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Let’s hear the story of Nebraska, its communities, its number one industry Agriculture, and the people who make it happen. Sponsored by Nebraska's Law Firm® - Rembolt Ludtke.
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Larry Miller & Tom Volk - National Agriculture Week and Innovation in Agriculture
For National Ag Week we sat down with two titans of Nebraska agriculture--Larry Miller and Tom Volk. Larry is the Chief Operating Officer of Phibro Animal Health Corporation, and Tom is the Business Unit Lead-Northern Nebraska for Bayer Crop Science. They discuss innovation, the opportunities that lie ahead for agriculture and share a few rich stories from their days attending class in the 1980s on the East Campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Nebraska, it's not just a place, but a way of life. It's 93 counties that are home to innovative individuals, caring community, and a spirit that runs deeper than its purple story. It's a story that should be told. Welcome to 93, the podcast.
SPEAKER_02:Welcome to 93, the podcast, where we talk about Nebraska, its communities, its number one industry agriculture, and the people who make it happen. I'm Mark Folson, your host for today's episode, brought to you by Nebraska's law firm, Rembolt Lutti. We're recording today's episode on National Ag Day. So, in honor of National Ag Day and National Ag Week, we thought it was only appropriate to chat with two Titans of Nebraska Agriculture, Larry Miller and Tom Volk. Larry is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Fibro Animal Health. Tom is the business unit lead, Northern Nebraska for bear crop science. Gents, thanks for joining us. Good morning, Mark. So, Larry, let's start with you. Can you tell our listeners a little bit about yourself?
SPEAKER_01:Sure. Um, so I grew up on a diversified family farm near North Bend, Nebraska. I got my uh bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska in Animal Science in 1986. Upon graduation, I started my career with American Cyanamate Animal Health Business. I was a sales representative in northwestern Iowa. And then they offered me the opportunity to get into product management, which moved me back to uh New Jersey or out to New Jersey in uh 1989. Uh, they also gave me the opportunity during that time to uh earn my executive MBA from City University of New York. I joined Shearing Plow Animal Health in uh 1992 to uh develop their cattle business and particularly to develop globally uh the product New Floor or Fluorphenicol for the cattle business. Uh they also gave me a couple of interesting opportunities while I was with uh Shearing Plow. One is to be a country up um country manager. I was country manager for Australia and New Zealand for nearly eight years, and uh then I returned uh to the United States and and uh headed up their global ruminant business, which included the acquisition and integration of Intervet Animal Health. I had an opportunity to join Fibro Animal Health in 2008 as president of their animal health business, um, part of the management team that took uh Fibro uh corporate or Fibro uh uh uh public and we listed on the Nasdaq in 2014, and I've been uh Chief Operating Officer since 2016. It's been a lot of fun uh to grow the business both through organic acquisition, organic and uh acquisitions. Um on a personal side, I've been married for 28 years, my wife Nancy Phillips. We have two children, uh Hans, who was born in New Zealand and uh got his um um undergrad from business in business from the University of Nebraska. He, after following a graduation, he stayed in Nebraska and I'm is still living in Lincoln, where he's employed, and our daughter Hunter, who was born while we were in Australia, and I'm happy to say she graduates next week from uh Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise.
SPEAKER_02:So you'll see a little bit about the empty nestor, good for you. That's a that's an achievement. You also I also noticed you haven't developed a Jersey accent yet. You still got sort of a Nebraska accent, so we appreciate that. So uh when you uh were in Nebraska, were you on the livestock judging team?
SPEAKER_01:I was on the meats and livestock judging.
SPEAKER_02:Which did you enjoy more? Meats or livestock?
SPEAKER_01:Um, I would have to say the livestock. However, uh to this day I do remember the term dark 30, which was the term that we used for what time the van was going to leave to go to one of the local uh packing houses for uh meats judging.
SPEAKER_02:So uh Tom, let's uh give our listeners a little bit of your background and your story.
