Welcome to the Popular Pig Podcast. A convenient place where you can stay up to date on what's popular in the swine industry. By listening to Popular Pig, you will receive invaluable information on the latest trends, news, and research from various experts that guide the global pork industry.
About the Guest Monique Pairis-Garcia is a Professor and Veterinarian in Global Production Animal Welfare at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Pairis-Garcia earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and her Doctorate in Philosophy from Iowa State University and her Bachelor's degree in biology from Grinnell College. She is board-certified in the American College […]
About the Guest Dr. Lowe is an educator, advisor, researcher, and farmer based in Illinois. He is also a professor and the associate dean for online programs and extension at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois. He holds a DVM and MS from the University of Illinois and has spent most […]
About the Guests Dr. David Newman is the Senior Vice President of Market Growth at the National Pork Board. A third-generation pork producer and meat scientist, Dr. Newman leads efforts to understand consumer behavior and drive demand for pork. He focuses on innovative marketing strategies to position pork as a preferred protein. Rob Brenneman and his […]
About the Guest Joe Kerns brings over 30 years of experience supporting agricultural operations across the livestock and grain industries. He has worked with producers, suppliers, and mills on procurement and risk management strategies including hedging, ingredient purchasing, feed quality, diet formulation, operational benchmarking, and livestock marketing. Joe previously led Partners for Production Agriculture, which […]
About the Guest Matthew Gross is a Hutterite. Hutterites are very open-minded, but still cherish their community values. Matthew is a generational pig farmer, with an open mind towards technology and productivity. At their farm they are currently using PigFlow as a means to run a more efficient operation. Hutterite's have always embraced technology as […]
About the Guest Duane Stateler is a fourth-generation pork producer and as the owner/operator of Stateler Family Farms, along with his son, Anthony, oversees all aspects of production and operations. The enterprise features a wean/feeder to finish pork business marketing 15,600 head annually. They also have 900 acres of crop production, raising corn, soybeans, and […]
About the Guest Jennifer Patterson obtained her MSc in Animal Science from the University of Alberta where she is currently a Research Associate and the Swine Industry Liaison for Livestock Gentec. This involves developing research projects that address current industry challenges and providing continued support to producers to implement results at the farm level, putting […]
About the Guest Lori is from St. Louis, Missouri and for as long as she can remember, she aspired to be a veterinarian. After her undergrad degree, she worked in a large commercial sow farm in central Missouri where her dreams changed and she fell in love with pigs. Lori went to grad school at […]
About the Guests Patrick Fleming, vice president of demand development for National Pork Board, guides his twelve-member team on priorities related to consumer demand, multicultural marketing, foodservice and retail support, packer/processor collaboration and human nutrition strategies. With decades of experience in sales and marketing, he creates uniquely valuable marketing programs by leveraging business-to-business and business-to-consumer […]
About the Guest Kristen Cumming's career is focused on improving the connection between people and their work. She completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Master of Education degree in Workplace and Adult Learning. Kristen spent 11 years instructing in the Donald School of Business at Red Deer College and the Bachelor […]
About the Guest Kurt was born and raised on a pig farm near Barrhead, Alberta, which sparked his passion for swine production and medicine. He graduated with his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2010 from WCVM in Saskatoon. After graduation, he went directly into swine medicine and has worked in swine practices in Manitoba and […]
About the Guest Dr Martyna Lagoda holds a B.A degree in Science, Zoology, and an M.Sc degree in Animal Behaviour and Welfare. Following the completion of her Ph.D in Sow Welfare (focus on sow chronic stress and its implications for piglet prenatal stress) at Teagasc, Ireland, in collaboration with the Institute of Genetics and Animal […]
About the Guest Dr. David Rosero is an Assistant Professor at Iowa State University. He leads a dynamic research program dedicated to advancing swine nutrition and smart farming practices. His current research initiatives include 1) maximizing the nutritional value of feed ingredients in swine diets, 2) implementing nutritional interventions to improve pig livability and swine […]
About the Guest Scott Dee earned a DVM, MS, and PhD from the University of Minnesota, is board-certified in veterinary microbiology, past President of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, past Chair of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Biologic and Therapeutic Agents and currently serves on the AVMA House of Delegates. After […]
About the Guest As the CEO of Farm Health Guardian, Rob Hannam is committed to helping farms and food companies improve animal health and protect against the devastating impact of animal disease through digital biosecurity. Launched in 2020 for the swine and poultry sectors, Farm Health Guardian technology is reducing the risk of disease spread […]
About the Guest Kyle Nisley graduated from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2023 and has been a staff veterinarian with Christensen Farms since the fall of 2023. He was introduced to the swine industry with a production internship at CF in 2017 and was hooked ever since. He expanded his experience in […]
