When the barn alarm screeches in the middle of the night, every pig farmer feels an ache deep in his gut. There was no way Kameron Donaldson could have prepared for what he saw back in 2013 when the sheriff deputy drove him up to the site of his new finishing barn.
With power lines snapping like firecrackers on the Fourth of July, he was grateful for the officer who came upon the scene after a devastating windstorm flattened his livelihood. With the patrol car’s lights beaming on the scene, all Donaldson could see were shards of glass, twisted metal and splintered wood.
All he could think was, “This is bad.” His quad buildings were in ruins.
Through the pouring rain and striking lightning, he knew he had to act fast to get the pigs moved to a better location.
“One half of one building was basically gone – no roof or even lumber on one end,” Donaldson recalls. “The other building just collapsed and basically laid down on the gates. The unbelievable part is that, of the 8,000 50-lb. pigs in the buildings, only 20 died during the storm from debris falling on them.”
A Convoy of Support
Overwhelmed doesn’t even begin to describe how Donaldson felt the next morning as the sun rose over the wreckage and revealed the true damage. But he says it wasn’t because of the cleanup and hard decisions ahead. It was because of the convoy of pig farmers, neighbors and friends who showed up with bolt cutters, trailers and food.
As a contract grower for Dykhuis Farms, Donaldson was relieved that his barn supervisor was focused on finding spaces for the pigs so he could concentrate on getting pigs out of the buildings.
“We needed to move approximately 16 semi loads of pigs to new locations until the buildings could be repaired,” he says. “In the building that collapsed, the gates had to be cut because they were pinched by the ceiling that lay on top of them. Men were literally crawling on their hands and knees to move these pigs out of the pens.”
Some people moved debris. Others loaded pigs onto trailers. Some even hooked up the barn watering system to a firetruck so the pigs could drink.
“The support of our community meant so much to our family,” he says. “Everyone understood that this was a serious situation and did anything they could to help.”
The Power of Partnership
This crisis solidified Donaldson’s trust in Dykhuis Farms and the partnership model he uses today. He knows he is able to do more with the support Dykhuis Farms provides than if he were raising hogs independently.
Growing up on a grain and pig farming operation in Miami County, Ind., Donaldson was no stranger to the challenges of raising livestock. In 1996, his family exited the hog business. A few years later, he married his high school sweetheart, Hayley, who also grew up on a pig farm. It came as no surprise when the young couple decided contract finishing hogs would be a wise way to use some empty barns and bring in a little extra income so they could return to the farm full time.
A friend introduced them to Dykhuis Farms of Holland, Mich., and said they were a great group to work for, Donaldson recalls.
“Once I met the president at the time, Bob Dykhuis, I knew that was the direction I wanted to go,” he says. “They are a faith- and family-based farm operation. They were easy to connect with and that was important to me as I was getting my start. I’ve been with them ever since and never regretted it.”
In addition to great health and technical support, Dykhuis Farms offers an incentive opportunity for growers who maintain a daily log of data and performance records. Examples range from recording barn temperatures to vaccinations to death loss.
“They keep numbers on virtually everything they can keep numbers on,” he says. “When you have a good group, and you’ve done your paperwork, you may receive a certain dollar amount per head bonus.”
That incentive to reach high standards is motivating, he says. It feels good to be affirmed for doing exceptional work in the barn. He focuses attention on indicators of barn performance, including ventilation, feed and water systems, to make sure the pig has the best environment possible.
“I appreciate that they are open about numbers and share those across the company,” Donaldson points out. “It allows you to compare and see where you sit with other growers. That’s important for me to be at the top. If we are a little weak in an area, I focus on that pretty hard.”
The Discipline of Daily Care
Although many things have changed since he started feeding hogs 19 years ago, like technology and finishing weights, the most important things are still the most important things.
“A successful contract grower needs to be observant,” he says. “You need to slow down enough to take a good look at the pigs and observe them. How are they feeling? Good growers can go in a barn and get a sense real quick if something’s off.”
He says it starts with a passion to want the pigs to do well because it’s the right thing to do for the pig. But it also makes his job easier, too.
“Being a contract grower takes a lot of hard work,” Donaldson adds. “Success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes many years of doing the work, day in and day out, before you get your expenses covered. But even when you are starting to make a little money, you must always think about reinvesting because the barn is going to need maintenance.”
The Donaldson farm consists of pigs, corn, soybeans and wheat and is staffed mostly by Donaldson, Hayley and their son, Keagan. They also have two daughters, Kendra and Kayden, who put in hours in the barn when needed. His father, now 68, still works on his own farm every day and helps with the grain side of Donaldson’s farm.
