REICKS VIEW FARMS CARES

ANIMAL CARE

Reicks View Farms cares deeply for their animals. They have a high set of standards in place that their employees and production partners follow to ensure top quality care is given to the animals at all stages of production. Each employee is Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) certified. They monitor the care of their animals each day while providing feed, water, and clean air to ensure good health. The key to happy pigs are their caregivers. That is why they take full responsibility to ensure that they are doing everything they can to care for their animals to the highest standards. 

Biosecurity practices play a critical role in animal health by reducing the risk of disease spread. Reicks View Farms has implemented a thorough biosecurity plan that includes a variety of daily practices to ensure animal health. The first practice includes the process of employees showering in and out of barns. Once an employee is showered, they have to put on clean clothing before they can enter the building. Reicks View Farms also has a sanitation process for their trucks. Once a truck has transported a group of pigs to their next location it has to be disinfected, washed, and baked at their truck wash before it can be used again.

The structure and technology of a pig barn can also help biosecurity practices and the overall health of a pig. Each barn is designed and built by Reicks View Farms for their animals. It includes state of the art technology that helps keep a safe environment for the pigs including positive and negative pressure airflow movement along with proper temperature settings. This allows the air flow to move throughout the barn while also helping the pigs stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

FOOD SAFETY

Providing safe, high quality pork for consumers is Reicks View Farm’s mission. That’s why they value the through and continuous training of their animal caretakers to ensure they care for their pigs properly. Each employee is Pork Quality Assurance Plus certified. In this program they  learn about food safety, animal well-being, and environmental protection. Minimal antibiotics may be used to treat pigs when they are sick. If hogs get antibiotics, they must go through a withdrawal period prior to harvest ensuring they have zero antibiotics in them before entering the food chain. At market, every single carcass is USDA inspected certifying the pork is safe for consumption.

environment

Reicks View Farms cares as deeply for their animals as they do for their environment. They know it’s their duty to protect the environment for future generations to come. That’s why they use the manure produced from their pigs as an organic fertilizer for their corn fields, reducing commercial fertilizer needed. Any nutrients not utilized by the pig gets recycled as all natural fertilizer. Manure enhances soil biodiversity, it increases soil organic matter and it provides corn most of the nutrients and micronutrients needed for growth and production. Injecting it into the soil allows for the manure to bond with the soil particles reducing physical field runoff and chemical loss that could occur otherwise.

COMMUNITY

Reicks View Farms continues their mission of “Families Feeding Families” by supporting local communities across Northeast Iowa, including the counties of Chickasaw, Howard, Winneshiek, Allamakee, Fayette, Bremer, and Black Hawk. 

They are known for their continuous ham donations for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. They donate to over 10 local food banks at each of these holidays and also give out hams to community members. Last Christmas, they gave over 650 hams to community members!

Reicks View Farms greatly appreciates their community, partners, and employees. Without their community, they wouldn’t be where they are at today. That’s why they continue to give back as much as they can while also hoping to eliminate food insecurities across Northeast Iowa.