Patio Pondering at 18 Months — The Three-Legged Stool

Over the past week something happened that made me stop and think about Patio Pondering.

At the Niman Ranch Annual Meeting, a young woman at a lunch table suddenly looked across the table and said, “Oh… you’re Patio Pondering.” The moment was unexpected, but it was not the only one. Throughout the week at the Midwest Animal Science Meetings and a Purdue alumni event, several people quietly shared that they had been reading or listening.

None of them had ever commented online.

But they were reading. They were listening.

That realization led to another reflection. This week Patio Pondering quietly passed its 18-month mark. In that time there have been more than 300 written reflections and 78 podcast episodes, reaching listeners and readers on every continent except Antarctica.

Somewhere along the way, without really planning it, Patio Pondering has developed a structure.

Like the old three-legged milk stools that sat in barns across the Midwest, it now stands on three legs:

• Writing
• Conversations
• Consulting

Together those three legs support a place to pause for a moment and think about agriculture.

This episode reflects on how Patio Pondering started, what it has become, and the simple goal behind it all:

Clear thinking for complex agriculture.

And apparently… the penguins are next.

Teaching Agriculture And Teaching Life - Dr. Travis Park

What does it take to turn a farm kid into a professor preparing the next generation of agricultural teachers?

In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim sits down with longtime friend and FarmHouse brother Dr. Travis Park of North Carolina State University.

Travis shares the path that took him from Trafalgar, Indiana and the Indian Creek FFA chapter to a national career in agricultural education.

Along the way the conversation explores:

• what new ag teachers really face when they enter the classroom

• why electives like FFA and band matter more than we often admit

• how agriculture survived the brain drain of the 1980s farm crisis

• the importance of resilience in both farming and education

• and how agriculture must balance tradition with global realities

Travis also reflects on raising three daughters, keeping honeybees in a suburban neighborhood, and why agriculture still requires a deep amount of faith.

As always, the episode closes with Jim’s five signature questions — covering everything from Booker T. Washington to the humble milking machine.

It’s a thoughtful conversation about leadership, education, and the people who shape agriculture’s future.

Hard Working. Determined. Strategic. — A Conversation with Jamee Krug Blahauvietz

In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim sits down with longtime friend and agricultural leader Jamee Krug Blahauvietz.

Jamee’s career path is anything but typical. Starting with a unique combination of journalism and animal science at Iowa State, she built a career that moved from agricultural advertising to leadership roles in major animal health companies including Elanco and Phibro.

The conversation begins with a simple question:
 How would three people describe you?

Jamee’s answer — Hard Working. Determined. Strategic. — becomes the thread that runs through the entire discussion.

Jim and Jamee explore:

• The unexpected path from restaurant manager to ag marketing
 • Lessons learned working inside both agency and corporate agriculture
• The strategy behind the well-known “Full Value” livestock campaigns
• Why legacy is one of the most powerful emotional drivers in agriculture
• How leadership in agriculture has evolved over the past 30 years
• The growing humanization of the agricultural workplace
• The balance between career ambition and family life

They also discuss how agriculture is adapting to new tools like AI, changing marketing channels, and new technology in livestock production.

The episode closes with the Patio Pondering tradition of five questions — touching on lessons from agriculture, innovation in livestock production, and one small change that could make a big difference for the future of the industry.

It’s a thoughtful conversation about leadership, legacy, and the people who make agriculture work.

Ryan Moe: Hope Is Not a Marketing Plan

In this milestone episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim sits down with Ryan Moe of StoneX for a conversation that moves beyond farm roots and into the harder questions of discipline, risk, and decision-making.

At what point does being good at production stop being enough?

Ryan shares how his early experience in energy hedging and commodity markets reshaped his thinking: raising crops or livestock well does not automatically mean managing risk well.

Together, they unpack:

• Why most producers avoid structured risk management

• The emotional trap of waiting for higher prices

• The disconnect between hedge accounts and checking accounts

• Why portfolio management beats home-run marketing

• The illusion of small-scale commodity profitability

• How AI and algorithmic trading are already shaping markets

• And why personal discipline may be agriculture’s greatest competitive edge

This episode challenges romantic narratives about farming and replaces them with something sturdier: clear thinking for complex agriculture.

If you produce commodities, manage market risk, or wrestle with marketing decisions each season, this conversation will sharpen your perspective.

