Schoettmer Prime Pork Farm

Schoettmer Prime Pork Farm Focused on Pigs – and People

When talking with Keith Schoettmer about raising pork, one might expect him to talk about pigs – but first he talks about people. The story of Schoettmer Prime Pork Farm of Tipton, Indiana, is one built on the foundation of mentors and relationships along the way. While not growing up on a farm, Keith liked livestock and worked on farms in high school. He went to Purdue University in 1976 to pursue a degree in ruminant nutrition. Yet a job posting in Lilly Hall led him to a job on a pig farm, and his career began.

“While my initial interest was cattle, I needed money so I took that job on a swine farm, and met Delmar Guard, the owner of the farm. He is a truly remarkable person and he helped me take an interest in pigs,” Keith says. This interest blossomed and Keith’s first job post college was managing a purebred Duroc pig farm in Illinois. “God blessed us with another great mentor, Ivan Miller, and I was there for seven years,” he says. “I didn’t just learn about pigs; I learned about how to maneuver through life.”

A desire by Keith and his wife, Darla, to move back home to Indiana led to meeting another person who changed their life. The couple learned of a farm for sale in Tipton, and made an appointment to meet Dan Mattingly, the owner of the 400 sow (momma pigs), farrow to finish operation (raising pigs from birth to market). After touring the farm and seeing potential, they sat at his kitchen table to discuss finances.

“The reality was we could not afford it,” Keith says. “We had a little money saved but not a lot and there was no way for us at 28 years of age to obtain the financing.” Keith and Darla genuinely thanked Dan for his time yet told him buying the farm was out of their reach. Before they reached their car, Dan called out to them to come back in and talk some more. He wanted this young couple to succeed, helping them with financing and enabling them to get going. “You’re going to buy my farm,” Dan boldly stated. “This was yet another example of there being people along the way who are willing to help if you let them,” Keith says, forever being appreciative of Dan who remained their neighbor until recently passing away at 102 years of age.

Today, the operation includes 1,100 sows and a full time staff of eight people raising 23,000 pigs each year. “We place a great deal of focus on retaining our staff, some of our team have been with us for decades,” Keith says. “It’s important we take the time to help them maneuver through this thing called life just like the people who have helped us.”

Each day on the farm starts with a 6:30 a.m. meeting that includes a devotion and prayer, along with discussing the work of the day. “We try to share a bit of purpose to start the day,” Keith says.

The days are indeed busy on this traditional farrow to finish farm. The operation includes its own feed mill and the Schoettmers are proud to be independent pork producers. “There is still room in this industry for producers who are not tied to integrated systems, and we’ve not had a problem finding a market for our pigs, Keith says. They sell their pigs to Indiana Packers in Delphi, making it a good possibility that someone enjoying Indiana Kitchen bacon is eating pork raised by Keith, Darla and their team.

Being sure the pigs are comfortable and well cared for is a top priority, and their philosophy is to be as efficient as possible with all resources. “We want to be sure every bushel of corn turns into the maximum amount of pork on the table, and we are careful to not waste water and be responsible in our manure management,” Keith says. They buy all their corn locally, supporting their neighboring farmers.

Their approach to pork production and people has not gone unnoticed, with Keith being the first National Pig Farmer of the Year award winner in 2015. This award had Keith travelling across the country talking about pork production and animal care to people who had never seen a pig.

Sitting at the kitchen table where he and Darla had that fateful meeting 40 years ago, Keith reflects on the importance of telling the story of pork production. “Having met with so many groups and given so many tours over the years, people often tell us our farm is nothing like what they thought it would be,” he says. “They are surprised at how clean and bright it is, and how content the pigs are in their surroundings.” He notes that people are also amazed by the climate control and other technology to ensure pig comfort.

Caring for pigs and people truly is the recipe for success at Schoettmer Prime Pork Farm. “We’ve been blessed by so many wonderful people in our lives, we want to continue to pay it forward,” Keith says.