SPEAKER_00:Well, good morning, Mark. Thank you for having me. And um I'm gonna enjoy my time with Larry. Uh you'll notice that my uh background and resume isn't gonna be nearly as long or interesting as Larry's, but uh I also grew up on a uh diversified livestock farming operation south of Battle Creek, Nebraska, Madison County. License plate prefix? Number seven. So we take great pride in having single-digit license plates around here, Larry and I. Our operation was a little bit unique in the fact that my dad was uh very much involved in purebred livestock production, and he was a really revolutionary swine producer in terms of uh purebred swine. We raised purebred Yorkshires, purebred Hampshires, we also had Cimental cattle, but uh we had a certified disease-free or specific pathogen-free SPF swine herd, and we were selling breeding stock um to neighbors, uh neighborhoods, but we also exported pigs all over the world, China, Japan, Mexico, Korea, and um kind of remarkable for a little uh little farm south of Battle Creek. Um but I really uh loved the ag the well, I loved agriculture, but I was more into the crop side, really loved the agronomy side, did a lot of farming. And uh in the 80s, before I went to college, I was planning to go back to the farm. That opportunity didn't present itself due to some of the economic challenges of the 80s. Got involved in agribusiness through a couple of internships at uh college while I was at the University of Nebraska and of course in farmhouse with both Larry and Mark, which also had a huge influence on my life and still continues to today through uh relationships and friendships. Uh started my um career with Elanco, which is really better known for its animal health business, but at that time they did have an um they had a crop protection business. So I started with a territory in West Central Iowa, um, did that for about five years. Uh there was a joint venture with Dow that became Dow Elanco, had a good friend Mark Thornburg, who was also in Farmhouse, recruited me to come to Monsanto in 1996, so moved back to Lincoln with my young family and have been here since then in the in uh sales roles at Monsanto and now bear crop science um sales, sales management, and that's what I continue to do today.
SPEAKER_02:So Larry, I noticed that uh Fibro, I think I saw they made some acquisitions from Zoetis in 2024. What uh can you describe what that acquisition was and what that means for your business?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so we had the opportunity to acquire this business. Uh it's about$400 million in revenue and does uh uh business in about 100 countries. So for us, it was a natural extension of some of our current product lines in animal health. We have medicated feed additives, uh, nutrition specialty products, as well as uh vaccines. So this was a strong extension globally of our medicated feed additives. It offers us the opportunity to uh offer more solutions um to our customers, uh livestock producing customers.
SPEAKER_02:So I in doing some research on your company, I also saw that you have some manufacturing facilities in Israel. How often do you get to go there and uh what has the recent conflict uh has it created any issues for you?
SPEAKER_01:So I have not visited there in the last uh 18 months or so. Um it is an interesting place, and I would recommend anybody uh uh, you know, from a historical, uh religious, any other aspect, it's a very interesting part of the world. Um and so if you get a chance, definitely do it. It is a complex place to uh do business. We import a lot of ingredients where we manufacture vaccines and other things uh from US and other markets in Europe. Uh and uh so both from an import and export as well as manufacturing, it's it's a complicated place to do business, but I have to say people are extremely resilient there uh to you know and and uh you know show up for work, stay focused, and uh, you know, it it is uh it is uh challenging but a very interesting experience.
SPEAKER_02:In addition to beef cattle, uh Fibro also provides products for other species. What species are those and would they include poultry? Because I want to talk a little bit about uh avian influenza if that's something uh your company um addresses.
SPEAKER_01:Sure. So our business uh you know we're pretty diversified. Our largest business globally is poultry. Um and we also have now meaningful businesses after the acquisition in the uh cattle business, particularly the U.S. uh beef cattle business. We also have uh good presence in dairy as well as swine and some aquaculture.
SPEAKER_02:Nebraska, you may know this, I'm sure you do, is becoming a poultry state uh with Costco and Smart Chicken. And at least the rumor on the street is they're both looking at uh building another hundred or so barns here in Nebraska because the business is just expanding. Do you provide product to Nebraska poultry producers? Is that a market of yours?
SPEAKER_01:We sure do. And uh um I've had the pleasure really to be involved with Lincoln Poultry uh from even before they broke ground on their first facilities. Um I have to say that uh, you know, I think it's great for the poultry industry, their participation, and I think it's great for Nebraska. Um it is a world-class operation from everything they do. I've been completely impressed and really proud that to have them as a business partner.
