Episodes

About the Guest Rob Hannam, CEO of Farm Health Guardian, is committed to helping farms and food companies improve animal health and protect against the devastating impact of animal disease through digital biosecurity. Launched in 2020 for the swine and poultry sectors, Farm Health Guardian technology is reducing the risk of disease spread and improving biosecurity compliance which saves time, reduces the cost of production and improves farm sustainability. Rob’s passion for agriculture was cult...

About the Guest Natalia Rimi Heisterkamp Natalia Rimi Heisterkamp is the general Manager for Crystal Spring Brasil and for the past 6 years also has the role of Director of Global Strategy for Crystal Spring Hog Equipment. In addition to nearly 30 years of experience in business development, project management, manufacturing, logistics, and customer service, Natalia also holds a degree in Business Management, a graduate degree in Foreign Commerce, and a master’s degree in Project and Business ...

About the Guest Daniel Linhares, DVM, MBA, PhD After 8 years of field experience in Brazil, he joined Iowa State University in 2015 and serves as Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Education. Daniel works with the Field Epi team (www.fieldepi.org), which includes 25 professionals centered on graduate education and professional services on development and evaluation of strategies to improve swine health & productivity. His group has over 300 publications/participations in meetings over...

About the Guest Dr. Erin Kettlekamp is an associate veterinarian with Swine Vet Center and is based in southern Minnesota. She is a 2021 DVM graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. In practice, Erin enjoys collaborating on field research, consulting on biosecurity, and assisting producers in all areas of production. Dr. Andy Holtcamp is a highly respected veterinarian, renowned for his contributions to animal health and biosecurity. He earned his Bachelor of Scie...

About the Guest Kiersten Hafer is a business strategy executive with a proven track record of navigating and aligning market trends, business goals and organizational priorities to deliver high impact, actionable solutions accelerating growth for brands and businesses.   Hafer leads the Strategy and Domestic Market Development teams at the National Pork Board where she advises the pork industry, major packer and processers and retail and foodservice operators how to win with pork and where to f...

About the Guest Boyd Rice, a seasoned professional with 33 years of experience in the swine industry, earned his Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Texas Tech University. During his university years, he not only served on the Livestock Judging Team but also gained practical experience working at the Swine Research Facilities, contributing significantly to his professional development. Today, he is a valued member of the Innovative Heating team, bringing his wealth of knowledge and experi...

About the Guest Dr. Joe Crenshaw is the Vice President of Technical Service for APC, where he provides technical service and advice for customers and conducts product development and applications research. His career spans thirty-five years in the swine industry, from teaching to research to private consulting in animal nutrition and for feed businesses across the globe. What can you expect to learn from this episode of Popular Pig? Enhancing Swine Health and Performance: Functional Proteins ...

About the Guest José de Jesús is senior director of multicultural marketing at the National Pork Board. He is responsible for building awareness of pork specifically to multicultural consumers – Hispanic, African American and Asian American audiences. He oversees multicultural marketing strategy development and implementation and oversees all insights-driven marketing, public relations, digital and social media efforts for multicultural markets in the U.S. – through the development of insights-...

About the Guests Sid Rooda spent his formative years on a family farm in South East Iowa and demonstrated an early aptitude for farming, renting his first farm at the tender age of 18. In 1962, he tied the knot with Dolores and began renting a farm near Prairie City Iowa, where he garnered a reputation for raising high-quality feeder pigs. Eight years later, the couple purchased their own farm in Northern Pella Iowa, where they lovingly raised their three children. The couple weathered the brut...

About the Guests Dr. Ramirez developed or co-developed the first accelerated hydrogen peroxide (AHP®) disinfectant formulations, including the first AHP® reuse medical sterilant, the first AHP® antimicrobial hand wash, and the first AHP® teat dip amongst many others. After leaving Virox®, Dr. Ramirez went on to a 12 year career at Diversey Corp., where he ended up leading the Global Research & Development Division with a $60 Million budget spread over 15 countries. He holds more than 20 issued ...

About the Guests Ross Bernstein is the bestselling author of 40 sports books including The Code and I Love Brett Favre/I Hate Brett Favre. He has appeared on more than 1,000 local and national television and radio programs. His work has been featured on CNN and ESPN and in USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. As a sought-after motivational speaker, he speaks to corporations and groups across the country about the inspirational legacy of the late Herb Brooks, Hall of Fame coach of the fabled 1...

About the Guests Mike Telford is a senior executive with more than 35 years of experience in organization management including associations, foundations and for-profit subsidiaries. His credited commitment to the pork industry is evident with Telford Consulting, LLC, where he provides administrative and marketing services for clients with highly technical issues. Clients include the Iowa Farm Animal Care, where he currently serves as executive director, National Pork Producers Council, American...