About the Guest Dave received his BA from The University of Northern Iowa in 1982. In 1984, Dave, with business partner Jeff Westrom, formed JWMorton, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based advertising agency. They produce marketing communications programs ranging from branding to digital to broadcast and for clients representing over 30 industries from high tech to healthcare. […]
About the Guest As the CEO of GroGuru, I drive the overall strategy and operational execution for an exciting AgTech company that is changing the way that we grow crops by using an innovative IoT system for precision irrigation, soil monitoring and management. Former contributor at FastCompany, Tech.Co, Entrepreneur, The Huffington Post, and other publications. […]
About the Guest(s) Melissa Bradford – Operations Coordinator Melissa Bradford graduated from Purdue University earning a bachelor's degree in animal Agribusiness. For the past 15 years Melissa has worked for Martin Family Farms in Williamsport Indiana and is currently the Operations Coordinator. Prior to working at Maritn Family Farms, Melissa also worked for United Animal […]
About the Guests Chris Ford VP Corporate Swine Lender, Farm Credit Services of America, Frontier Farm Credit, and Ag Country Farm Credit. Chris works with swine operations across the Farm Credit Services of America, Frontier Farm Credit, and Ag Country Associations' state territory and throughout the Midwest ranging in a variety of sizes. Chris is […]
About the Guest Banks Baker is Global Director of Product Sustainability for PIC, a global animal genetics and biotechnology company. He supports genetic improvement and gene editing as a way to continually improve animal agriculture and provide holistic benefits across the value chain, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved animal welfare and more efficient protein […]
About the Guest Matt Erickson is currently the Agriculture Economic and Policy Advisor for AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Farm Credit Services of America and Frontier Farm Credit where he provides perspective, insights, and commentary that help connect conditions in the agricultural economy to individual producer impact and resulting impacts to the organization. Before his role […]
About the Guest Eric Psota is the Digital Innovation Manager at PIC North America. Since joining in 2021, he has been responsible for developing advanced technologies for digital phenotyping using computer vision and machine learning. Specifically, he specializes in multi-object tracking, pose estimation, animal identification, anomaly detection, real-time systems, and edge computing. Prior to joining […]
About the Guest Steve Malakowsky is the Director of Swine Lending at Compeer Financial. He started as an analyst in 1997 working with swine clients and today leads the Swine Sales team for Compeer. Steve is rooted in the industry, serving as the Allied Industry representative as both a delegate and member of the nominating […]
About the Guests Matthew Rooda is the Founder and CEO of SwineTech, Inc., where he leads the development of innovative solutions for the pork industry. Through SwineTech's flagship product, PigFlow®, pork producers are empowered to enhance operational efficiency, optimize resource management, and improve pig care through automation and workforce innovation. With deep roots in the […]
About the Guest Scott Dee earned a DVM, MS, and PhD from the University of Minnesota, is board-certified in veterinary microbiology, past President of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, past Chair of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Biologic and Therapeutic Agents and currently serves on the AVMA House of Delegates. After […]
About the Guest Glenn Argenbright has 30 years' experience operating and running a variety of private, pre-IPO, and public technology companies. He has founded over a dozen startup ventures, resulting in three public offerings, nine exits, and billions in shareholder returns. His background includes expertise and projects in software, firmware, middleware, hardware, enterprise, SaaS, consumer […]
About the Guest A native son of South Dakota. Chad Greenway was born and raised on a hog, cattle, and crop farm in Mt. Vernon, SD. He learned the value of hard work, resiliency, and perseverance working daily on the family farm. Growing up in a small rural community Greenway was thrust into leadership positions […]
About the Guest Leadership & Advocacy Joel Harris is an active member in Iowa's biotechnology industry through both of his roles; CEO of Genvax Technologies and Executive Director of the Ag Startup Engine. As co-founder and CEO of Genvax Technologies, Joel is leading his team to develop mRNA + nanoparticle vaccines for livestock. The Genvax […]
About the Guest After experiencing first-hand the frustration of finding and valuing farm equipment for his corn and soybean farm in Iowa, Kyle McMahon founded Tractor Zoom to better connect good data and investment decisions for dealerships, Farm Credit Associations, Farm Service Agencies, banks, auctioneers, and farmers. In addition to his work at Tractor Zoom, […]
About the Guests Jenna Seltzer Bio: Jenna was raised on a diversified grain and pig farm outside of Lebanon, Indiana. Growing up, she was heavily involved in 4H and FFA. Jenna attended Kansas State University where she earned her bachelor's degree in animal science in December of 2019 and master's degree in applied swine nutrition […]
About the Guest Nick Lehman is a 4th generation livestock, and grain farmer in western Boone County Iowa. He and his dad have been raising pigs together for over 30 years and now operate a 4880 head finisher site. Aside from the daily farming operation they serve as a test site for some of the latest equipment […]
About the Guest Dr. Hyatt Frobose serves as the USA Commercial Director and Nutritionist for JYGA Technologies, Inc., a Quebec-based company producing GESTAL brand precision feeding systems for the swine industry. Hyatt specializes in assisting swine producers with group-housing solutions and nutritional programs to optimize performance and welfare of sows and growing pigs in commercial […]
About the Guests Mark D. Rix Mark graduated from Iowa State University in 1973 and went to work for Wilson Foods in Oklahoma City for 6 years. Mark joined Purina Mills in 1979 as a salesman in Nebraska and became a Swine Consultant in 1984. He then moved to North Carolina for Purina Mills as […]