SPEAKER_02:Tom, Bayer Crop Science is a very innovative company. Uh what what's on the horizon from a technology standpoint that you can publicly share?
SPEAKER_00:We've got a lot of stuff coming. That's one of the great things about working for Bear Crop Science and previously Monsanto. We we love to bring new innovation to agriculture. We're investing two and a half billion dollars a year in innovation, and most of these things take, it may take a decade or more to bring things to the commercial marketplace, but it's exciting to continue to bring new technology that helps improve agriculture in Nebraska and across uh this great country. One of the things that we are working on now that's fairly close to commercial launch, it's something I'm super excited about called Presion, and it's a uh it's basically short stature corn. Um the corn will reach a maximum height of about seven feet tall, so it'll be two to three, four feet shorter in stature than what we would say would be normal corn that we are familiar with today. This is essentially a risk reduction opportunity for farmers. Um, if you think about uh Nebraska wind and green snap and some of the challenges that Mother Nature throws at us, it's certainly not going to be immune to some of those challenges, but we'll it will help reduce risk. Um we're working on uh new genetics that will yield more. We're looking at changing some of the population, plant density to possibly drive more yield, um, while also um really maintaining uh also high silage quality as well. So basically you just shorten the inner nodes of the plant, so same number of leaves, um, better standability, uh, better nutrient and water uptake through a larger, more robust root system. And I think this could be a game changer for uh Nebraska corn growers.
SPEAKER_02:I think uh did you not attend uh the recent commodity classic in Denver and uh what what were your takeaways?
SPEAKER_00:Yes, I was there. The commodity classic uh rotates locations. This is the first time it was in Denver. Um it was a great event, it always is. Um it's basically the national corn and soybean trade show, essentially, but you have lots of yield contest winners there, you have uh folks that are involved in the commodity groups and leaders from across the country to gather. And um there's always excitement about agriculture, a lot of new innovation gets launched there. We just launched our new Viconic soybean lineup, which will be um really commercialized in uh in the following year. Um but we're gonna be testing that. That's a that's gonna be a five-way uh herbicide tolerant trait, essentially, Viconic. We used to call it HT4 uh through research, but Viconic will be the new brand, so we just launched that at Commodity Classic. But um it was great to be there with um fellow agriculturalists and other leaders from across the country.
SPEAKER_02:So both of you were involved in very innovative companies. Did you ever think in your days when you were sitting on East Campus uh that science and those uh chemistry classes you took have become so important?
SPEAKER_01:Uh not me.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it is amazing. I mean, the you're very high-tech companies that you're involved in, and I know myself included, sitting in those classes, I never thought I'd be using that uh what I learned or what I was supposed to learn, I should say. Sustainability is a big word in ag today. What does it mean to you and what is uh what is your company doing from a sustainability standpoint, Larry?
SPEAKER_01:So we believe that and the projections, you know, a lot of projections that say that the world population will exceed 10 billion people on this same earth in the next 20 years, and uh we have to produce 70% more animal-based protein to meet that demand. So it's all about doing more with less and uh less acres that'll be available probably for growing grain and and feed, et cetera, and less animal, less acres for animals. So the the challenge is uh to be more effective and our products and our you know really do bring solutions that help animals, you know, maintain health. So keeping animals healthy by preventing, treating diseases when they occur, uh healthier animals are going to perform better, they're gonna be more thrifty, and they're gonna utilize less water and uh other natural resources, grain, etc., uh, to produce the same amount of uh protein.
