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
From the Spreadsheet to the Slats | Dr. Hyatt Frobose
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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 years working in the space between what nutritionists can design on a spreadsheet and what actually happens inside a barn. In this conversation, Hyatt and I talk about why he chose an unconventional career path after earning his Ph.D. at Kansas State University, what he has learned about translating science into practical application, and why sometimes there is elegance in simplicity.
Our discussion moves well beyond feeding equipment. We talk about leadership and developing people, learning from lost sales, breaking down silos between nutrition, production, facilities, and engineering, the opportunities and limitations of precision feeding, and why the swine industry should be uncomfortable with current levels of mortality.
We also discuss animal welfare, the importance of maintaining a strong connection between research and the realities of commercial production, and the challenge of turning nuanced science into information people can actually use.
This is a conversation about technology, but more importantly, it is about implementation. Because the best science in the world only creates value when we can make it work on the farm.