We Keep Our Equipment in Excellent Condition
Don Janes is a relatively new employee at MacFarlane Pheasants. He started his job as Maintenance Manager in mid-February 2021. Don's background prepared him for the Maintenance Manager's role at MacFarlane Pheasants in an unexpected manner. After receiving an MS in Professional Counseling and a BS in Psychology, Don worked as a Social Services Director in a treatment center for seven years. He enjoyed his work but wanted to get out from behind a desk! What better way to do that than to get involved in the Trades? Don worked for several years doing carpentry and residential electrical and plumbing. After ten years running a remodeling company in Rock County, Don found a job where he could incorporate all of his prior knowledge and skills.
MacFarlane Pheasants was looking for someone who could maintain an organized, efficient department while utilizing teamwork. Don was excited about the Maintenance Manager's job for many reasons; but the opportunity to combine his experience in supervision and administration with maintenance was very appealing. He was excited to begin his new role as Maintenance Manager.
We have lots of equipment at MacFarlane Pheasants and we spend a great deal of time making sure that every piece of equipment is kept in great shape. It is important for us to protect our investments, from feed and water systems to delivery trucks. If we don't maintain our equipment, we waste our resources and we just can't let that happen, if we want to keep our business profitable! Don is responsible for making sure all of our equipment is kept in excellent condition. Priority calls can take precedence over other work so each day in the maintenance department requires excellent planning and flexibility.
Don explained that priority calls are an important part of the Maintenance Department's responsibilities. "Priority calls" are those that have a consequential effect on the health and well-being of the birds or the farm's ability to care for the birds. If equipment fails, the barn managers are adept at handling most issues, but when they cannot solve a problem, that's when our Maintenance Department gets a priority call. These calls can include system issues such as feed lines, lights, heaters, and brooders. Some of the biggest issues maintenance has to resolve are vehicle or farm equipment failures. These priority calls can involve any vehicle from tractors to gators to trucks or semis. Our Maintenance Department also services all the implements and trailers.
Though Don Janes has only been on the job a few months, he has established a rhythm for managing both priority and daily maintenance responsibilities. He explained what he likes best about his job to end our interview, "The job has a lot of variety and is interesting due to the variability of tasks. I really like the challenge of everyday being a bit different."