SPEAKER_02:You know, we had uh Nebraska legend Bill Rishow on one of these episodes, and he relayed the history of the term animal husbandry, going to animal science. And he said at the end of the day, we should go back to animal husbandry, because that's what sustainability and the things that you described really, really what comes down to is taking care of that animal. So it's funny how things come around. Tom, uh sustainability, what's it mean to you, and how is your company embracing sustainability?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it I think sometimes sustainability maybe gets overthought just a little bit. One of the great things about agriculture is this is a long game. People don't get in and out of agriculture. It's not something you just jump into, it's not like buying stocks. You're uh you're making, in most cases, a lifelong commitment. And so I I've always thought that farmers, ag producers have been some of the best um sustainability experts that that we know because they're they're conservative, they're thinking about the future, they're thinking about natural resources and protecting those resources while also trying to become as efficient as as effective as they can to sustain what they do, which is ultimately sustainability, for for a long, long time. So um we're working on things, um water utilization, Larry mentioned that. That's that's a great thing about Nebraska, um, such a great resource that we have here. But certainly as an example, our corn products are much more water efficient, drought tolerant than they used to be, certainly more nitrogen use efficiency uh efficient than they were before. Um, just several of those things that would, I think, fall into the category of sustainability that just help us make this a more efficient and conservative and sustainable industry long term.
SPEAKER_02:Larry, uh Juan, thank you for sending your son to the University of Nebraska. What other things uh do you still get back to Nebraska for? I think you're pretty involved and give back to some organizations. Can you tell our listeners uh how you have maintained some roots here in Nebraska?
SPEAKER_01:Sure. I'm really proud to uh be affiliated with uh University of Nebraska Foundation. I've been on uh the the uh as a uh uh a board uh member uh and uh committermen member of the uh finance committee now, and I'm also a board member of the NI Nebraska Innovation Campus uh in uh Lincoln. Um we also FIBRO has two plants located in Omaha, Nebraska, a vaccine plant where we produce autogenous or custom vaccines, and we also have a uh animal premix plant. So between all of those, I'm able to get back a few times of a year as well as to see family.
SPEAKER_02:Do you still have family in the North Bend area?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, have family in Fremont and uh also in Grand Island area.
SPEAKER_02:So let's talk about let's start with the positives. If um the there are opportunities on the horizon for agriculture in the United States and worldwide and for Nebraska as well. Uh Larry, what what opportunities do you see for agriculture in the future, say 10 years down the road?
SPEAKER_01:You know, we have a tremendous opportunity and challenge because we have to do more with less. And I think, you know, that's going to be utilizing things, our natural resources uh that are that are very scarce and and probably the most valuable res uh asset that we have on you know in the world. So I think Tom summarized it well as helping support our customers that are farmers uh to be, you know, in our case, keeping animals healthy and help them to meet this uh growing opportunity of feeding uh uh a larger population in the future.
SPEAKER_02:Is avian influenza is this uh is this a significant risk, or do you see it as a passing yet another uh disease and we'll simply move on and then there'll be another one down the road?
SPEAKER_01:I think probably a little of both. I think uh it has been around for quite a while. Uh virus strains tend to uh change or mutate, and so it it is causing an issue in every country around the country or around the world. Um I think the producers do a good job of isolating it, uh containing it, and disinfecting and resetting after that, um, which you can do pretty quickly with a broiler because they don't live that long. Um but uh I think it'll be with us for for quite a long time. And there'll be other emerging diseases that come up as well, not only in poultry, but in other species.
SPEAKER_02:Tom, what opportunities do you see for agriculture uh on the horizon?
SPEAKER_00:I see a lot of opportunities. People are gonna continue to eat, demand for protein is gonna continue to increase and be stronger, and obviously our population is gonna continue to grow worldwide, and certainly we operate in a global marketplace, of course. I I love the fact that here in Nebraska we have such uh an abundance of great natural resources that obviously we we want to take care of. But the future's bright for agriculture. Um we actually need more people to consider agricultural careers. We need more help to really think about uh solving problems. and and becoming more efficient and effective in what we do in terms of food production and protein production for a growing world. So I think those kinds of opportunities are really, really great for Nebraska specifically. And I think about organizations like Nebraska FFA, which we've all been involved in and continue to be today in terms of just developing leadership, but also that interest in in ag careers is going to be very important for us.
SPEAKER_02:Think back to your days on East Campus. Who was your favorite or at least most memorable professor on East Campus? Larry?
SPEAKER_00:I would have to be Keith Gilster. Tom? Well I I would I would actually have to say the same same answer. He was entertaining and and challenging but I even have this morning thought of uh a few of his his famous lines about our great state. So he was a great instructor and and very inspiring.
