Dr. Sarah Probst, Carthage Veterinary Service, Ltd, observes Annette Phillips, an employee in a farrowing room at Little Timber farm.

Applying a tattoo on a farrowing card before tattooing a corresponding pig is a simple way to check that ID numbers match up. That’s a suggestion plucked from the many found in the Farrowing Training Tool Box, a new set of training CDs developed by the Carthage (IL) Veterinary Service (CVS). According to CVS’s Dr. Sarah Probst, the CDs are part of a new certifying program for employees who demonstrate a wide array of animal husbandry knowledge and skills. The program also provides a framework for monitoring employees over time, over multiple sites.

The aim is to help employees improve themselves and take on greater responsibilities, according to Dr. Probst. “The ultimate goal is to create managers from within,” she says.

Performance improvements are also being noted at operations using the program. “One 2,400-sow farm reduced pre-weaning mortality from 14 percent to seven percent after implementing this program,” says Dr. Probst. “It also reduced stillborn deaths by three percent.”

The Farrowing Training Tool Box includes four main topic areas: Farrowing Preparation, First Few Hours (after birth), Pigs During Lactation and Sows During Lactation. There are 6 to 11 lessons within each topic. Plans are underway to develop similar sets of CDs for breeding units, nurseries, grow-finish barns and wean-to-finish facilities, according to Dr. Probst.

CVS will maintain a database to track the progress of participating farms and individual employees. For more information contact Dr. Probst at training@hogvet.com.