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
108 episodes
Against the Grain — Bullshit, Big Ag, and the Power of Speaking Up | Patio Pondering Gem
PATIO PONDERING GEMSome conversations are worth another listen.For this Patio Pondering Gem, we’re going back to Episode 50 and my conversation with Oklahoma farmer and rancher Jerod McDaniel: Against the Grain — Bullshi...
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...
Did It Make Money?
Farmers have never had more information available to them. But more data does not automatically lead to better decisions.Dale Durchholz has spent nearly five decades studying agricultural markets, analyzing data, and helping farmers make...
Why People Should Care
Sean Arians and I have known each other for years through Ag Twitter, farming, and our work in agriculture. But it took a conversation while I was traveling to Philmont Scout Ranch for us to discover another connection: Sean had experienced Phi...
When Is Enough Enough? | John Kowalchuk
Jim expected a conversation about the differences between farming in Canada and the United States. Instead, he and central Alberta farmer John Kowalchuk kept finding the things farmers have in common.They talk about the financial pressur...
Be Safe Out There - Cory Ritter
Cory Ritter and I go back to the early days of Ag Twitter and something called Cory Corn. Today, Cory farms near Blue Mound, Illinois, and works as Midwest Regional Sales Manager for Huma.We started this conversation pondering what farme...
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...