SPEAKER_02:I probably would say Dr. David McGill uh so I never forget uh that he would have oral quizzes and he would gather you in small groups and essentially its Socratic method is questioning you and making you sort of question whether you gave the right answer or not. And uh again I only experienced that again once I got to law school so I kept thinking back to Dr. McGill did you guys have him?
SPEAKER_01:I sure did and yeah think about that often how you'd go around the table.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah that was those were stressful days. I I wasn't very good at genetics and he knew it. And by the time the class was over everybody else knew that I didn't know anything about it either.
SPEAKER_01:So I think one of the memories that I had of uh Gilster is uh sitting in the old animal science building uh before they built the the new one um and we had this skeleton of a cow she had you know pretty good size horns and he would come in he would put his cowboy hat on one of her horns and um on days that uh we'd have a pop quiz he'd say it's a great day in the state of Nebraska take out a sheet of paper yeah yeah uh so somewhat related uh I think back one one skill that I I Larry I know you uh learned and Tom you learned as well uh back in livestock judging and meets judging was the skill of oral reasons can you explain for our listeners what oral reasons are and sort of what you learned from that and then I'll try try to relate that to what I learned how it relates to law school. Larry so oral reasons you go through usually a contest where you're you're judging many many um classes of livestock groups of four usually and like in the case of uh Denver and Fort Worth you'd be doing swine you'd be doing um uh sheep as well as cattle so you go through and and you not only rank them but then you have to make notes and stand in front of a judge and uh explain exactly why you started with the top one and how you why you sorted them one or ranked them one, two, three four. And uh it was one of those things that uh was very nervous time and particularly by the time you got to I think the seventh or eighth one that you had judged earlier that morning to remember them and be able to visualize them in your head and explain that. And it was one of those things though I guess that I always think about when you've got a big event ahead of you that once you do all the preparation and once you get started it just flows and before you know it you're done.
SPEAKER_02:I placed this class of Angus heifers 3124 and then away you go right I think both of you probably remember R.B.
SPEAKER_00:Warren and Larry I don't know if he was an instructor for you or not. He was um so I just have a couple my recollection he was just a total he was a total badass and very intimidating and um I was probably a high school 4H at the time maybe it was FFA you should note he only had one arm.
SPEAKER_01:He did have one arm and um he's chewing tobacco and spitting at your feet while you're uh reciting your uh uh oral reasons and uh I didn't do it very confidently I remember that uh great stories uh East Campus was a blessing to all three of us and many others uh great great professors great stories let me ask you this uh gentlemen we ask everyone who appears on this uh podcast you get one word and only one word that best describes and explains this great place in which you grew up and developed your connection to agriculture what is your one word for Nebraska Larry I would have to be home um I guess uh first of all shout out to Five County Dodge Dodge County Nebraska uh it's where I developed my roots and I think really gained values that I still carry with me today. Um nothing like the rural perspective that helped ground you and and uh uh give you great insight I think uh clearly still have a lot of you know family in Nebraska and lifelong friends and include both uh Mark and Tom in that.
SPEAKER_02:Tom what's your one word I'm gonna go with agriculture uh and it's a broad term but I think about our great state and and I can't think about Nebraska without thinking about agriculture and then with that is certainly the personal experiences that that I had growing up but also um in in my career but then I also think about the people that are involved in agriculture um the the hard work the dedication the commitment but also the friendships Tom Larry thanks for joining us for this national ag week episode I assume you guys have uh you're are you gonna go out and celebrate or uh do something for National Ag Week Tom you something fun it's a little too early to plant corn but um I think we're having a snowstorm tomorrow but maybe maybe I'll put a seed in the ground today. Larry any any any celebration plans for National Ag Week?
SPEAKER_01:No just doing what what we do every day I guess.
SPEAKER_02:So awesome folks if you enjoyed this episode consider subscribing on Apple Spotify or whatever your favorite podcast app is and be certain to share this episode with someone you may know or who may enjoy it or maybe attend a college on East Campus. And please keep listening as we release additional episodes on Nebraska its great communities Nebraska's number one industry agriculture and the folks who make it happen.
SPEAKER_03:Thanks. This has been Nighty three the podcast sponsored by Nebraska's law firm Rembolt Ludke
