Christensen Farms is one of the largest, family-owned pork producers in the United States, marketing approximately 3.8 million hogs per year. Headquartered in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, our 50 year old company operates throughout the Midwest with facilities in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, and South Dakota. Christensen Farms owns three feed mills, manages 140,000 sows on 44 farms, and oversees more than 350 nurseries and grow-finish sites. Our organization employs nearly 1,000 people and maintains 1,500 contract partnerships. We are an industry leader with a proven commitment to ethical practices, food safety, and nutrition. Join our team!
Position Overview:
The Veterinarian Technician is responsible for working under the direction and day-to-day supervision of the company veterinarian. This position supports both production and non-production operations to ensure animal health objectives are achieved.
From Our Manager:
"This role offers a hands-on opportunity to build expertise in animal health, biosecurity, and herd care while making a direct impact on the wellbeing of the animals and the success of farm operations. The person in this role will serve as a key partner in supporting diagnostic work, strengthening health protocols, maintaining accurate records, and helping drive continuous improvement across the system".
What You Will Do:
Core Responsibilities
-
Work closely with the health team to perform diagnostic testing, including blood, tissue, and rope testing, as well as serum collection and other herd health activities.
-
Enforce farm sanitation protocols and biosecurity measures to help prevent disease outbreaks. This may include training farm staff, develop new protocols, and identifying opportunities for continuous improvement across the system.
-
Maintain accurate health records, including diagnostic data, vaccination records, and tracking the implementation of new protocols.
Knowledge and Skills
-
Knowledge of swine biology, disease diagnosis, and treatment protocols. Training can be provided for candidates who do not yet meet all expectations.
-
Strong attention to detail, especially in data recording and understanding how health decisions affect the herd.
-
Ability to coordinate effectively with veterinarians and farm managers.
Work Environment and Physical Requirements
-
Work includes time spent across all phases of the production system, including sample collection and direct work with animals.
-
Must be able to work in confined spaces, lift as needed, move animals, and function effectively in a swine facility environment.
Additional Support for Health Objectives
-
Collect, submit, and assist with the delivery of live viral vaccines as needed.
-
Assist with and conduct biosecurity inspections, biosecurity assessments, and filtration testing upon request.
-
Work with Logistics to coordinate schedules for routine sampling required for pig movements when requested.
What You Offer Us:
-
Certification or Degree in Animal Science, Veterinary Technology or related field.
-
3-5+ years of commercial swine or large-animal veterinary experience preferred.
- Proven experience, being self-motivated, detail-oriented and taking initiative.
-
Experience with post-mortem, ante-mortem sample collection and knowledge of common clinical symptoms preferred.
-
Ability to manage multiple inputs and understand how they connect and affect decision making relative to biosecurity, pig movement, and regulatory requirements.
-
Exhibit strong communication skills, both verbal and written, to facilitate clear and concise exchange of information within the team across departments, fostering collaboration and ensuring mutual understanding of tasks and objectives.
-
Possess personal organization and time management skills with the ability to adapt and function effectively in a fast-paced, changing environment.
-
Pluses: bilingual (Spanish) speaking, swine production knowledge, ability to operate a trailer, livestock handling experience, PQA Plus Certification, knowledge of CF system flow including gilt flow and sow farm downstream.
What We Offer You:
-
A strong animal health career track with opportunities to grow.
-
We offer a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, a flexible spending account (FSA), life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, a 401(k) plan, paid holidays, paid time off bank, an employee assistance program (EAP), and more.
-
Be an active part of an organization that gives back to the community in many ways – including feed programs that support local farms, food shelf programs, food support for veterans, agriculture education and promotion, FFA/4H support, charitable contributions, etc.
-
A company that has a passionate purpose for food safety, animal welfare, and for living its core values every day – respect, integrity, excellence, adaptability, and innovation.
-
A culture that fosters employee growth, hybrid work options, promotion from within, and a highly team-oriented workplace environment.
Reports To:
Veterinarian
Christensen Farms promotes a culture of inclusion and strives to attract a diverse set of candidates for each of our open positions. We are an equal employment opportunity employer and proud to offer employment and growth opportunities to all candidates without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, gender, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or veteran status.
