Popular Pig Podcast Episodes

Building Trust Through Authentic Branding in Agriculture | Dave Morton

About the Guest

Dave received his BA from The University of Northern Iowa in 1982. In 1984, Dave, with business partner Jeff Westrom, formed JWMorton, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based advertising agency. They produce marketing communications programs ranging from branding to digital to broadcast and for clients representing over 30 industries from high tech to healthcare. JWMorton’s work is seen in local, national and international markets. They are the only Iowa-based independent agency to create and produce a spot airing on the national Super Bowl broadcast. JWMorton’s agriculture roster has included brands such as Diamond V Mills, Vi-Cor, Art’s-Way, Chore-Time, PigTek and Brock Grain Systems. (more…)

Strategic Water Management and AgTech Innovation | Patrick Henry

About the Guest

As the CEO of GroGuru, I drive the overall strategy and operational execution for an exciting AgTech company that is changing the way that we grow crops by using an innovative IoT system for precision irrigation, soil monitoring and management. Former contributor at FastCompany, Tech.Co, Entrepreneur, The Huffington Post, and other publications. Previously featured on CNBC, Bloomberg Television, and in Forbes. (more…)

Empowering Farms with Technology and Compliance | Melissa Bradford & Azael Romero

About the Guest(s)

Melissa Bradford – Operations Coordinator 

Melissa Bradford graduated from Purdue University earning a bachelor’s degree in animal Agribusiness.  For the past 15 years Melissa has worked for Martin Family Farms in Williamsport Indiana and is currently the Operations Coordinator. Prior to working at Maritn Family Farms, Melissa also worked for United Animal Health and M2P2 (Ames, IA). Melissa has served on Indiana Pork’s Youth Committee for the past 7 years.

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Risk Management in Pork Production | Chris Ford & Val Weis

About the Guests

Chris Ford

VP Corporate Swine Lender, Farm Credit Services of America, Frontier Farm Credit, and Ag Country Farm Credit.

Chris works with swine operations across the Farm Credit Services of America, Frontier Farm Credit, and Ag Country Associations’ state territory and throughout the Midwest ranging in a variety of sizes. Chris is a part of the specialized Swine Team which has lending relationships with 28 of the 40 largest swine producers in the nation. Prior to becoming a Vice President of Corporate Swine Lending, Chris was a Credit Underwriter that specialized in swine operations.
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Gene Editing and Sustainability in Pork Production | Banks Baker

About the Guest

Banks Baker is Global Director of Product Sustainability for PIC, a global animal genetics and biotechnology company.  He supports genetic improvement and gene editing as a way to continually improve animal agriculture and provide holistic benefits across the value chain, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved animal welfare and more efficient protein production.

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Navigating Economic Volatility in Agriculture | Matt Erickson

About the Guest

Matt Erickson is currently the Agriculture Economic and Policy Advisor for AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Farm Credit Services of America and Frontier Farm Credit where he provides perspective, insights, and commentary that help connect conditions in the agricultural economy to individual producer impact and resulting impacts to the organization.

Before his role at Farm Credit, Matt accumulated approximately fifteen years of policy and agricultural economic experience in Washington, D.C. Most recently, he served as Chief Economist at the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry under the leadership of former Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS).

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Advancing Swine Genetics Through Digital Phenotyping | Dr. Eric Psota

About the Guest

Eric Psota is the Digital Innovation Manager at PIC North America. Since joining in 2021, he has been responsible for developing advanced technologies for digital phenotyping using computer vision and machine learning. Specifically, he specializes in multi-object tracking, pose estimation, animal identification, anomaly detection, real-time systems, and edge computing. Prior to joining PIC, he was a researcher at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he remains on the faculty as an adjunct professor.

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Navigating Change in Swine Farming and Finance | Steve Malakowsky

About the Guest

Steve Malakowsky is the Director of Swine Lending at Compeer Financial. He started as an analyst in 1997 working with swine clients and today leads the Swine Sales team for Compeer. Steve is rooted in the industry, serving as the Allied Industry representative as both a delegate and member of the nominating committee for the National Pork Producers Council.
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The Journey to Reduce Piglet Crushing with SmartGuard® | Matthew Rooda & Abe Espinoza

About the Guests

Matthew Rooda is the Founder and CEO of SwineTech, Inc., where he leads the development of innovative solutions for the pork industry. Through SwineTech’s flagship product, PigFlow®, pork producers are empowered to enhance operational efficiency, optimize resource management, and improve pig care through automation and workforce innovation. (more…)

Next-Generation Biosecurity for Swine Health | Dr. Scott Dee

About the Guest

Scott Dee earned a DVM, MS, and PhD from the University of Minnesota, is board-certified in veterinary microbiology, past President of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, past Chair of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Biologic and Therapeutic Agents and currently serves on the AVMA House of Delegates. After 12 years in swine practice and another 12 years in academia, Scott joined Pipestone Veterinary Services as Director of Applied Research, where he served as Director of Discovery and Innovation for Pipestone for 12.5 years.
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