Popular Pig Podcast Episodes

Navigating Ag-Tech Innovation and Investment | Joel Harris

About the Guest

Leadership & Advocacy

Joel Harris is an active member in Iowa’s biotechnology industry through both of his roles; CEO of Genvax Technologies and Executive Director of the Ag Startup Engine. As co-founder and CEO of Genvax Technologies, Joel is leading his team to develop mRNA + nanoparticle vaccines for livestock. The Genvax team is targeting multiple diseases, most notably swine influenza and the foreign animal disease African Swine Fever. This work requires unique and extensive collaborations that Joel has initiated with state and national leaders in the human and animal biotechnology space, government groups such as the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics and IEDA and supporting stakeholders like United Animal Health, Iowa Corn Growers Association and Johnsonville Ventures. During 2023 Joel will be networking with government leaders to advocate for support for emerging technologies and bringing those technologies to Iowa. (more…)

Leveraging Data for Smarter Farm Equipment Decisions | Kyle McMahon

About the Guest

After experiencing first-hand the frustration of finding and valuing farm equipment for his corn and soybean farm in Iowa, Kyle McMahon founded Tractor Zoom to better connect good data and investment decisions for dealerships, Farm Credit Associations, Farm Service Agencies, banks, auctioneers, and farmers. In addition to his work at Tractor Zoom, Kyle remains involved in row crop production and swine operations, and has a background in private equity and other entrepreneurial ventures. (more…)

Innovating Swine Health with Elanco’s Non-Antibiotic Solutions | Jenna Seltzer & Angela Vaske

About the Guests

Jenna Seltzer Bio:

Jenna was raised on a diversified grain and pig farm outside of Lebanon, Indiana. Growing up, she was heavily involved in 4H and FFA. Jenna attended Kansas State University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in animal science in December of 2019 and master’s degree in applied swine nutrition in the summer of 2021. Jenna then started with Elanco as a swine account manager in Kansas and Nebraska.

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Essential Winter Prep for Your Barn | Nicholas Lehman

About the Guest

Nick Lehman is a 4th generation livestock, and grain farmer in western Boone County Iowa.  He and his dad have been raising pigs together for over 30 years and now operate a 4880 head finisher site.  Aside from the daily farming operation they serve as a test site for some of the latest equipment AP is bringing to the market.

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Navigating Swine Infrastructure and Technology | Dr. Hyatt Frobose

About the Guest

Dr. Hyatt Frobose serves as the USA Commercial Director and Nutritionist for JYGA Technologies, Inc., a Quebec-based company producing GESTAL brand precision feeding systems for the swine industry. Hyatt specializes in assisting swine producers with group-housing solutions and nutritional programs to optimize performance and welfare of sows and growing pigs in commercial environments.

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The Evolution of Swine Management Services | Mark Rix, Ron Ketchem, and Nicole Boettger

About the Guests

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Unlocking Pork’s Flavor Potential | Patrick Fleming

About the Guest

Patrick Fleming is the vice president of demand development for National Pork Board. Fleming leads the marketing and domestic demand team on a revolutionary, data-driven approach to make pork more relevant to more Americans. His return to NPB coincides with the culmination of an 18-month effort funded by the Pork Checkoff to develop and deploy new consumer market research and insights across the pork industry.

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Champions of Care in Pork Production | Wes Lack

About the Guest

Wesley Lack – Pork Regional Business Director for Zoetis.

Wes started with Zoetis in November of 2022 as Area Business Manager on the beef team in Iowa.  In June he was promoted to his new role as Pork Regional Business Director leading the US pork team.
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Advancing Needle Safety for a Stronger Pork Industry | Greg Hastings

About the Guest

Greg Hastings serves as the Senior Director of Commercial Excellence & Business Development at Neogen. In this role, he oversees Neogen’s Animal Safety R&D and Data Analytics teams. Greg is a passionate advocate for animal agriculture and actively engages in evaluating and contributing to the development of new technologies and services that offer benefits to owners and employees of animal production practices worldwide.
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Leveraging AI for R&D Tax Credits in Agriculture | Hillary Dubé and Dominic Vitucci

About the Guests

Dominic Vitucci Bio

Dominic was always poised to disrupt the tax industry. To get the required hours for the CPA, he decided to study both accounting and computer science. With two degrees in hand, Dominic started his career as integral part of the Grant Thornton Tax Innovation team.

Throughout his tenure, he had the unique opportunity to interact with firm experts, each sharing their ambitious visions for cutting-edge technologies. In August 2020, inspired by these encounters, he made the bold decision to leave Grant Thornton and devote himself full-time to building a truly innovative R&D credit technology.

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