The girl from Allentown who worried about veterinary school timelines could never have predicted she would end up auditing sow farms across state lines.
By Cris Soronio
As a recruiter in the swine industry, I spend countless hours on the phone with candidates, hiring managers, and production leaders. Over time, you start to notice certain patterns in how people find their way into agriculture. Many grew up walking barns with their parents, inheriting a deep-seated knowledge of livestock before they could even drive a truck.
Then, there are people like Johanna Cser.
Johanna’s background couldn’t be further from a traditional farm upbringing. Raised in Center City Allentown, Pennsylvania, her early life was defined by city streets rather than open fields. Yet today, she stands as a key figure in animal care and compliance under Clemens Food Group, working closely with Country View Family Farms, overseeing operations across multiple states and driving standards for some of the most critical programs in the industry.
Her path into agriculture wasn’t a straight line, and sitting down to hear her story for our *Women in Swine* feature offered a refreshing look at how passion can build a career from scratch.
The Shift in Direction
A love for animals usually points kids toward one specific dream: becoming a veterinarian. That was also the initial plan for Johanna. She enrolled at Delaware Valley University with veterinary medicine in mind, determined to turn a lifelong affinity for animals into a career.
But college has a way of testing those early plans. Looking closely at the lengthy timeline required for veterinary school, Johanna realized the traditional pre-vet track simply didn’t align with her life at that moment. Rather than abandoning her interest in animals, she pivoted.
She moved into livestock management and pursued a bachelor’s degree in large animal science. Her first real taste of hands-on agriculture came from working with dairy cows during her college years, which sparked a genuine appreciation for the rhythm and demands of farm life.
Graduation brought the familiar pressure of student loans and the looming question of what to do next. Right at that critical juncture, Jim Adams—a recruiter for Country View Farms at the time—reached out with an opportunity. The company was hiring, and the pay would help tackle her student debt, and the door to the swine industry was suddenly open.
Johanna took the job, mostly for practical reasons. She had no idea she would fall in love with the swine industry. Long story short, she has remained with the company for a full decade.
Stepping onto a swine farm for the first time is a culture shock for anyone, let alone someone from downtown Allentown. Johanna began as a barn technician. It is an intensely physical role that tests your endurance, demanding long hours on your feet and a willingness to do the dirty work.
When she first arrived, she walked into an environment that many still considered to be strictly a man’s domain. The assumptions were immediate. A lot of people looked at the new girl with no agricultural background and assumed the heavy labor would quickly push her out.
Yet Johanna ignored the noise. Instead of trying to argue her capability, she let her work ethic do the talking.
She learned the nuances of pig care on the fly, proving her resilience day after day. That dedication didn’t go unnoticed, as she moved from a barn technician to a manager trainee, eventually taking on the responsibility of farrowing lead, and then stepping up as a full farm manager.
Running a farm brings an entirely new weight to the job. In the farrowing house, you are directly responsible for the start of life, and the emotional toll of the work is real.
Experiencing high mortality on a sow farm hits hard. Johanna learned to absorb those difficult moments, turning the frustration of lost animals into a drive to figure out how to get more healthy pigs out the door. Her entire foundation in the industry was built in those barns, learning the realities of production through sheer repetition and the guidance of early mentors.
Today, Johanna’s daily routine looks vastly different. Her role now sits directly under Clemens Food Group. She started on the farm with Country View Family Farms and now works closely with CVFF on farm compliance. She spends a massive amount of time on the road. Her territory covers nursery, finishing, and sow farms across Pennsylvania, extending all the way down to several sites in North Carolina.
Her core responsibility is conducting internal audits. She is the person checking biosecurity measures, ensuring animal welfare standards are met, and verifying compliance for specific initiatives like antibiotic-free production and Proposition 12 requirements. She also tracks Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) compliance on both an individual and site-wide level. A significant part of her role also involves helping teams understand biosecurity policies, welfare expectations, and food safety requirements, along with training and mentoring people across the system.
Auditors rarely get a warm welcome. The very nature of an audit brings stress to a farm team that is already stretched thin.
Johanna understands this dynamic perfectly because she used to be the one managing the barns. She knows that failing an audit feels like a personal failure to a farm manager. To combat that anxiety, she intentionally approaches every visit with a positive attitude.
First impressions matter immensely in her role. If she walks onto a farm looking to punish mistakes, the farm staff will immediately shut down. Instead, Johanna treats compliance gaps as teachable moments. She points out where a site falls short, but immediately pivots to discussing how they can improve the process for next time. If a conversation starts off on the wrong foot—which happens easily during stressful weeks—she firmly believes in stepping back, apologizing if necessary, and offering a second chance to get the interaction right.
The work is incredibly demanding. Pennsylvania farms have faced significant pig health challenges this year, forcing producers to constantly adapt their strategies. The physical travel and the mental weight of keeping up with ever-changing regulations can make work-life balance difficult.
Johanna credits a strong family support system at home and a tight-knit internal team—four women and one man who communicate openly and cover for each other—for keeping her grounded during the busiest seasons.
Reflecting on her ten years in the business, Johanna is quick to point out the positive shifts in farm demographics.
She sees far more women walking the barns at Country View today than when she started. During our conversation, she specifically brought up the female truck drivers she interacts with. Transporting pigs is grueling, physical work, and Johanna expressed a deep admiration for the women who are right there in the trailers, handling the animals with incredible heart and grit.
Her advice for the next generation of agricultural professionals is simple: be strong-willed, stay curious, and never be afraid to ask dumb questions.
The industry is constantly adopting new technology, and the only way to keep up is to maintain an open mind. When Johanna spots an unfamiliar piece of equipment during a farm audit, she immediately asks the staff to explain how it works. She relies on the people doing the daily work to help educate her.
Looking ahead, Johanna has no immediate plans to leave agriculture. She holds a deep desire to help educate the public about livestock production. She knows firsthand how easy it is for people outside the industry to misunderstand pig farming, and she wants to use her hard-earned knowledge to bridge that gap.
If she could go back and tell her younger self anything, it would simply be to stick with the animals.
The girl from Allentown who worried about veterinary school timelines could never have predicted she would end up auditing sow farms across state lines.
Johanna’s career proves that the swine industry also runs on people who are willing to learn, adapt, and show up with a positive attitude, regardless of where they started.
Do you know a woman who deserves to be featured in Women in Swine?
Whether she’s a mentor, a problem-solver, or someone who quietly keeps the barns running, we want to hear her story. Send an email to Cris@continentalsearch.com with the nominee’s name, role, and a short note on why she should be recognized.
