Popular Pig Podcast Episodes

Novel Strategies to Select for Livability | Jenelle Dunkelberger, PhD

About the Guest

Jenelle Dunkelberger has worked as a geneticist at Topigs Norsvin for the past eight years. She holds a PhD from Iowa State University, where the focus of her research was on the role of host genetics in response to viral disease in pigs. She continues to study this topic, along with other health-related issues, as Head of the Topigs Norsvin Global Health and Behavior Research Platform. Jenelle resides in Minnesota with her husband and young boys.

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Modernizing Execution in Pig Production | P.J. Corns

About the Guest

PJ Corns is the Technical Director for JBS Live Pork, Greeley, CO. Responsible for nearly 260,000 sows, boar studs and gilt development units across the Midwest.

PJ has spent his entire career forging world class results with every step from managing large sow units in North Carolina, to working internationally with PIC and his own consultancy firm where his involvement in well over 2 million sows was driven by delivering results based upon proven protocols, system maximization, people development and biosecurity implementation and execution. PJ joined JBS in his current role in September, 2021.

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The Real Economics Behind Pig Livability | Dr. Clayton Johnson

About the Guest

Dr. Clayton Johnson is a globally recognized swine health expert with Carthage Veterinary Services in Carthage, Illinois. A 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, he began his career with The Maschhoffs, LLC—where he helped double sow production—and later joined Carthage in 2016 to lead company health initiatives.
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Taste, Data, and the Future of Pork | Kiersten Hafer

About the Guest

Kiersten Hafer is Vice President of Business Intelligence and Innovation for the National Pork Board and provides strategy, insights and guidance to the pork industry and supply chain on where to play and how to win with pork.

She has leveraged her 30 years of experience with Fortune 500 companies and high-growth organizations to uncover and unlock potential, facilitate change and measure expansion. As a lifelong connector and change agent, she has strategized business growth with retailers, marketing agencies, food brokers, food-service operators, market research firms, and consumer goods manufacturers.

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Crawling Before Running: Making AI Practical in the Swine Industry | Dr. Ben Blair

About the Guest

Ben Blair was raised in Sparta, Illinois, where he grew up helping on his family’s corn, soy, wheat, and farrow-to-finish farm. He always enjoyed the numbers behind how things worked, which led him to study engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. After finishing his engineering degree, he felt the pull back toward animal health and entered the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.

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Understanding Swine Respiratory Disease and Supporting Herd Health | Dr. Jeff Okones

About the Guest

After earning his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 1984, Dr. Jeff Okones spent nearly two decades in food animal practice in Eastern Iowa honing his expertise in swine health and production. His problem solving and communication skills led him from private practice to industry, first as a phone consultant for Pfizer Animal Health, and later as a Professional Service Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. where he supported the Swine Sales and Marketing team.

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Sow Lameness: The Silent Productivity Killer | Dr. Lucas Rodrigues

About the Guest

Originally from Brazil, Lucas received his DVM and Master’s degrees from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG, Brazil) and completed his doctoral degree at the Prairie Swine Centre and the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. Lucas joined Zinpro Corporation in 2022 as a discovery researcher for swine. His current role includes product development and support, directing and coordinating research studies and providing training for internal employees and external customers.

What can you expect to learn from this episode of Popular Pig?

• How sow lameness quietly reduces herd productivity and longevity, often before visible signs appear.
• The connection between claw lesions and lost piglets—how one sow can lose nearly a pig per litter due to hoof pain and imbalance.
• Why gilt care, flooring, and proper trace mineral nutrition matter more than ever for healthy feet and lasting herd performance.
• How early prevention and better diagnostics can protect your herd’s bottom line and animal welfare.
• Lucas’s “Golden Nugget”

Lead Yourself Before You Lead Others | Twyla Stevens

About the Guest

Twyla Stevens is an accomplished HR executive with broad experience leading people strategies across national and international teams. As Chief Human Resources Officer at Professional Swine Management, she oversees talent acquisition, organizational development, compensation and benefits, and compliance initiatives. With expertise in workforce planning, leadership development, and change management, Twyla aligns HR strategy with business goals to drive organizational success. She holds a degree in Business Administration from Middle Tennessee State University, is a certified HR professional, and serves on the HR Advisory Board and the Sandburg Agriculture Advisory.

What can you expect to learn from this episode of Popular Pig?

• Why real leadership starts with knowing yourself (your style, how you decide, and how you communicate).
• How a clear leadership path and training can turn nervous first-time leaders into confident managers.
• Simple ways to build trust and engagement every day (hands–heart–mind, first-day experience, being present).
• Practical habits you can put in place tomorrow, like quick standups and genuine check-ins with your team.
• How growing leaders from within cuts turnover, boosts promotions, and strengthens farm culture and performance.

In PA, Taste What Pork Can Do™ Brand Campaign Connects with Consumers | Courtney Gray

About the Guest

Courtney Gray has been the executive director of the Pennsylvania Pork Producers Council since 2022, where she represents Pennsylvania’s 2,500 pig farmers. Prior to that, she was on the producer education and engagement team at Pennsylvania Beef Council and was a loan officer at Farm Credit. She is a graduate of Penn State University with a degree in agricultural science. She and her husband, Brian, operate a commercial cattle operation in Central Pennsylvania alongside their two kids, Porter and Hattie.
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Fighting Lameness Part 2: From Claws to Care — How Nutrition Builds Stronger Sows | Ton Kramer

About the Guest

Ton Kramer holds both master’s and doctorate degrees in Animal Science focused on Swine Locomotion and Health from Federal University of Paraná in Brazil. He has MBAs in Business Management and Project Management from Fundação Getúlio Vargas and a postgraduate degree in Marketing from Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing. Ton has also held leadership roles in the Brazilian Association of Veterinary Specialists in Swine. Currently, he serves as the South American Business Manager at Zinpro.

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