A lot has changed in the pork industry since the people hiring employees today were in the interview process themselves 30 years ago. Valerie Duttlinger, chief analytics officer at Summit SmartFarms, says it’s time to get honest about the changes the industry needs to prepare for when it comes to staffing of tomorrow’s pig farms.
“We’re probably behind the eight ball on some of these changes,” Duttlinger says. “Between COVID-19 and the Great Resignation, we’re learning about a lot of things we need to consider about our future workforce.”
Not only have our goals changed on the farm, but the objectives of our team members have changed too, she points out. Duttlinger will be sharing her thoughts on meeting pork industry staffing needs of the future and more at United Pork Americas in Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 7-9.
Flexibility and Opportunity
“So how do we help meet those evolving needs?” Duttlinger asks. “A lot of times we want to say, ‘Oh, we can’t because we’re pig farms. We need to have structure and we can’t have flexible jobs. We can’t work remote.’ But how do we challenge some of those thoughts, so that we can get people to be engaged in our operations?”
It’s time to show people how they can progress and move up the career ladder in the pork industry, to help them see opportunities that will allow them to stay in the swine industry, she says.
For Duttlinger, being a part of the swine industry has been her passion in life – whether she was in the barns or serving in different roles like she is now in data analytics. She says it’s always been about answering this question: How do we get people to be passionate about pigs?
“I saw the challenges growing up on a small farm with labor shortages and turnover, and you get into some of these bigger organizations, and you have even bigger challenges because you don’t have some of the ownership involvement. There is a difference between being an owner and having ownership mentality and just being an hourly worker,” Duttlinger says. “How do you create that ownership mentality in organizations where you are an hourly worker, and driving some of that passion?”
An Ownership Mentality
She says it starts with reminding people about the purpose of providing safe and nutritious food, not just for family and neighbors, but for the country and the world.
“It’s a noble job, and it’s just something I’ve always been passionate about getting people to come back into the industry,” she says.
Participants in her session will walk away encouraged, she adds.
“I want people to walk away saying, ‘Look, there are things that we can do that will help our situation. There are things that we need to be looking at and thinking outside of the box for as we move forward.’ I really want them to walk away encouraged, and I want them to walk away with a couple of clear action items that they can go home and implement, whether it’s in a corporate setting, or whether it’s on the farm setting,” she says.
The conversation around staffing and labor is daunting, but Duttlinger believes there is good reason for hope.
What’s Coming Down the Road?
Attending educational professional events like United Pork Americas is just one way producers can get the edge on what’s coming down the road in the pork industry.
“I am a learner. I’m always trying to learn more about everything, not just the pig industry. Events like this are a great way to skill up,” she says. “After all, leaders are learners. If you’re going to be successful in life, you have to continue to skill up.”
In addition, the networking that occurs is important as well, Duttlinger says.
“I’ve met a ton of fantastic resources that when I’m facing a topic I don’t know as much about as I need to, I can think back to some of these events where I’ve heard somebody speak and I can reach out to them. They’ve always been super willing to share what they know and give some time to me to be able to further increase my knowledge,” she says.
Duttlinger is one of nearly 40 speakers from around the globe who will be covering a range of topics of global interest in the pork industry at United Pork Americas on Sept. 7-9.
“Anytime there’s a new event, it’s always fun to be part of that inaugural event and to be able to watch those events grow through the years,” she says.
SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT
Favorite Pork Dish: My husband’s smoked pork chop
Education: Associate’s degree from Purdue University in animal science
Favorite Country: Mexico
First Job: Animal caretaker on my family’s pig farm where I spent a lot of time power-washing, scraping manure and processing baby pigs
Favorite Theme Park in Orlando: Magic Kingdom
Start Date with Summit SmartFarms: October 2019
Favorite Pastime: Spending time with my family. We initiated Family Game Night years ago – sometimes they are really good and sometimes they are really frustrating. We are highly competitive during Family Game Night!
Learn more about United Pork Americas at www.unitedporkamericas.com. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn more about the mega trends impacting global pork production and how you can succeed in this dynamic industry on Sept. 7-9, 2022.
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