Skip-Generation Farming: Clint Gorden’s Path Back to the Land

Clint Gorden, a central Illinois farmer, joins the Patio Pondering Podcast to discuss what it means to be a skip-generation farmer—connected to farming through grandparents, but without a parent actively farming to provide day-to-day guidance. Clint shares how he built his path through farm work, the seed business, and the relationships and mentorship that helped him earn opportunities in agriculture.

Jim and Clint explore the realities of modern Midwest farming, including aging farmers, larger operations with “more zeros,” the increasing importance of strategy in farming decisions, and how technology and broader networks influence learning, efficiency, and risk management.

Topics covered:

• What “skip-generation farmer” means in today’s agriculture

• Getting started in farming without a prior generation in the cab

• Seed sales, cold-calling, and building credibility

• Aging farmers and generational transition

• Why farming has become more strategic as operations grow

• Community involvement: Farm Bureau, Corn Growers, Lions Club

Recording note: This conversation ends earlier than planned due to a technical interruption. Jim and Clint plan to reconnect and continue the discussion in a future episode.

Snowboarding, Nano-Fertilizer, and Geopolitics: A Conversation with Clark Bell

What do snowboarding, nano-fertilizer, and geopolitics have to do with modern agriculture?

In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim talks with Clark Bell, CEO of NanoYield and former TEDx speaker, about his journey from working on his family’s sod farm to leading one of ag’s most intriguing nanotechnology companies.

Clark explains how nano-fertilizer and nanoparticle delivery systems help farmers improve nutrient uptake, optimize crop inputs, and rethink fertilizer strategies under mounting economic and environmental pressures.

The conversation explores:

• How nanotechnology works in crop production
 • Fertilizer use, nutrient uptake, and ROI in corn & soybeans
 • Specialty crops vs. commodity agriculture
 • Input cost pressures, global supply chains & geopolitics
 • Risk, resilience, and lessons from snowboarding
 • The importance of advisory teams for modern producers
 • Local innovation’s role in a global ag economy

This wide-ranging episode connects science, strategy, and real-world decision making — offering practical insight into technologies scaling across millions of acres.

Connect with Clark Bell:
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarktbell/

🔗 NanoYield site: https://www.nano-yield.com/

🔗 NanoYield LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nanoyield/

PRRS, Investment, and the Questions We Don’t Like Asking

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) remains one of the most costly and frustrating diseases in modern swine production. Despite decades of research, new technologies, and substantial industry investment, PRRS continues to disrupt herds and challenge producers.

In this reflective solo episode, Jim Smith explores the tension between producer frustration, the adaptive nature of the PRRS virus, and the scale of research funding dedicated to combating it. This thought piece examines difficult questions about expectations, investment levels, systemic consequences, and whether the pork industry is asking the right questions about PRRS.

This episode does not argue against PRRS control or pig health initiatives. Instead, it invites listeners to think more deeply about progress, economics, incentives, and the uncomfortable realities surrounding one of the swine industry’s most persistent challenges.

Be Careful What You Wish For — PRRS, Pig Survival, and the Risk of Too Much Success

In this solo episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim Smith explores an uncomfortable but necessary question facing the U.S. pork industry: are we actually prepared for success if PRRS were eliminated?

Drawing on decades of experience in swine nutrition and production, Jim reflects on the long arc of PRRS—from its early emergence in the Midwest to today’s massive investments in disease control and eradication. While improving pig health and reducing mortality is unquestionably the right goal at the farm level, this episode examines what happens when those gains occur across the entire system at once.

Using the 1998 hog market collapse as a cautionary parallel, Jim walks through the physical and economic constraints that still exist today: packing capacity, labor availability, market absorption, and demand response. What happens if millions more pigs survive to market weight—but the infrastructure and markets aren’t ready?

This episode is not an argument against animal health, veterinary innovation, or disease research. It is a systems-level conversation about unintended consequences, second-order effects, and why solving one constraint without planning for what comes next can shift pressure elsewhere.

If you’re involved in pork production, animal agriculture, agribusiness, or agricultural economics—and especially if you lived through 1998—this episode invites you to slow down and think about a question the industry rarely asks out loud:

What happens after we catch the car?

Dallas McDermott – Not Your Dad’s Ultrasound

In Episode 70 of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim Smith sits down with longtime friend and swine ultrasound innovator Dallas McDermott on the floor of the 2026 Iowa Pork Congress to talk about how ultrasound technology has quietly evolved—and why it matters more now than ever.

