If you are on Facebook one day with a little spare time, take the time to look up Uncle Squeals Pig Farm. Trust us, you won’t regret it. Neil Rhonemus uses Facebook and other social media sites to tell his farm’s story. He uses social media as a tool to directly connect with consumers and provide accurate and precise information regarding his operation and the agriculture industry.
Rhonemus was born and raised on the same farm that he now manages. He has been involved in agriculture for most of his life and at times he was working both on and off the farm. In 2001, Rhonemus made a career change and began contracting with Eagle Creek Swine LLC, which is a part of Heimerl Farms located in Johnstown, Ohio. He been managing his swine operation full time since then. Rhonemus raises replacement females that arrive at 21 days old and stay on his farm until they are roughly five months old. His operation raises around 10,000 pigs each year.
He and his wife Diane have two children who have been a part of the family farm since birth. Although, they are no longer directly involved in the farm, they are still provide a helping hand when needed and moral support throughout this endeavor. His daughter is now a teacher and his son is currently in college working on his bachelor’s degree. In addition to his family, Neil receives help on the farm each and every day from his sidekick Rascal the farm dog!
For Neil, his favorite part of being in the swine industry is that it changes every single day; there are never two days alike! He also enjoys looking back over the years and seeing all the changes that have come and gone. “The modern feeding operations that we have allow us to take better care of our animals,” said Rhonemus. “We probably have as modern of an operation as there is.”
For Rhonemus, his day starts at 5 AM when he wakes up and heads to the barn. First and foremost, Rhonemus takes a shower going in to each barn and checking out of every barn. This is because of biosecurity. Biosecurity is important to maintain animal health and to keep disease and parasites out of the barns. Once in the barn, he checks the pigs and spend 2-3 hours each morning in every barn. He does this because he wants to ensure everything is working properly and all the animals are healthy. He looks at each piece of equipment to determine that there aren’t any issues. He is also checking the feed and water while walking through each pen to inspect every pig in the barn. After completing the routine barn check, he keeps records on the pigs. On occasion, Neil will have visits from his herd technician from Eagle Creek Swine. They check in on him from time to time and help him with any problems that he might have. They also assist him choosing and marketing his hogs for shipment.
Rhonemus wants consumers to know that farmers are concerned about animal welfare, the environment and food safety. “We want them to know that we understand what they are asking of us and that we are trying the best we can,” said Rhonemus. This is part of the reason that Neil has chosen to have a presence on social media. He wants to be the one to tell his farm’s story instead of letting someone else do it for him.
Neil Rhonemus became aware of Paul Hall Insurance by attending industry related trade shows. He noted it was because of his and Paul Hall Insurance’s relationship with Farm Bureau that initially got his interest. “Justin is always taking care of my problems when I have them,” said Rhonemus, “Paul and the group down there is always available.” Last summer, Rhonemus experienced a bad storm, and he noted that Justin reached out to them to make sure that everything was OK.
Paul Hall Insurance is proud to work with Neil Rhonemus and his swine operation to ensure they are receiving the best insurance possible to protect him and his operation. Be sure to follow Neil Rhonemus and Uncle Squeal’s Pig Farm for updates about his operation and to learn more about the swine industry.
