Patio Pondering
Clear Thinking for Complex Agriculture.
Hosted by Jim Smith, Ph.D., the Patio Pondering Podcast features thoughtful conversations with the people shaping agriculture. Together, we explore the experiences, ideas, and values that influence our industry and the lives behind it.
From researchers and farmers to entrepreneurs, educators, and industry leaders, each episode goes beyond the headlines to uncover the stories, decisions, and perspectives shaping agriculture today.
Patio Pondering
Latest Episodes
Where Do I Fit? | John Canary
John Canary farms with his family in Johnson County, Indiana, where the edge of Indianapolis keeps moving closer. Houses, warehouses, and other development compete for the land around him. What does a farmer build when he cannot count on the ac...
We Got Exactly What We Asked For!
An article about beef’s long push for eating quality got me fired up about pork. I started with a sharp critique of the industry—then realized I was handing the work of change to everyone else.In this bonus episode from The Patio, I loo...
The Customer Is Not Always Right!
Karl Shlagel joined me from the cab of a tractor while spraying pumpkins on his family’s fourth-generation farm near Waldorf, Maryland. The connection occasionally fought us, the tractor kept moving, and the conversation zigged and zagged—which...