Ultrasound in the swine industry used to be about backfat, muscle depth, and seedstock selection. Today, it is something entirely different. Dallas, one of the last remaining certified swine ultrasound technicians in the U.S., explains how modern systems—paired with machine learning and AI—are now being used inside packing plants to measure intramuscular fat (IMF) at line speed.

That matters because pork loins, once a premium cut, have lost value due to inconsistent eating quality. Using ultrasound to measure IMF on carcasses—at 600 to 1,200 head per hour—allows packers to sort premium product in real time, improve consistency, and capture value that has been left on the table for years.

This conversation explores:

• Why pork loins lost their premium status and how eating quality drives demand

• How ultrasound and AI are reshaping carcass evaluation inside packing plants

• USDA-funded innovation aimed at helping small and mid-sized packers compete through quality, not scale

• What pork can learn from beef’s focus on marbling and consumer satisfaction

• The implications for genetics, niche programs, and future pork demand

As pork works to move beyond “the other white meat” and reposition itself as a premium protein, this episode highlights a quiet but important paradigm shift. If pork is going to compete for space on the consumer’s plate, it has to taste good—and this conversation explains how technology may help get us there.

This is not your dad’s ultrasound.

An Industry That Changed — and Events That Haven’t

In this solo episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, recorded on the road in Des Moines after the first day of the Iowa Pork Congress, I share an observation that kept coming up in conversations across the trade show floor.

I didn’t hear much discussion about hog margins or markets — even with profitability where it is today. Instead, I kept hearing the same questions: Where are the farmers? Where are the decision makers? Is this still worth the investment?

Drawing on my first Iowa Pork Congress in 1999 and earlier experiences in the pork industry, I reflect on how much the structure of our industry has changed — larger operations, fewer decision makers, faster information flow, and tighter time constraints — while many of our events are still designed for an industry that no longer exists.

This episode isn’t about blame or nostalgia. It’s about alignment.

When purchasing decisions have consolidated and time has become one of the most valuable resources in agriculture, we owe it to the industry to ask hard questions about the return on investment of our trade shows, events, and gatherings.

The question isn’t whether these events still matter.

The question is whether we’re willing to evolve them.

Tight Margins and Tough Questions at the Fort Wayne Farm Show

This episode is my raw take from the Fort Wayne Farm Show. I intended to record more interviews, but the show floor was packed — so instead, I’m sharing what I saw, heard, and felt over three days.

We talk about the WASDE bombshell that set the tone for the week, how farmers are thinking about tightening belts in 2025, what suppliers are saying (and not saying), and whether biologicals have a place in a year of tight margins. I also dig into the gap between precision tech and real-world ROI, the growing skepticism toward USDA reporting, and why the pork industry currently looks a whole lot more optimistic than the crop side.

If you're trying to farm smart in a year of cautious spending and uncertain markets, this one’s worth a listen.

Diversification & Direct-to-Consumer with Mary Marsh Heigele

Join Jim at the Fort Wayne Farm Show for an energizing conversation with Mary Marsh Heigele from New Ag Supply in North Central Kansas. Mary brings a unique perspective on agriculture, having grown up in California's almond country and now farming wheat, corn, and cattle in Kansas with her husband Hayden.

In this episode, we explore:

• How New Ag Supply ships replacement planter parts nationwide (yes, even to Alaska and Hawaii!)

• Staying optimistic during challenging commodity prices

• Direct-to-consumer beef marketing as farm diversification

• Using your own corn to feed cattle as a value-added opportunity

• Cover crops as a gateway to thinking outside the traditional row crop box

• Off-farm income through photography and videography

• Real-world examples of farm diversification beyond the traditional corn-soy-wheat rotation

Mary shares honest insights about the current agricultural climate across the country and encourages farmers to explore diversification opportunities - whether that's different crops, livestock, or even leveraging skills like photography to support the farm operation.

Contact New Ag Supply:

• Website: newagsupply.com

• Phone: 620-938-7009

• Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok

Whether you're looking for quality replacement planter parts or inspiration to diversify your operation, this episode delivers practical ideas and genuine conversation about agriculture today.

“Don’t Be Asleep at the Wheel”: Corn Marketing Advice for 2026 with Aaron Kuhn

In this episode, Jim talks with Aaron Kuhn, Regional Manager with Poet Biorefining in Portland, Indiana, about market realities facing farmers as they head into the 2026 crop year. Coming off a sharp USDA report and entering the spring crop insurance pricing window, corn marketing decisions are getting tight — especially in the Eastern Corn Belt.

