Meat the Pig Farmer,
Tim Chancellor is the wean-to-finish supervisor for Thomas Livestock in Broken Bow, Nebraska. Throughout Tim’s 30 years with Thomas Livestock, he has held different roles. Currently, he oversees 72 employees and 260,000 hogs from wean-to-finish. He also owns barns that house 23,000 pigs. He does all of this with a strong core value of doing what’s right for people and pigs.
Tim and his employees give extra care to pigs by assisting all mothers giving birth 24 hours a day, seven days a week, drying all newborn piglets with a cotton towel at birth, making sure every newborn piglet receives colostrum milk, and providing nighttime help in nursery to ensure newly weaned pigs transition properly to eating and drinking.
Tim’s family is involved in the business, too. Wife Minnie’s support has been key to Tim’s endeavors over the years. His son Erik is assistant wean-to-finish supervisor at Thomas Livestock. Tim works closely with the younger generation to pass the torch, teaching them the things that keep them successful and operational.
Nationwide, pork producers subscribe to the We Care (sm) initiative as part of their culture. The We Care(sm) principles include a dedication to food safety, animal well-being, public health, environment, fellow pig farmers, and the community. They proactively pursue better technology and methods to improve the safety and quality of pork, while reducing the environmental impact. Tim has been very active in doing just that in his barns. He has installed solar power on the roofs of his barns in Dawson County. He is passionate about finding ways to offset operating costs, while working closely with the county’s power company to assure a win-win relationship that works for the entire community. His barns generate 70% to 80% of his own usage during peak times. This lowers his input costs and helps the power district maintain its level of power during peak times. Tim understands the need for healthy power districts. “They have operating costs,” he says, “and I don’t want to be a drain on my neighbors by not contributing.” He has worked with the Dawson County Power District to develop a plan where he can reduce his costs, and still contribute to the well-being of the community. He also is actively working with solar providers to draft legislation to encourage a solar bill that is good for both the power district and the farmer.
Chancellor served as president of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association in 2019 and remains active in the industry, serving in various roles on the national and local level.