A Good Year on the Patio

2025 was a good year on the patio.

I published 204 Patio Pondering reflections, released 57 podcast episodes that reached 7,055 downloads, and shared 18 reflections with readers of the East Allen Courier. Those numbers matter, mostly because of the work behind them.

Over the course of the year, the patio became a place to work through a wide range of thoughts and emotions. Some mornings were shaped by leadership, trust, and difficult decisions; others by fatigue, doubt, gratitude, or quiet resolve. There were reflections sparked by current events and others born from small, ordinary moments that lingered longer than expected. Some posts came from frustration, some from humor, and others from simply sitting still long enough to notice what was already there. Taken together, they reflect a year spent paying attention, asking honest questions, and learning to be comfortable without tidy answers.

This year pushed me to sharpen skills I was already using and learn a few new ones along the way. I became a better interviewer by listening harder and talking less. I learned more about editing and audio production than I ever expected, and I got more disciplined about the craft behind the conversations.

Those skills showed up most clearly in the conversations themselves. I interviewed longtime friends, new connections, and some of the most recognizable voices shaping agriculture today. I had guests cry, push back, and laugh. Conversations ranged from industry-wide challenges to deeply personal reflections, often sparked by a simple question that led to “that’s a great question” or “I’ve never thought about that.” Whether across the table from trusted friends or nationally respected voices, the goal remained the same: create space for honest conversation and memories, both good and bad, to surface.

I also began consulting work on projects both domestically and internationally, including a ten-day trip to China helping pig farms work through grow-finish challenges. All of this unfolded as I continued to sort through where I fit in an ever-changing agriculture and livestock industry, one that is clearly evolving, sometimes faster than the roles and paths available to people shaped by experience, curiosity, and perspective.

Like any good operation, I added and refined tools. New microphones and software upgrades joined the mix, along with AI as a partner for editing, organizing, and publishing. The thinking, writing, and conversations still start the same way they always have: with time, attention, and curiosity.

Before the end of the year, we added recording equipment for a planned expansion into memory-focused interviews, starting close to home and capturing stories and experiences from relatives before they are lost to time.

Patio Pondering continues to be a place to slow down, think out loud, and tell stories rooted in agriculture, work, family, and place. Any growth this year rests on friends who showed up when I needed encouragement, a network willing to listen and share ideas, and most importantly, my family, who makes the early mornings, long conversations, and quiet moments on the patio possible.

2026 will bring more reflections, more guests, harder questions, and more emotion, as we continue to enjoy the words, sounds, and moments that unfold here on the patio.

No big pivots. No overnight success. Just steady progress, early mornings, and a lot of coffee.

That feels like a year worth being grateful for.

— Jim