Patio Ponderings
Exploring the Expected and the Obscure in Agriculture
From a lifetime in agriculture to deep dives into leadership, rural life, and the evolving food system, Patio Pondering is a podcast where thoughtful conversations meet the open air. Hosted by Jim Smith, Ph.D., a seasoned Swine Nutritionist, agricultural thinker, and storyteller, this podcast explores the connections between our agricultural roots and the broader world.
What started as daily reflections—scribbled with a morning coffee in hand—has grown into a podcast that uncovers the insights, challenges, and sometimes-forgotten history of the industry that feeds us all. Whether solo pondering or engaging in candid discussions with guests, this show digs into everything from livestock production to food trends, rural business shifts, and the personal stories that shape agricultural life.
Now available in both audio and video formats, Patio Pondering brings these discussions to life on YouTube and podcast platforms alike. Whether you prefer to listen on the go or watch the conversation unfold, you’ll find fresh perspectives, candid storytelling, and the kind of conversations that make you think twice.
Subscribe and join the conversation—because agriculture is more than just dirt and livestock. It’s a story worth telling.
Episodes
71 episodes
Episode 71: 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 expe...
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Episode 71
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13:54
Episode 70: 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 evolve...
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Episode 70
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9:35
Episode 69: 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 ...
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Episode 69
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5:28
Episode 68: 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 s...
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Episode 68
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14:13
Episode 67: 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 farm...
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Episode 67
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10:11
Episode 66: “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 s...
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Episode 66
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9:36
Episode 65: 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 profi...
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Episode 65
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12:34
Episode 64: 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 d...
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Episode 64
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12:53
Episode 63: 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 ...
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Episode 63
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1:25:00
Episode 62: 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 gr...
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Episode 62
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1:10:01
Episode 61: 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.
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Episode 61
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1:37:00
Episode 60: 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 ...
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Episode 60
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1:00:55
Episode 59 — 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...
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Episode 59
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1:45:00
Episode 58: Brian Engleking — Lessons from the Barn, the Road, and Rebuilding
In this episode of Patio Pondering, Jim sits down with longtime friend, FarmHouse fraternity brother, and Purdue Dairy Judging Coach Brian Engleking to explore a life shaped by dairy cattle, youth leadership, and an unexpected m...
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Episode 58
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1:12:56
Episode 57: One Year Sober - What I Learned After 365 Days Without Alcohol
In this solo episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, host Jim Smith reflects on one year of living alcohol-free — not from rock bottom or rehab, but from a quiet decision to reclaim clarity, creativity, and control.Jim sh...
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Episode 57
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10:28
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Episode 56: Chloe Buchanan - From 4-H to Embryology - IVF, Leadership, and Ag Roots
Chloe Buchanan grew up in Leo, Indiana, found her footing in 4-H, and now manages a Great Lakes team at Trans Ova Genetics as a professional services embryologist—doing on-farm IVF collections, embryo transfer (fresh...
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Episode 56
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1:07:05
Episode 55: Delaney Howell — Progress Over Perfection, Ship It, Then Get Better!
Former Market to Market host and Ag News Daily co-founder Delaney Howell shares why her motto is “Progress Over Perfection.” From farming in Tama County to running a boutique marketing agency and launching her new initiat...
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Episode 55
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1:08:00
Episode 54: Let Them Talk!
In this solo episode of Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim reflects on the art of interviewing after listening to Patrick Bet-David’s podcast conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The experience sparked a key question ...
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Episode 54
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9:43
Episode 53: Farming, Retirement, and the Iron Trap
Farmers often say, “My land is my retirement plan.” But what happens when that plan never gets cashed in?In this solo Patio Pondering episode, Jim Smith, Ph.D. dives into the hard realities of retirement planning in agricu...
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Episode 53
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8:01
Episode 52: Solo Thoughts on the Crop Tour and the Black Box
In this solo episode, Jim shares his perspective on the Pro Farmer Crop Tour, crop yield estimates, and how farmers can cut through the “black box” of USDA reports. Drawing on his 2020 scout experience, he recounts fields that ranged fro...
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Episode 52
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17:00
Episode 51 - Feed: The Unsexy 70 Percent
Every business has a “70%” — the single biggest cost or effort that quietly drives success or failure. In pig production, that 70% is feed. It’s not flashy, it’s not exciting, but it makes or breaks profitability.In this solo episo...
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Episode 51
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11:20
Episode 50: Against the Grain: Jerod McDaniel on Bullshit, Big Ag, and the Power of Speaking Up
For our 50th episode, we’re not pulling any punches.Jim sits down with Jerod McDaniel, a farmer, cattleman, and unapologetic contrarian from Texhoma, Oklahoma, who’s made a name for himself by doing what most in agriculture...
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Episode 50
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1:49:31
Episode 49: The Silence That Stuck With Me
In this solo episode of Patio Pondering, Jim reflects on a moment at the Indiana State Fair that left him unsettled when he witnessed something wrong and didn’t speak up. What started as an uncomfortable memory became a deeper reckonin...
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Episode 49
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11:33
Episode 48: Not About Markets – Chip Flory on Family, Faith, and Finding His Voice
You know him as the voice of AgriTalk, delivering market insights with clarity and conviction. But in this episode, Chip Flory sits on the other side of the microphone to share the personal journey that shaped his life ...
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Episode 48
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1:19:00
Episode 47 – The Harvest Dance: From Overalls to Organized Farm Crews
In this solo episode of Patio Ponderings Podcast, host Jim Smith, Ph.D.—farmer, swine nutritionist, and ag communicator—reflects on the evolving face of modern agriculture.Over the past few weeks, Jim watched hay and wheat straw...
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Episode 47
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7:10
