Victor Martinez
Raising healthy pigs starts with good people. There are many people involved in raising and producing pork. From day one of a pig’s life, people are taking care of that pig.
Victor Martinez knows how important it is to have skilled, compassionate people taking care of pigs. Victor works for Schwartz Farms based in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. He is a Pig Production Improvement Specialist. His job is to make sure everyone at Schwartz Farms is trained and prepared to offer the highest quality care for the pigs they raise.
“The most important way to deliver high quality care for pigs is to train good people.”
Pig farmers have always been committed to continuous improvement. This hunger to learn and an enthusiasm to embrace change leads them to be successful in raising healthy, productive pigs. Continuous training and adopting new practices ensure farmers continue to do right by the pigs, people, and environment.
“The better the people, the better the pigs.”
Victor works with pigs and people every day. He knows how critically important it is to ensure people have the skills and knowledge to be confident and successful in caring for pigs. Those skills and knowledge also help keep people and pigs safe.
There are many agreed upon pig farming standards that ensure no matter where or who raises the pigs, they are following the best practices. In pig farming, these standards are known as Pork Quality Assurance (PQA). It is a certification for those caring for pigs that must be renewed every three years. It is a verification process to ensure the highest quality of care is given to pigs and that the people involved are qualified to do so.
There is even a certification for the people who transport pigs to different farms or to market known as Transport Quality Assurance (TQA). Truck drivers and the people who load and unload pigs from trailers are trained to keep themselves and the pigs safe.
Many meat processing companies require both PQA and TQA certifications for a farmer to sell their pigs. You can rest assured that when you visit the grocery store, all the pork in the store was raised by farmers using the best methods to raise healthy, safe pork.
Pig farmers like Victor know that good people are at the center of successful pig farming. Pig farmers throughout Minnesota continue to invest time and money in developing more knowledge and skills to provide the best care for pigs.
It is the commitment of the people that ensures our food is safe, the animals are well cared for, public health is protected, natural resources are safe-guarded, and communities flourish.