Do you have a passion for research and wanting a job that is a mix of on farm and in office? Want to have an impact on the future of the swine industry? Christensen Farms is looking to add a research technician to our outstanding research team. In this position you will work alongside two PHD and three MS Swine Scientists as we design, implement and analyze research trials across our farms. Join our team and take pride in being part of an industry leader in responsibly producing high quality pork for the noble purpose of providing food to a growing world.

Christensen Farms is one of the largest, family-owned pork producers in the United States, marketing approximately 3 million hogs per year. Headquartered in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, the company operates throughout the Midwest with facilities in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois and South Dakota. Christensen Farms owns four feed mills, manages 145,000 sows on 44 farms, and oversees more than 350 nurseries and grow-finish sites. The company employees nearly 1,000 people and maintains 1,500 contract partnerships.

The company is vertically integrated with a strong presence across the pork value chain from farm to fork. Christensen Farms is the largest shareholder of Triumph Foods LLC, a producer-owned primary pork processing plant in St. Joseph, Missouri. In turn, Triumph Foods members own 50 percent of Daily's Premium Meats, a specialty pork processor of bacon and other premium pork products. Triumph Foods also holds a 50 percent partnership in Seaboard Triumph Foods, LLC of Sioux City, Iowa, a primary pork processing plant.

Position Overview & Responsibilities: The Field Research Technician has immediate responsibility for the implementation of field research protocols and management of Christensen Farms' research equipment. Research and development is a critical area of the Christensen Farms organization in our continuous strove for excellence.

This position will be focused on health research. However, other topic areas may include nursery grow finish production, sow production, management and marketing. Drive, determination and a self-disciplined approach to achieving results that meet these established criteria are a necessity for successful job performance. The field research technician is expected to represent Christensen Farms at a highly professional level when interacting with all employees and site visitors.

At times, the work will require technical problem solving while working within approved organizational systems and technology. New ideas and concepts are important but will be carefully analyzed and tested before communication and adoption

Key areas of Responsibility:

• Lead setup of health designated trials that would include but to be limited to collecting, cleaning and setting up required equipment (scales, wands, EID, EID readers, etc...), preparing barn for the research trial (clothes,boots, sort boards)
• Troubleshoot and resolve equipment and technology issues as they arise
• Coordinate people required for data collection days
• Own data collection and training of barn staff on data collection for field trials
• Validate data accuracy on a weekly basis
• At end of each trial, provide a complete and accurate data sheet to research manager and statistician to complete statistics and summary
• Complete summaries on in progress trials on a monthly basis
• Work closely with veterinarians as it relates to health research
• Training of support staff for each of the specific trials, this may include but not limited to: blood collection of pigs of all ages, applying treatments through either oral syringe, injection or other, weighing of pigs and ear tagging pigs.
• Participate in data sharing in routine meetings to help create consistency of applying research results
• Participate in monthly research meetings while owning and providing updates to current and future trials to the research team
• Participate and support other needs of the department when extra staff is needed, which may include, but is not limited to: additional data analysis, research tasks, normal swine production tasks, or feed analysis

Education, Training, and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science or a related field preferred but not required
• Previous swine or livestock production experience preferred.
• Prior research knowledge preferred
• Basic understanding of statistical methods and models

Specialized or Motorized Equipment and/or Tools:

This position will require occasionally operating a company vehicle. Any employment offer extended for this position will be is contingent upon the review of the candidate's motor vehicle record (MVR). The MVR will be reviewed to determine insurability based on CFF's insurance carrier and company policy.

Vehicle Licensing Requirements: Class D