Aaron breaks down what he’s seeing in the countryside on old crop vs. new crop movement, why January–February brings forced sales due to cash flow, and how basis is behaving across Ohio and Indiana after a year of mixed yields. They also dig into how exports, the Brazil safrinha crop, and southeast feed demand influence local basis strength.

Jim and Aaron also tackle one of the biggest points of confusion in the market right now — the 45Z biofuel credit. Aaron explains why 45Z currently benefits biofuel plants but isn’t yet flowing value back to farmers, what’s holding up climate-smart scoring, and why sustainability incentives are still worth tracking.

Aaron closes with pragmatic advice for 2026: know your true cost of production, don’t fall asleep during potential rallies, and use target orders rather than emotional marketing.

The Silk Thread of Fragile Farm Profits

This solo episode starts with a memory from 1978 on the tailgate of my grandfather’s Ford pickup and ends with the blunt reality of 2025 farm bookkeeping and modern USDA market reports. What connects those pieces is uncomfortable: farming profitability has always been fragile.

My grandparents scraped through the Depression with $12.34 a month in recorded farm income. My grandfather warned me that “there’s no money in farming.” And nearly fifty years later, I’m running numbers with disaster assistance, government payments, and market swings driven by noon WASDE releases. Different decades, different tools, different programs — same fragility.

In this episode I talk about:
 • Why profitability remains fleeting across generations
 • What USDA reports actually do to real farm margins
 • How disaster programs distort our view of survivability
 • The emotional weight behind farm financial decisions
 • Why the “zeros” changed, but the struggle didn’t
 • The uncomfortable continuity between 1930 and 2025

If you’ve ever felt the stress of bookwork, market reactions, or the silence that comes after a USDA report moves the board — you’re not alone. The tools and programs change, but the story is older than any of us.

Mentorship When You Least Expect It

This solo episode starts with the simple act of closing out farm books and ends with a phone call that hits much deeper. A young professional in agriculture reached out after losing his job and facing a major crossroads: pursue an accelerated doctorate program out of town or stay close to home and fight for a place in an uncertain ag job market.

It was a conversation about choices, identity, timing, and how mentorship really works — especially in agriculture. Not the formal “assigned mentor” programs, but the quiet kind that happens when someone trusts you enough to ask for advice.

In this episode I talk about:
 • Why ag professionals are facing tough career decisions
 • The hidden value of lived experience in career guidance
 • Informal mentorship vs. formal mentorship programs
 • The role of friendship when the chips are down
 • How the ag economy is impacting young talent
 • Why listening matters more than having the “right” answer

If you’re between jobs, navigating the ag industry, or wondering where you fit next — you’re not alone. And if someone calls you looking for guidance, don’t underestimate the impact of simply showing up.

Justin Fix — From Southeast Iowa Roots to Modern Swine Genetics

In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim Smith is joined by Justin Fix, Ph.D., a swine geneticist with AcuFast, joining the conversation from Muscatine, Iowa.

This is a wide-ranging discussion about how agricultural roots shape perspective as careers evolve — especially in an industry that has shifted from family-run operations to large, integrated systems.

Justin shares his journey growing up in Southeast Iowa, his early exposure to agriculture through family farms, FFA, and livestock judging, and how those experiences carried him through Iowa State, graduate work at North Carolina State, and roles with the National Swine Registry, Smithfield, and The Maschhoffs before returning home to Iowa.

Together, Jim and Justin explore:

• What it means to grow up around “traditional” agriculture in the Midwest

• How working with small, family-run producers builds empathy that carries into large systems

• The transition from purebred and youth-focused genetics to integrated commercial pork production

• Why genetics, nutrition, health, and management can never be viewed in isolation

• How consolidation has changed decision-making, communication, and leadership in the pork industry

• The importance of listening, respect, and understanding context when working across silos

This episode is less about equations and data — and more about people, perspective, and problem-solving in modern agriculture.

Whether you work in pork production, animal genetics, nutrition, or simply care about how food systems evolve, this conversation offers thoughtful insight into where the industry has been — and where it may be headed next.

Jay Setchell – It’s Always Too Soon to Quit

In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, I sit down with Jay Setchell for a wide-ranging conversation shaped by farm life, service, perseverance, and the quiet grit required to keep moving forward when life gets hard.

