Delivering Innovation and Efficiency at Ovation Farms

At Ovation Farms in Thompson, IA, Interstates recently completed a layer barn project that set new standards in prefabrication, modular innovation, and execution efficiency. With a tight schedule and a complex scope, this project became a proving ground for forward-thinking solutions that delivered value for the client, boosted safety, and ensured timely completion. 

Interstates’ scope of work spanned electrical engineering and installation for 16 new cage-free barns, including two main electric rooms and 24 modular electric rooms, as well as the biosecurity building and farm packaging facility. Additionally, our team supported feed conveyor systems from the on-site feed mill and performed programmable logic controller (PLC) upgrades in the mill and process facility. “The client’s top priority was efficiency. We were asked to populate each barn in a quarter of the time we were used to,” says Cody Pommer, Superintendent at Interstates. “That meant no delays on bird dates. We had to move quickly without compromising quality or safety.” 

Modular Innovations Reinforce Safety 

To meet these demands, the team focused on several strategic innovations. One of the most significant was the large-scale deployment of modular E-Houses, a first for Interstates at this scale. These E-Houses were built off-site, fully assembled, and delivered to the job site.  For this client’s application, the team found the best solution was to use modified containers. "This saved countless hours," says Cameron Jensen, Foreman at Interstates. "Installing all the panels and wiring in a controlled environment, while not having the day-to-day rush of the job site, really made safety a top priority." 

Nate Van Kley, Project Manager at Interstates, echoed the value of this approach. 

“Each E-House moved roughly 300 on-site labor hours off-site,” he says. “Multiplied across 24 E-Houses, that translated into many off-site hours and eliminated the need to forklift heavy equipment to upper floors.” 

Another standout was the pre-assembled underground main electric room. Designed with meticulous precision, it was installed in just two days, including grounding. “The main electric room was my baby,” says Jensen. “The amount of precise detail that went into designing the underground for the main electric room amazed me. Hats off to everyone who made our jobs easier during install.” 

Planning Tools Transform the Schedule 

The project's success was underpinned by detailed planning and robust scheduling tools. Weekly whiteboard sessions and internal schedules were used to maintain visibility and anticipate constraints. Early pull planning sessions with all the trades helped align expectations and identify key milestones. "Following the whiteboard was very important. We’d update it every week and make sure we were two to three weeks ahead," says Jensen. 

Another contributor to job site efficiency was a color-coded material handling system that supported staging and installation logistics. “Each item had a colored tag specific to which floor it needed to go to,” Pommer explains. “This allowed our logistics manager to stay productive without having to constantly dismount the forklift. It streamlined delivery and improved staging accuracy.” Much of that efficiency was driven by prefabrication. Over 18,000 prefab hours were logged off-site, covering everything from bracket assemblies to staging logistics.  

In the field, productivity improvements were clear. 

“We started wire pulling in Barn 1 at 91.8 feet per hour and ended in Barn 18 at 177.1 feet per hour,” says Van Kley. “Basket tray installation also improved from 9.1 to 16.7 feet per hour. That’s a testament to the crew on-site.” 

Given the tight timeline, detailed coordination was critical. Interstates held weekly meetings with the general contractor, subcontractors, and internal prefab and VDC teams to stay aligned and manage constraints. “Early planning allowed us to identify where we were bottlenecked and adjust scope timing,” says Pommer. “We had to be proactive in our approach to keep everyone moving forward together.” 

Finding a Better Way Through Challenges 

Challenging site conditions also required innovation and flexibility. With barns featuring floors too high for standard lifts and scissor lifts not being feasible, the team introduced a motorized scaffold for wire pulling and zip-tying cables. “We worked with the Safety and Best Practices teams to find a better way,” says Van Kley. “The motorized scaffold eliminated constant ladder movement and improved both safety and productivity.” 

The compressed schedule further complicated coordination, with only four to six weeks between bird dates, a stark contrast to the typical 12 to 14 weeks. Trade stacking was inevitable, and collaboration became essential. Weekly on-site meetings and close communication with cage builders helped minimize delays. “We had to be creative and keep reminding everyone of the time we needed,” Van Kley notes. “We also tracked labor history across barns to better forecast and manage manpower.” 

Ultimately, Interstates delivered a high-quality, on-time project that impressed the client and reinforced the company's value. “The whole site will be able to run more efficiently, and the client will be able to add more products to this specific site that they did not have before,” says Jensen. Beyond the numbers, the project showcased the strength of Interstates’ culture and collaboration. “The crew dug in and worked overtime early on to meet deadlines,” says Van Kley. “Never did they complain. They worked as a team and found solutions time and time again.”  

With innovation, planning, and execution in sync, the Ovation Farms project demonstrates how Interstates continues to deliver value for our clients while laying the groundwork for smarter, safer, and more efficient builds in the future.