About the Guest Patrick Fleming is the vice president of demand development for National Pork Board. Fleming leads the marketing and domestic demand team on a revolutionary, data-driven approach to make pork more relevant to more Americans. His return to NPB coincides with the culmination of an 18-month effort funded by the Pork Checkoff to […]
About the Guest Wesley Lack – Pork Regional Business Director for Zoetis. Wes started with Zoetis in November of 2022 as Area Business Manager on the beef team in Iowa. In June he was promoted to his new role as Pork Regional Business Director leading the US pork team. Wes has extensive experience in production […]
About the Guest Greg Hastings serves as the Senior Director of Commercial Excellence & Business Development at Neogen. In this role, he oversees Neogen's Animal Safety R&D and Data Analytics teams. Greg is a passionate advocate for animal agriculture and actively engages in evaluating and contributing to the development of new technologies and services that […]
About the Guests Dominic Vitucci Bio Dominic was always poised to disrupt the tax industry. To get the required hours for the CPA, he decided to study both accounting and computer science. With two degrees in hand, Dominic started his career as integral part of the Grant Thornton Tax Innovation team. Throughout his tenure, he […]
About the Guest Martijn Schippers, a driven entrepreneur from the Netherlands, began his journey in business at the age of 15, co-founding a successful employment agency with his siblings. Over the course of a decade, Martijn helped grow the company from the ground up, eventually selling it after reaching $8 million in revenue and employing […]
About the Guest Dave Parks is an engineer at SwineTech with a diverse background in agriculture and technology. Raised in South Central Kansas, Dave grew up with hands-on experience at his grandparents' small sow finishing farm. He graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in secondary education, emphasizing computers. Dave spent years in the […]
About the Guests Bill Even is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Pork Board. With extensive experience in agriculture and leadership, he directs programs to build trust and add value for the nation's 60,000 pork producers. His responsibilities include strategic marketing, research, and supporting producer initiatives. Dr. David Newman is the Senior Vice President […]
About the Guest Brent Hershey is the owner and President of Hershey Ag, a company he formed in 1980. Growing up on the family farm, Brent raised steers, grew tobacco and corn, and worked alongside his father and uncle in an egg layer house. Over the years, he has expanded Hershey Ag to include swine […]
About the Guests Drew Ott, a former Iowa Hawkeye football player, balances life on his Nebraska family farm with his wife, Kali, who he met at the University of Iowa where she played basketball. Married since 2017, Drew and Kali integrate modern agricultural techniques and traditional farming practices, navigating the challenges of family farming while […]
About the Guest Barb grew up on a diversified farm in west central Illinois where she was active in 4-H and then attended the University of Illinois where she majored in Ag Communications. Her career includes farming, livestock publication experience, animal health sales, and small business ownership. After college Barb worked in Omaha and Kansas […]
About the Guest Erin Brenneman is a passionate advocate for agriculture and a dedicated farmer. Raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Erin's journey to the farming world began with her love for animals, sparked by horseback riding lessons during her high school years. She pursued her passion at Iowa State University, where she earned a […]
What can you expect to learn from this episode of Popular Pig? New World Pork Expo Format: How the two-day format affected attendance and engagement. Adoption of Innovations: The challenges of introducing new technologies in the swine industry. Labor and Automation: How labor shortages are pushing farms to adopt automation. Consumer Education: The need to […]
About the Guest Neogen is committed to fueling a brighter future for global food security through the advancement of human and animal well-being. Harnessing the power of science and technology, Neogen Corporation has developed comprehensive solutions spanning the Food Safety, Livestock and Pet Health & Wellness markets. A world leader in these fields, Neogen has […]
About the Guest Anne Miller from Montana earned the Paulson-Whitmore Award for State Executives. Miller's loyalty to Montana agriculture led her down the path as a dual state executive for the Montana Pork Association and Wyoming Pork Producers Council. Her notable accomplishments included volunteering on the committee that developed the We Care® Ethical Principles; serving on […]
About the Guest Distinguished Service Award Winner Dr. Paul Sundberg retired in 2023 from his notable career, which included practicing veterinary medicine, working for national pork industry organizations and leading the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC). The award is selected by past presidents of the National Pork Board and recognizes individuals who have made invaluable contributions to the pork […]
About the Guest Mandy Dutton was born on a cattle ranch in Montana, setting the foundation for a lifelong engagement with agriculture. Her family moved to a small town in the Colorado mountains during her early years, where they continued their ranching lifestyle. After completing high school, Mandy relocated to Wyoming, marking a shift from […]
About the Guest Eddie Zamora is an international foodie, Cuban home cook and former Judge on the TV family competition series Dinner Takes All on BYUtv. The twelve episode series was produced by Keller/Noll, the creators of Food Network's Chopped and Chopped Junior. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Eddie received inspiration from my parents […]
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