Jay grew up on a working farm where responsibility came early and lessons were learned through doing. From dangerous chores around silos and augers to long days learning efficiency one acre at a time, those early experiences formed a deep respect for hard work, accountability, and the risks that come with producing food.

Our discussion moves through Jay’s reflections on community and small-town life, the importance of neighbors helping neighbors, and how those early examples of service shaped the way he views responsibility and leadership today. Jay shares stories that highlight both the strength and fragility of rural life, and the lasting impact of showing up for others when it matters most.

Later in the conversation, Jay opens up about facing serious illness, extended hospitalization, and moments when quitting would have been understandable. He reflects on the mindset that carried him through those seasons, the importance of attitude, and why persistence often matters more than circumstance.

This episode is a thoughtful reflection on resilience, responsibility, and the belief that it is always too soon to quit.

Roy Bardole — A Conversation on Stewardship, Soil, and Faith

In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, I sit down with longtime friend, mentor, and Iowa farmer Roy Bardole for a wide-ranging conversation about conservation farming, soil health, faith, and stewardship.

Roy grew up farming in Iowa’s prairie pothole region, shaped by parents and grandparents who lived through the Great Depression, drought, loss, and relentless hard work. Those early experiences instilled a deep respect for land and water — and a belief that soil is not something we own, but something we are entrusted to care for.

Our discussion moves through Roy’s early lessons in soil structure and water management, his adoption of no-till farming long before it became common, and the skepticism he faced for sticking with conservation practices even when they were unpopular. Roy explains how firsthand observation of erosion, runoff, and soil loss convinced him that long-term soil health requires patience, humility, and the willingness to stand apart from the crowd.

We also explore Roy’s decades of service beyond the farm, including leadership roles in his church and nearly 30 years serving the soybean industry at the state, national, and international levels. For Roy, service was never about prestige or power, but about responsibility: using the gifts you’re given and leaving institutions stronger than you found them.

Faith weaves quietly but firmly through the conversation. Roy reflects on how the teachings of Christ shaped his approach to leadership, conservation, and community; returning again and again to a simple but demanding principle at the heart of faith and farming: love your neighbor, live by example, and care for what you have been given.

This episode is a thoughtful reflection on stewardship, resilience, and the long view — of land, people, and purpose.

Jim Bishop — Leadership, Identity, and the Cost of Always Being “On”

In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, I sit down with longtime friend and FarmHouse brother Jim Bishop for a conversation that took a different turn than originally planned — and ended up right where it needed to go.

Instead of focusing heavily on farm stories, Jim and I explore leadership, identity, burnout, and the human side of work. Drawing from Jim’s experience in executive leadership development and my own experiences navigating leadership in agriculture and business, we talk candidly about why work often “sucks,” how cultures drift away from humanity, and what it costs when leaders lose touch with themselves and the people they lead.

This conversation also serves as a natural companion to my recent episode with Mark Voors. Where that discussion explored leadership and growth from the bottom up, this episode continues the thread from the executive and C-suite perspective — together forming a broader reflection on leadership and personal development.

It’s a more reflective, philosophical episode than usual — a different rhythm — but an honest one. If you’ve ever wrestled with expectations, burnout, or what it really means to lead well, this conversation will likely hit close to home.

Mark Voors: A Journey in Leadership, Faith, and Soulwork

In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim sits down with longtime friend, fellow FarmHouse brother, and ag-industry leader Mark Voors for a conversation that blends leadership, personal growth, faith, and the deep internal work that shapes a meaningful career.

Mark’s path has taken him from FFA State Officer, to roles with John Deere, Monsanto, Cargill, and ultimately to his current position at Beck’s Hybrids. But the titles only scratch the surface. What Mark shares in this conversation is much more personal:

• how coaching—not managing—became his true calling

• what confidence really means in sales and leadership

• how organizations unintentionally limit the people they rely on most

• the moment a painful performance review shifted the entire trajectory of his life

• the difficult but necessary move from head knowledge to heart knowledge in his faith

• why internal reflection is often harder than any job we work in agriculture

This is an episode grounded in honesty and growth. Mark speaks openly about pride, shame, career pivots, spiritual clarity, and the courage it takes to look inward when life demands it.

If you’ve ever wrestled with purpose, leadership, self-worth, or the quiet pull toward something deeper, Mark’s story will meet you right where you are.