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.
Episodes
100 episodes
EPISODE 100: The Other Side of the Patio
For 99 episodes, I've been the one asking the questions.For Episode 100, I switched chairs.When I started planning this episode, I knew I didn't want to do the typical retrospective of favorite guests, favorite moments, or lessons...
Discourse, Not Discord with Ryan Martin
Ryan Martin has never been particularly afraid to say what he thinks, even when his opinion runs against conventional wisdom.Ryan is a meteorologist, grain originator, farmer, seed salesman, and one of the two people who encouraged me to...
Building More Than a Business | Brian Sieker
Most agricultural businesses begin with a business plan.New Ag Supply began with a farmer trying to solve a problem.In this episode, I sit down with Kansas farmer and New Ag Supply founder Brian Sieker to talk about the entreprene...
When Somebody Ought to Be You
We've all said it.Somebody ought to do something.Somebody ought to volunteer. Somebody ought to run. Somebody ought to help.It's an easy sentence to say because "somebody" doesn't have a face.But every once ...
Who Needs to Be Doing This?
We all say we want young people to become leaders.But are we willing to let them lead?In this solo episode, I use what I call the 0.6x lens to look at three seemingly unrelated experiences: livestock showing, an Eagl...
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From the Spreadsheet to the Slats | Dr. Hyatt Frobose
Swine nutrition has become increasingly precise. We have better models, better ingredient analytics, better data, and more technology than ever before.But pigs still have to get fed.Dr. Hyatt Frobose has spent the last eleven year...
Can the Next Generation Still Farm? | Seth Ariens
What does the next generation of agriculture really want?In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, I sit down with Purdue student, sheep producer, dairy cattle judge, and former Indiana FFA State Officer Seth Ariens for an honest c...
What We're Still Getting Wrong in Swine Production | Dr. Bob Thaler
What challenges will define the future of the pork industry? In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim Smith welcomes Dr. Bob Thaler of South Dakota State University for a thoughtful conversation about swine nutrition, sow mortality, ...
Bonus Episode: Three Ag Market Veterans Compare 2026 to the 1980s Farm Crisis
In this special bonus episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, recorded live during Ag Day at the Allen County Fair, Jim Smith sits down with three respected voices in agricultural markets and communications: Rob Winters, Jon Cavanaugh, and Davi...
What Farming Really Costs with Mike Burkhart
What does farming really cost?For Mike Burkhart, the answer goes far beyond machinery, land, and interest rates.In this conversation, Mike reflects on beginning his farming career in the 1970s, surviving the 1980s Farm Crisis, the...
Why Farming Needs More Strategy and Less Guesswork | Dr. Michael Langemeier
Agriculture today faces many of the same pressures it did during the 1980s farm crisis—but the solutions may look very different.In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, I sit down with Purdue agricultural economist Dr. Michael La...
What Has the Modern Swine Industry Gained… and What Has It Quietly Lost? | Dr. Doug Newcom
What Has the Modern Swine Industry Gained… and What Has It Quietly Lost? | Dr. Doug NewcomThe modern swine industry has never been more productive. Weaning rates are higher, pigs grow faster, feed efficiency continues to improve, and gen...
Lori Stevermer: Why Agriculture Works Best When Choice, Trade, and Trust Work Together
What happens when a hog farmer, feed industry veteran, and former National Pork Producers Council president looks across the entire pork supply chain?In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, I sit down with Lori Stevermer to explo...
The Lost Kids in the Middle - A Conversation with Dr. Tom Kingery
Tom Kingery grew up in agriculture, judged livestock at Purdue University, taught middle and high school ag education for 15 years, and now helps prepare the next generation of agriculture teachers at Western Kentucky University.In this ...
The Hard Part Isn’t the Cooking - Lee Stanish
In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim sits down with fellow Purdue FarmHouse brother Lee Stanish — proprietor and pitmaster of Eddie Joe’s Icehouse near Lafayette, Indiana — for a conversation about leadership, responsibility, and...
Dr. Trey Kellner on Swine Nutrition, Pork Industry Challenges, and Leadership
What does the future of the U.S. pork industry really look like?In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, swine nutritionists Jim Smith and Dr. Trey Kellner from AMVC discuss the biggest challenges facing modern pork production—and...
Are We in a Farm Crisis Or Seeing the Gap Between Good and Struggling Operations? — Shay Foulk
There’s a lot of noise in agriculture right now.From ag media to Washington, depending on who you listen to, we’re either heading into a financial crisis… or standing on the edge of a golden age.But what if the real story isn’t ei...
Shaping the Story of Agriculture — A Conversation with Shaun Haney
When I started the Patio Pondering Podcast, there were a handful of conversations I hoped I might get to have someday. This is one of them.In this episode, I sit down with Shaun Haney, founder of RealAgriculture, to talk about something ...
Seeing Risk from All Sides of the Desk - Anya Pinkerton
Agriculture runs on risk.Weather. Markets. Policy. Input costs. And increasingly — the mental weight of managing all of it.In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim sits down with Anya Pinkerton — a Purdue Animal Science...
Stay Positive and Look Forward — Lessons from the Farm with Terry Sible
Terry Sible grew up on a farm outside Churubusco, Indiana, learning the same lessons many farm kids do: responsibility, patience, and the value of community.At eighteen, Terry’s life took an unexpected turn. Just five years earlier he ha...
Leadership, Service, and the Power of a Pause — with Jill Zimmerman
Leadership in agriculture is often talked about as if it simply appears — the loudest voice in the room or the person willing to take charge.But real leadership is something different. It can be cultivated, sharpened, and intentionally d...
Beef, Raw Milk, Rifles, and RFK Jr. — A Conversation with Brian McFarlane
In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim sits down with Brian McFarland, a longtime leader in the beef packing industry and a cattle producer with experience across multiple parts of the beef supply chain.Jim and Brian first m...
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...
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 N...
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 journal...
