Tosh Farms/Tosh Pork/Bacon by Gosh

Help us congratulate Jeremy Walters on his recent promotion to Sales Manager! I have been at Tosh since early 2003, and I was a lot smaller then. 😂 I moved down here after graduating from UT Knoxville with a Master's in Ag Econ. Four years into my journey at Tosh, I was able to purchase my own farm and build a 4800 head wean-to-finish operation with Tosh. Fast forward a couple of years, my loving wife, Krista, and I own (3) 4800 head farms, a 7200 head farm, and a couple hundred acres of row crop. We have 4 children; one a senior in high school, Denver, 2 in college Dawson, and Hannah, and the oldest, Hunter, is out on his own. For the past 6 and half years I have been managing Tosh owned wean to finish farms and servicing contact farms. I have done sales in the past and look forward to joining the sales team. We are so excited to watch you take on this new role, Jeremy. You are going to do a great job!

Dalton Pirtle is our spotlight grower for the 3rd quarter of 2024. I graduated from Murray State University in 2015, with a degree in Agribusiness. I returned to the family farm, Pirtle Farms Inc. in Water Valley, KY. I farm alongside my father, uncle, and two brothers growing corn, wheat, and soybeans, as well as raising cattle. In 2018, I personally invested in Tosh finishing hog barns and in May 2019 I received my first load of hogs for Tosh. My wife, Allie, and I have been married for 3 years. I have 1 daughter, Madi Kayt, and I am expecting my 2nd daughter in November 2024. I am very pleased to be a grower for Tosh Farms. We couldn't be as successful as we are without our contract growers! So, thank you, Dalton!!

Congratulations to all of our scholarship recipients!!

At Tosh Farms, we not only want to ensure that our employees are protected from hazards, but also prepared with the skills and knowledge they need to stay safe. With the coordination of the Martin Sow Farm Safety Committee, a Tosh Farms Safety Specialist, and our in-house Veterinarian, our Tosh Farms Martin Sow Unit put their preparedness skills to the test this July by conducting their annual fire drill. The team completed a total site evacuation drill in less than 12 minutes! This drill consisted of employees evacuating to their meeting location after hearing the alert of the Air Horn alarms by Sow Farm Manager Marcelo Gomez and Assistant Sow Farm Manager Jose Torres. Manager Marcelo then gave employees the “All Clear” signal. He spoke to the group, reviewing with everyone the safety procedures we follow for identifying and alerting others of fire and gathering feedback from employees on their experience with the 2024 drill. Way to go to our Martin Sow Unit for their dedication to safety at the sow farm!

Chris Fulcher is the winner of our Wean-to-Finish Award for the 2nd quarter. He was promoted to Senior Baby Pig Tech last quarter and has done an amazing job. Thank you, Chris, for all your hard work and dedication!! Keep up the good work!

Our department spotlight this month is the group at our Bradford finishing barn! The Bradford crew is responsible for 19,000 pig spaces. 17,000 of the space is wean-to-finish at 3 different locations. They receive the pigs when they are about 15 lbs. The crew helps the baby piglets make the transition from mother to feeder. Every day they check 3 or more times to make sure that each pig is making a successful transition. After a couple of weeks, the piglets are off and going! They are keeping a close eye on them as they put on the weight over the next couple of months. Tammy is taking care of over 2000 head, where she’s looking after lite barns. Lite barns have pigs that don’t make the weight at closeout but need a little more time to make weight. Everything that the Bradford crew does is essential. They are marketing around 45,000 pigs a year. Thank you so much for the work you all do!

!!July Employee Spotlight!! Brad Smith has been part of our farm crew for over a year. He helps with spraying, planting, and harvesting. None of these are considered easy jobs. He has been married to his wife, Lisa for 13 years, and he has 4 beautiful children: Mary Helen, Ava Kate, Owen, and Chelsea. In his free time, Brad enjoys farming, hunting, sports, and fishing. He says that his biggest accomplishments are being a good husband and father. Brad has had a good experience at Tosh Farms and looks forward to raising his kids and retiring one day. He is a great example of our core value, energy. Raising 4 kids and farming cannot be easy altogether. We are so proud of the work you have done in your short time at Tosh, and we can't wait to see what's to come. Thank you, Brad!!!

Yesterday our 2 summer interns presented on what they have learned in the last 6 weeks! Lexy Halbert is a student at MTSU studying animal science. Katie Potter is a student at MSU studying Animal Science. They have been going through the ins and outs of swine gestation, breeding, farrowing, finishing, and nutrition. They both did very well this summer, and hope they keep us in mind once they graduate!