Recently, I heard about this amazing pig farmer and how she ran her business, so I wanted to share it:
About fifty years ago in Indiana, there was a pig farmer named Harry. Harry and his wife Peg bought the farm when they were in their mid-twenties. Unfortunately, Harry died at the age of 31.
Peg decided to keep the farm and hired men to help with the pigs. Big pigs are mean so you have to be strong to keep them under control.
She also hired school age boys from the age of 12 to 18 years old. The boys were not permitted near the pigs. The boys worked in the fields and plentiful gardens. The young teenagers drove tractors, planted the corn, husked the corn for the hogs to eat. Peg made sure they had good (expensive) tractors and equipment to do their jobs.
Peg paid someone to pick up the boys from their homes around 5:30 AM, in order for the boys to work for a couple hours before school.
Then they showered at the farm, she made them a big breakfast every morning, and she had someone drive them to school.
After school, someone picked the boys up and they worked hard for four hours, but had fun working together. Then they would shower when their work was done for the day. Peg would give them the choice of eating dinner at the farm or going home to eat dinner.
Either way someone gave the boys a ride home. Peg never had children so the boys were like her own.
Once a boy came to the farm with many bruises. Peg knew his Dad had beat the boy severely. Peg visited the Dad with her shotgun and told him if he ever touched the boy again, he was as good as dead.
She never missed paying the young men. Every month she gave them each a bonus of 30 pounds of pork to feed their families.
I recently heard this heart felt story from Rick our dishwasher installer. He went to Peg’s funeral and saw many of the boys that he grew up with at the service. Peg was loved by many in their town.
Rick's mom was divorced and didn’t have much money to raise the children so Peg would often help her financially as well.
Rick also told me that he recently sold his delivery service. Over the years he ran 4 trucks, employed 8 guys (2 per truck). He had big accounts like Lowe’s, Home Depot, Famous Tate and Hanson’s Appliances.
Most of the young men Rick employed would call in sick, they were hungover, or tell Rick their finger hurt, in other words, all kinds of lame excuses.
Only Rick’s oldest employee worked hard, he became Rick’s best friend. Later his son-in-law joined the team of delivery guys. He was also a very good employee.
Rick made good money delivering appliances 6 days a week, 10 hours a day but his back hurt and he was especially tired of hearing excuses, so he downsized. His son-in-law moved to South Carolina. His best friend bought his best box truck and Rick gave him the business. Soon his best friend found out the stresses of the hiring, training and keeping employees motivated to come to work. One day Rick answered the phone and his friend was cussing him out because of all these employees excuses he heard over and over again.
Today Rick delivers five or six appliances per week as an employee. He said the money was not worth the aggravation.
He now enjoys taking his seven year old granddaughter to school every day. On Mondays they go for breakfast before school and she always has chocolate milk with whipped cream and sprinkles waiting for her at Lou’s Diner. They play a game on the way to school, she gives her grandfather one word and he must make up a whole story on their 7 minute ride. He also enjoys music, as his youngest daughter plays this violin / cello that she loves.
Curious: Which character can you relate to? Which one resembles you?
Peg, Rick, one of the employees, Rick’s playful granddaughter or his talented daughter?
Did the pig farmer touch your heart? Yes? Tell me why.