Episodes

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. He presents nationally and internationally on topics regarding the U.S swine industry and is a regular contributing writer...

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. With deep roots in the commercial swine industry and a background in human health and animal agriculture, Matthew is passionate about integ...

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 Resea...

About the Guest Glenn Argenbright has 30 years’ experience operating and running a variety of private, pre-IPO, and public technology companies. He has founded over a dozen startup ventures, resulting in three public offerings, nine exits, and billions in shareholder returns. His background includes expertise and projects in software, firmware, middleware, hardware, enterprise, SaaS, consumer goods, and Web and mobile applications. In 2017, Glenn launched Quake Capital, an early-stage venture ...

About the Guest A native son of South Dakota. Chad Greenway was born and raised on a hog, cattle, and crop farm in Mt. Vernon, SD. He learned the value of hard work, resiliency, and perseverance working daily on the family farm. Growing up in a small rural community Greenway was thrust into leadership positions at an early age on the farm and in the community. Greenway attended the University of Iowa on a football scholarship. While at Iowa, Greenway was named 3-time All Big Ten and was a 2- t...

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 extensiv...

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 v...

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. She transitioned into a swine nutritional health consultant...

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. Nick brings his suggestions for maintenance and seasonal prep from 17 years of confinement operation in the roller coaster of weather that Iowa brings each ...

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. Since completing his Ph.D. in swine nutrition and management at Kansas State University in 201...

About the Guests Mark D. Rix Mark graduated from Iowa State University in 1973 and went to work for Wilson Foods in Oklahoma City for 6 years. Mark joined Purina Mills in 1979 as a salesman in Nebraska and became a Swine Consultant in 1984. He then moved to North Carolina for Purina Mills as Swine Business Manager in 1988. Mark moved to Fremont, Nebraska in 1994 and helped build Swine Management Services into a full line management company that built 40 sow farms and managed 80,000 sows. Ron...

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. Fleming and his team focus on developing a consumer-facing campaign ...

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. Wes has extensive experience in production agriculture within the pork industry, having worked and led people at various companies in Oklahoma, Indiana, and Iowa. In 2013, Wes and his partners started a business to sell, servic...

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. Throughout his career at Neogen, Greg has played a pivota...

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...

About the Guest Martijn Schippers, a driven entrepreneur from the Netherlands, began his journey in business at the age of 15, co-founding a successful employment agency with his siblings. Over the course of a decade, Martijn helped grow the company from the ground up, eventually selling it after reaching $8 million in revenue and employing 20 staff members. In 2022, Martijn joined The Schippers Group, a family business started by his grandfather in 1966, which has evolved into a global leader...

About the Guest Dave Parks is an engineer at SwineTech with a diverse background in agriculture and technology. Raised in South Central Kansas, Dave grew up with hands-on experience at his grandparents’ small sow finishing farm. He graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in secondary education, emphasizing computers. Dave spent years in the public school system, where he taught computer technology and developed mobile apps and cloud computing solutions to enhance educational proces...

About the Guests Bill Even is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Pork Board. With extensive experience in agriculture and leadership, he directs programs to build trust and add value for the nation’s 60,000 pork producers. His responsibilities include strategic marketing, research, and supporting producer initiatives. Dr. David Newman is the Senior Vice President of Market Growth at the National Pork Board. A third-generation pork producer and meat scientist, Dr. Newman leads efforts ...

About the Guest Brent Hershey is the owner and President of Hershey Ag, a company he formed in 1980. Growing up on the family farm, Brent raised steers, grew tobacco and corn, and worked alongside his father and uncle in an egg layer house. Over the years, he has expanded Hershey Ag to include swine production, a dairy feed division, and a dairy ventilation business. Brent’s commitment to valuing and growing people from within has been a cornerstone of his management strategy, particularly acr...

About the Guests Drew Ott, a former Iowa Hawkeye football player, balances life on his Nebraska family farm with his wife, Kali, who he met at the University of Iowa where she played basketball. Married since 2017, Drew and Kali integrate modern agricultural techniques and traditional farming practices, navigating the challenges of family farming while fostering a deep connection to their rural roots and each other. What can you expect to learn from this episode of Popular Pig? Family dynamic...

About the Guest Barb grew up on a diversified farm in west central Illinois where she was active in 4-H and then attended the University of Illinois where she majored in Ag Communications. Her career includes farming, livestock publication experience, animal health sales, and small business ownership. After college Barb worked in Omaha and Kansas City before moving to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to begin her animal health sales career. While working with dairy farmers and pork producers throughout Iowa...

About the Guest Erin Brenneman is a passionate advocate for agriculture and a dedicated farmer. Raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Erin’s journey to the farming world began with her love for animals, sparked by horseback riding lessons during her high school years. She pursued her passion at Iowa State University, where she earned a degree in Animal Science and met her husband, Tim Brenneman Erin’s introduction to farming came through weekends spent at Tim’s family farm in Iowa, where she fell ...

What can you expect to learn from this episode of Popular Pig? New World Pork Expo Format: How the two-day format affected attendance and engagement. Adoption of Innovations: The challenges of introducing new technologies in the swine industry. Labor and Automation: How labor shortages are pushing farms to adopt automation. Consumer Education: The need to educate the public about modern farming practices. Future Industry Trends: Predictions on the role of artificial intelligence and automat...

About the Guest Neogen is committed to fueling a brighter future for global food security through the advancement of human and animal well-being. Harnessing the power of science and technology, Neogen Corporation has developed comprehensive solutions spanning the Food Safety, Livestock and Pet Health & Wellness markets. A world leader in these fields, Neogen has a presence in over 140 countries with a dedicated network of scientists and technical experts focused on delivering optimized products...