Today the crew still consists of Wendy, Sawyer, Scott, Karen and Andrea, but also Thomas Cates, Austin Herrmann, Zachary Swarthout and Shane Travaille. Although they havenвЂ™t been cleared of Myco yet, the farm is feeling hopeful about the future. So we started to joke as much as we could and focus on the light at the end of the tunnel, even if it was just a speck.вЂќДЇinally, in April of 2019 the farm was declared вЂњclean.вЂќ The team moved in gilts, and in May Sleepy Hollow was officially declared PRRS negative. вЂњWe learned to celebrate the little things,вЂќ recalled Wendy. So, what exactly kept the farm going when the going got tough?

And you thought you were having a rough day. Everyone pulled their weight when times were really, really bad.вЂќД«ecause we know itвЂ™s a lot to follow, hereвЂ™s a quick summary up to this point-remodel, PRRS, staffing issues, more PRRS, interim farm manager, new farm manager, new supervisor, new employees, MORE PRRS, Myco. вЂњIвЂ™ve definitely spent more time at this farm than any other in my territory,вЂќ joked Lynn. In September, just as pace was picking back up, they found Mycoplasma pneumonia. According to Lynn, the months that followed were okay. They kept moving and loaded the farm back up, exposed the herd to PRRS again and went back into closure. It was one step forward and two steps back for the crew at 36. вЂњThings had suddenly gone from bad, to really bad, to worse.вЂќ вЂњAt first we laughed because we didnвЂ™t think it was even in the realm of possibilities to get a third strain,вЂќ said Sawyer. When Lynn broke the news, the farm thought she was joking. Either way, it was a huge blow to morale.вЂќ вЂњWeвЂ™re not sure where that came from but think it was from when we were changing the farmвЂ™s filters. вЂњDuring routine testing in April of 2018 we found a third strain of PRRS,вЂќ said Lynn, the farmвЂ™s veterinarian. Things were starting to look up-or so they thought. The team had bulked up with the addition of Karen Reyes-Santiago, Andrea Schoenenberger and new farm supervisor, Dan Sander. They were following all of the strict procedures and biosecurity protocols a cleanup requires. I wanted to help.вЂќДЄt this time, the herd was in closure again with two strains of PRRS. вЂњBut I saw how hard Wendy, Sawyer, Lynn and Eric had been working to keep the farm running. вЂњIt definitely wasnвЂ™t the most ideal circumstances to take on a new farm,вЂќ Scott said. In February of 2018, Scott Abels made the move to Northwest Iowa to manage the farm. The farm was now positive with two strains of PRRS. As fate would have it, the strain, although different, had more similarities than differences so the decision was made to place those gilts at Sow 36. Unfortunately, things still werenвЂ™t looking up for Sow 36.ДЄs the remodel was nearing completion in December of 2017, nearby Wood GDU also broke with PRRS. During that transition, the farm didnвЂ™t miss a beat-they couldnвЂ™t afford to. Sawyer stepped in to assume the role in the interim. Just as they were coming to terms with their new вЂњnormalвЂќ, the farmвЂ™s manager left. To get them through the remodel, Sawyer, Dan, Wendy Swarthout, Lynn Pavlovic, DVM (Sleepy Hollow veterinarian) and supervisor Eric Risley, worked hard training temporary help. We werenвЂ™t quite sure what to do or who was going to do it.вЂќ вЂњSo not only were we faced with a remodel and health setbacks, but now we were really short help. вЂњIn the midst of health issues, we lost a large majority of the farm staff,вЂќ said Dan. Speaking of curve balls-another was quickly thrown into the game plan. вЂњWe went from being really excited about a remodel and having the plans in place to not knowing what the heck to do. вЂњThat was definitely an вЂњoh bleepвЂќ moment,вЂќ chuckled Sawyer Hrdlicka, whoвЂ™s been an Iowa Select FarmsвЂ™ employee since 2016. Back in June 2017 the farm underwent a remodel-three months into it, the farm broke with PRRS. ItвЂ™s been a tough couple of years for Sleepy Hollow Sow 36.

To say theyвЂ™ve been through a lot is an understatement.вЂќ They took a step back, focused on the basics, celebrated the small victories and kept pushing. вЂњYou see a lot of people give up when faced with a challenge,вЂќ said Dan Dean, director of sow production. Sleepy Hollow Sow Farm Rightfully Earns 'Most Improved'

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