About the Guest Griess Farms, firmly rooted in Faith and nestled in the Heartland of America, Nebraska, stands as a testament to family values and unwavering commitment. Our operational philosophy revolves around farrow-to-wean swine reproduction, with a steadfast dedication to fostering robust and fast-growing wean pigs. Central to our success is our hands-on approach and continuous on-site training, cultivating a culture of effective leadership. At the helm of this enterprise, Marty and Les G...

About the Guest Dr. Dustin “Dusty” Oedekoven has been the chief veterinarian for National Pork Board since February 2022. In this role, he leads a team of veterinarians and swine production experts in Pork Checkoff-funded work. Notably, the team collaborates with state and federal health officials, the National Pork Producers Council, Swine Health Information Center, universities and other national organizations to identify and execute strategic action and research to prepare and protect the U....

About the Guest Upon graduating with an Animal Science degree in 2014, Janae started working for a family swine farm in Minnesota. In July of 2015, Janae had the opportunity to return to the family farm with the completion of a new 4400 sow farm. Now serving as the HR manager for the entire business, she focuses on all aspects of HR and supporting the swine team for a few days as well. Janae is a mom and wife and is often seen on the farm with her family in tow. What can you expect to learn fr...

About the Guest Seth Mitchell is the manager of state pork industry relations in a multi-experiential pork industry immersion program organized by the National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council and several state pork associations. In his current role at the National Pork Board, Mitchell supports the Producer and State Engagement team by presenting at various meetings and attending producer-facing events. At these events, he focuses on engaging niche, independent and show pig producers...

About the Guest Chris Grant is the President of Innovative Heating Technologies (IHT) out of Winnipeg, MB Canada. After a 15 year career managing plastic manufacturing that moved him around the country, he was looking for a change in life and career. In 2013 he took the leap and partnered with Matt Robins by purchasing IHT. By combining their plastics and electrical backgrounds, they were able to create the most energy efficient and reliable heat pad for farrowing. Their technology has helped c...

About the Guest Dustin Coleman, a stalwart in the Swine Industry since 2012, now proudly owns Coleman Quality Pork. His journey began humbly as a farmhand at Fisher Hog Farms, where his relentless work ethic and resilience paved the way to his ownership in 2021. Nestled in Middletown, Missouri, Dustin and his dedicated team manage a breed-to-wean facility housing approximately 2,500 sows, focusing on raising healthy pigs that will nourish people worldwide. Beyond the farm, Dustin cherishes his...

About the Guest Tom Pastor, a native of western Pennsylvania, now resides on a picturesque 10.5 acre homestead in the heart of south-central Pennsylvania. This expansive property, shared with his wife Dorothy of 35 years, hosts a vibrant livestock population that includes 30 meat goats and Dorothy’s prized Cubalaya and Bielfelder chickens. Tom’s journey in the world of animal production began with a B.S. degree from Penn State University in 1986, and was later augmented by a business certificat...

About the Guest Nat Stas is a Technical Services Manager for PIC, joining the company in May of 2017. Nat has been in the commercial swine industry for 10 years, gathering experience within production, research and academia. After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from Pennsylvania State University, Nat spent some time in production. Nat then went onto complete a Masters Degree in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinois with Dr. Mike Ellis, focusing on swine gen...

About the Guest Growing up amidst the humble cornfields of western Iowa, Todd Heisterkamp was part of a multi-generational farming legacy. His youthful eyes bore witness to the hardships his family faced during the fuel crisis of the late 1970s and the farming crisis of the early 1980s. These events deeply impacted young Todd, steering him towards an education and eventual career beyond the confines of agriculture. After a prosperous two-decade-long tenure in business development and manufactur...

About the Guest Dr. Hyatt Frobose serves as the USA Commercial Director and Nutritionist for JYGATechnologies, Inc., a Quebec-based company producing GESTAL brand precision feedingsystems for the swine industry. Hyatt specializes in assisting swine producers with group-housing solutions and nutritional programs to optimize performance and welfare of sows andgrowing pigs in commercial environments. Since completing his Ph.D. in swine nutrition andmanagement at Kansas State University in 2015, Dr...

About the Guest Matt Pickard is a North Carolina local and is a true southern creative. Not only an artist with food, he is musically and artistically talented as well. Matt has been working in kitchens in Tennessee and North Carolina for 20 years, and the camaraderie and culture ignited his passion for food at 16 years old. He became an executive chef at only 20 years old, and thrived in Nashville, TN while turning his energy as an artist and musician to food as a creative release. With his lo...

About the Guest Dr. Matt Ackerman grew up on a small grain and livestock farm around Peoria, IL. He attended the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and graduated with a BS in Agricultural Sciences in 1992 and a DVM in 1995. Since graduating, he has worked in private swine consulting practice. In July 2016, he opened his own practice named Pork Veterinary Solutions. Pork Veterinary Solutions is currently a two-veterinarian practice that oversees the annual production of approximately 1.5...