“We load out most of our own pigs ourselves,” Donaldson says. “We have hired help to come in to do the sorting and the washing of the barns, but on the day-to-day chore stuff, it’s myself and family members.”
Working with family members means a lot to Donaldson, who views it as a great opportunity to teach his children and pass on values.
“They always say, “A family that prays together stays together.’ But a family that sells pigs together? Now that’s a challenge,” Donaldson laughs. “I’ve learned to be more patient. If our kids see that I can get it done without a forceful nature, and it’s just as effective or even quicker, they may take that approach the next time, too.”
One of his expectations in the barn is observance.
“Use all your senses when you’re in there,” Donaldson says. “Use your eyes to look for potential feeder adjustments, pig problems and things like that. Keep your ears open. Can you hear a pig breathing hard? Use every sense you can to be observant. When you do that, you’ll be able to make sure the pigs are in the best environment for growth possible.”
Securing the Future
Hayley works on the farm with her husband every day. From loading pigs to driving the tractor to handling the farm’s paperwork, Donaldson says she can do it all.
“Working with your spouse can have its challenges, and that’s mostly my fault,” he says. “There’s not much of a buffer zone. If something’s not going well when I come in for lunch, she’s the person who gets an earful.”
However, their joint desire to see the farm succeed and provide opportunities for future generations to be on the farm aligns their purpose and helps cover the daily stresses of farm life. It’s also why they’ve prioritized succession planning.
“We wanted to have something in place as our operation grew,” he says. “Once we started that process, that encouraged my dad to do the same. My dad thought you had to have every detail worked out. And that’s just not true when it comes to succession planning.”
The first step is starting with something, Donaldson says. He reached out to an attorney who specializes in farm succession plans to help devise a strategy for the future of their farm business.
“Even though we knew our lawyer, she still wanted to spend time talking to us to understand the ‘heartbeat’ of our family,” he says. “She wanted to understand each family member’s role on and off the farm.”
Once his dad realized the process wasn’t that difficult, and he could make changes to the plan along the way, he softened to the idea and went through the process to set up his own trust for his farming operation.
“He has peace now knowing that the land he owns will continue, and whether it’s me or my son, we will rent off of the trust and continue to farm his land,” Donaldson says.
A True Barn Hero
Donaldson’s stewardship of the animals and the environment is noteworthy. His desire to be more efficient and make the pigs’ lives the best possible is one of the reasons why Caton Howard, a fieldman for Dykhuis Farms, calls Donaldson a barn hero.
“Kameron always does things the right way and in a timely manner, which can be a struggle with contract growers,” Howard says. “He cares for the pigs daily like they are his own and keeps his facilities in pristine condition. He also maintains the barns like they are brand new.”
In addition, the family’s decision to do all their own loading is becoming a bit of a rarity, Howard says. He believes this shows their determination to be the best and provide the best care for the pigs.
“I really enjoy working with Kameron and cherish the conversations we have about pigs,” Howard says. “He helps motivate me to always strive to do better every day.”
Jason Klein, manager at Dykhuis Farms, says many obstacles in the pork business can be overcome by simply executing the basics really well day after day. He believes Donaldson represents a guy who does this well.
“Everything on the site works like it’s supposed to, and chores are done every day like they are supposed to be done,” Klein says. “There is never any drama or surprises with Kameron Donaldson. He owns and manages all his responsibilities really well. He takes pride in what he does. It’s obvious every time I talk with him that he’s truly glad to be a farmer.
Donaldson recognizes his success is not his alone, and without his team, including his family and the crew at Dykhuis Farms, he wouldn’t be where he is today. He is proud to be called a barn hero.
“We want to keep doing a good job for Dykhuis Farms and make sure the finished product is in line with what they started,” Donaldson says.
Hayley believes this is possible because of her husband’s superpower – making things happen.
“He’s good at doing a lot of things,” she says. “He pays great attention to detail. If something needs done, we all rally around him and do what he says we need to do.”
This system works well for the Donaldson family.
“It’s a good life,” he says. “Farming is hard to get into, but if you have an opportunity to work with somebody who is already in operation, go for it. There are always farmers looking for people willing to work on a farm, especially on the animal side. I don’t think people realize how many opportunities may be out there with farmers who don’t have a succession plan or children wanting to take over the farming operation. It takes some time to find, but it’s worth it.”
