. Long story short, my dad passed away and I had one of my hardest relapses ever. I decided I didn’t want to live that way anymore.”

Her sister, who lives in Oxford, Miss., told her about Hope Center Ministries. She bought Lemus a plane ticket and paid for a one-year program.

“And all she said to me was, ‘Everything’s paid for. All you’ve got to do is get on that plane.’ I am so glad I did,” Lemus says.

An Eye-Opening Introduction to Farming

When Lemus arrived, she admits the very last place she wanted to train was Tosh Farms. The other options were in a thrift store or factory.

“I said, ‘There is no way I’m going there. They better not send me there,’” Lemus says. “When they told me I was going to Tosh, I thought, ‘Oh God, you are really testing me right now.’ I walked in on my first day and saw a sow. I couldn’t help but think that was one big pig. I’m only 4’11”—I couldn’t imagine how I’d be able to work with those sows.”

But she learned fast. She fell in love with her assignment fostering piglets and admits the opportunity changed her.

Meanwhile, Williams loved animals, and was excited when she found out she was going to work for Tosh Farms as one of the first two program participants. However, her initial impression was unforgettable.

“It stunk so bad,” Williams says. “I thought, ‘What did I get into?’ I stood at the front entrance with the other participant while the Tosh crew made introductions. We were like, ‘Can we just go smoke a cigarette quick? We’ll be back in just a second.’ We were so nervous.”

That was also the first day she’d ever seen a grown pig. Her only knowledge of pigs were piglets she’d seen in a book.

“I didn’t know they could be that big. I was shocked,” Williams says.

Halbrook affectionately calls Williams her firstborn because she was part of that inaugural experience and is still with her today. Now, with over 35 women who have completed the vocational training program at Tosh Farms (many of which have become full-time employees), Halbrook admits it’s been an experience far greater than she could have imagined.

“Knowledge is power only if you share it,” Halbrook says. “If I’m building these young women up, regardless of teaching them about pigs or not, you can see their confidence increase. You can see how it changes them as a person inside and outside of the barn just by how they are treated daily. We spend a lot of time together at this farm. Half of your job is loving what you do, and the other half is loving who you work with.”

Creating a Work Culture That Lasts

The women are scattered in various roles throughout the Crutchfield farm, which is home to 8,500 sows and 33 employees. The farm sits on about 8 acres. Jobs include training in open-pen gestation, breeding pigs, checking heat, farrowing room monitoring and midwifing.

“The girls are engaged in literally every aspect of this farm you can think of,” Halbrook says. “I like to change it up and help them learn new things, see the barn as a whole rather than a certain department. I get bored doing the same thing day-in and day-out. Moving them around allows them to learn more.”

She focuses on consistency and reminds everyone, including herself, they are in a people barn.

“I prioritize daily face-to-face interaction with each person on my team,” Halbrook says.

Training people is her favorite part of the job managing the sow farm.

“It makes life easier on department heads when you can build morale with each person first,” she says. “You can learn who is strong where and who may need more help in certain areas. When I walk out of my office into the barn, I’m the barn manager. But I’m going to work right beside you. I won’t ask you to do something that I wouldn’t do.”

Lemus admires that approach and says that was one of her favorite parts of the job too. “I enjoy helping others when I am done with my tasks,” Lemus says. “It’s always busy here and there’s always work to be done.”

Many of the assignments on a sow farm are challenging. Although there is a great sense of accomplishment, Williams says it’s not without obstacles.

“Sometimes we try as hard as we can to help the pigs, but it’s not enough. It’s hard when you can’t save them all, but are there all day trying,” Williams says. “The hours are hard sometimes, too, but it’s worth it.”

The women have a good example to follow in the barn, says Bowden, who oversees the program.

“Amy has such a big heart and truly cares about people. She wants to see people thrive, and if she can be a part of it, she will give it all she can. Even the women who have graduated and relapsed, she is right in there with them trying to get them back into treatment,” Bowden says.

Placing these women in the right culture with the right manager is essential for this relationship to work. Bowden says that’s one of the reasons the women come back every night excited about their time at the farm.

“With more than 400 employees at Tosh Farms, you may wonder how Tosh Farms makes everyone there feel like family,” Bowden says. “It’s their mentality. Yes, you need to get your assignment done, but they are there to help. They love people and it makes a difference.”

A Light in Their Eyes

Working with animals is therapeutic. Many of the women in the program are also mothers. However, due to choices they have made in their lives, Halbrook says they are not able to see their kids as much as they would like.

