Why do we do what we do? This simple but important question was addressed at the latest Cornish Training Club meeting.
The afternoon was spent looking at the critical factors for success on units - things that are seen as "dull routine" but are actually essential for success. They are usually jobs that are taken for granted such as dry sow management or cleaning and disinfection.
Topics such as AI storage, farrowing crate preparation and moving pigs were discussed.
Attendees were asked if they could try and drill down to the reasons that stop stockpeople doing the required recording/standards/jobs etc...
One example of such a job was the need to chalk up how many bags go into the hoppers of Stage 1 and 2 - so that, after two sacks of Stage 1, the person that comes to feed next knows they need to go onto the next stage bag. The guys that feed Stage 1 rarely carry this out.
The answer was that the people seemed uninterested in getting any better or were generally uninterested in their jobs, even though some may have worked on pig units for a number of years. This lead to a long discussion about staffing and need for motivation and pride on pig units.