“When you watch these ladies with these pigs and piglets, you can see that nurturing side come through. It helps them learn to be better mothers because they can relate it all together, especially how to live a new life without that substance in there,” Halbrook says. “You can watch them grow while they are working and see that light in their eyes.”

Lemus says her time at Tosh Farms taught her responsibility and provided accountability. But most importantly, she learned an even bigger lesson.

“My time at Tosh Farms taught me to love myself again, to love others and it got me closer to God. If I were to go back to the same lifestyle, I would lose too much,” Lemus says.

Successful sow farms are close for many reasons, Halbrook says.

“We encourage our team to look out for each other to make sure things are getting done right,” she says. “They learn to depend on each other.”

Tosh Farms has an open-door policy.

“There are times the girls just need to talk,” Halbrook says. “I’m always OK with stopping to let them talk if that’s what they need. This culture draws us together because we take time to take care for each other.”

She says they don’t have to look far to see an example of that kind of commitment to caring.

“We have a perfect example to look to: Mr. Jimmy is always helping people,” Halbrook says. “Whether it’s donating pork to feed the hungry or helping one of our employees who needed to get to Texas for a chemotherapy treatment, he leads the way.”

Relapses and Recovery

Dealing with addiction is difficult at all levels. Most of the women in the Hope Center Ministries program have struggled with drug addictions that range from cold medicine to meth to heroin.

“Not every lady is successful; that’s the hardest part,” Halbrook says. “We want to set them up to be, but the reality is not everyone will be. When you know they have fallen, you do what you can. You reach out, but you’re limited on what you can do.”

She admits it breaks her heart to see them go so far and do so well and then have a fall. But she also points out sometimes falling and getting back up again is the most valuable part of the process.

Williams recalls the night she relapsed.

“I was on Amy’s night shift. I just became really depressed. I was just trying to find myself and then stuff not working out really tore me up. I had come to the barn and I was just going to leave from my shift,” Williams says.

She said she went outside and looked up at the sky and felt like God flashed back everything she had been through.

“I realized in that moment that I did not want to lose my job or anything I had gained through the experience. The only person I wanted to talk to was Amy. I called her and told her I needed help,” Williams says. “She came as soon as we got off the phone and she sat with me in my car. She was like, ‘Do we need to call Dana? Do we need to take you to the Hope Center?’ She was the person who helped me go back. She didn’t care that I needed help again. She just wanted me to get the help so I would be ok. I’m so grateful for her.”

A Fulfilling Mission

Partnering with Hope Center Ministries has been the most satisfying thing Jimmy Tosh has done in his life, both professionally and financially.

“Labor is challenging, and this program has filled a need there, but that’s minor compared to the satisfaction of helping turn lives around,” Tosh says. “A life is worth saving. Anything you can do to help save a life is very fulfilling. Being able to get workers on the farm is a big benefit, but it’s a side benefit.”

When he discovered how difficult it was for the women to return to being a full-time mom, he decided to donate a 4,800-sq.-ft. home (part of a recent farm purchase) to Hope Center Ministries for an after-care program to help with the transition.

“Our vision for the facility is that women can live there a year after they complete the program to get their finances in order,” Tosh says. “If they don’t have a high school education, they will be required to get a GED and do a financial training program while they are there.”

Tosh’s idea for the Hope House after-care program is unique, says Tonya Walker, program manager.

“Many ladies want to return home. However, returning to the same environment often causes women to go back to where they were before rehab,” she says.

The program not only helps women rebuild their lives and steward their finances, but one of the biggest benefits is the opportunity to live with their kids.

In the rehab program, children are allowed to visit, but they can’t stay, says Dana Bowden, west regional director for Hope Center Ministries.

“After graduating from the program, children are placed back with their mother — who is not only juggling recovery, but also being a new mom again and finding a job. Hope House will offer extra support during this time of their lives,” Bowden says.

Don’t Lose Hope

Training at Tosh Farms changed Lemus’ and Williams’ lives – as well as the lives of many other women.

“Never lose hope,” Lemus says. “There are always going to be people out there—if you want the help, they will give it to you. Sometimes it just comes from the people you least expected.”

Williams encourages other pork operations to consider similar programs.

“Just do it,” Williams says. “God changed my life through the people at Tosh Farms. What they are doing is saving lives—it saved mine. And it’s not just about the person in rehab. It’s moms, dads and kids who benefit when you help that one person.”

Halbrook can’t imagine her barn any other way now.

“These ladies are good people. They have a good heart and good attributes to bring to any team,” Halbrook says. “We all deserve a second chance. Don’t overlook people because of their past.”