Patio Pondering

Jim Smith, Ph.D.
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Society & Culture
  • Daily

Clear Thinking for Complex Agriculture. Hosted by Jim Smith, Ph.D., the Patio Pondering Podcast features thoughtful conversations with the people shaping agriculture. Together, we explore the experiences, ideas, and values that influence our industry and the lives behind it. From researchers and farmers to entrepreneurs, educators, and industry leaders, each episode goes beyond the headlines to uncover the stories, decisions, and perspectives shaping agriculture today.

  1. 2 days ago ·  Video

    That Wasn't the Plan!

    Send us Fan Mail A veterinarian in rural Oklahoma probably doesn't imagine that studying liver flukes, endangered woodpeckers, and anthrax will eventually lead him into the world of national security. But that's exactly where Dr. Kimothy Smith's career took him. In this episode of Patio Pondering, Jim sits down with Kimothy to explore a career shaped less by a grand plan than by curiosity, unexpected opportunities, and a willingness to say yes. Their conversation travels from veterinary medicine and anthrax research to Homeland Security, biological threats to agriculture, and what African swine fever and COVID-19 revealed about disease preparedness, public trust, and the importance of sharing information. Along the way, they explore the challenges of communicating science, balancing individual rights with public health, recognizing talents that don't necessarily fit someone's job title, and leading people who may know more than you do. What emerges isn't simply a discussion about biosecurity or national security. It's a conversation about curiosity, humility, leadership, and the unexpected directions life can take when we're willing to explore possibilities we never anticipated. Patio Pondering — Clear Thinking for Complex Agriculture. Be Safe Out There.

    That Wasn't the Plan!

  2. 20 Oct ·  Video

    It's Not That Simple!

    Send us Fan Mail Did the pork industry become so good at raising pigs that it forgot about selling pork? Dr. Glynn Tonsor, agricultural economist at Kansas State University, joins Jim on the Patio to explore that question and a much bigger one: What do we really understand about the people buying our meat? Both grew up raising pigs, and both earned Ph.D.s from Kansas State. But their professional experiences have given them different perspectives on an industry that has changed enormously. The conversation moves from the 1998 hog market collapse to beef's remarkable demand growth, the unexpected relationship between beef and pork prices, and what Glynn has learned through K-State's Meat Demand Monitor. They also explore why consumers don't always buy the cheaper alternative, what GLP-1 medications could mean for meat demand, and why economic models don't always capture the complexities of agricultural production. Along the way, Glynn challenges some of Jim's assumptions about pork quality and consumer demand. It's a conversation about livestock, economics, and understanding the people we're producing food for. Patio Pondering — Clear Thinking for Complex Agriculture. Be Safe Out There.

    It's Not That Simple!

  3. 13 Oct ·  Video

    From Livestock to Leadership — Colby Stackhouse | Patio Pondering Archive Gem

    Send us Fan Mail The Leo High School marching band has plenty to celebrate this fall! With 110 students on the field—the largest group in its history—the band has qualified for Semi-State. The opening of the new Leo Fieldhouse has also given the band its own practice field and tower. It's a fitting time to revisit my conversation with band director Colby Stackhouse. Long before Colby became a band director, he was involved in agriculture and 4-H. Those experiences helped shape the leader and teacher he is today. In our conversation, we explore how lessons learned raising livestock, participating in 4-H, and growing up around agriculture can influence the way we approach leadership, education, and working with others. Sometimes the greatest impact of agriculture happens far beyond the farm. Join me for this week's Patio Pondering Archive Gem, From Livestock to Leadership. Be Safe Out There.

    From Livestock to Leadership — Colby Stackhouse | Patio Pondering Archive Gem

  4. 6 Oct ·  Video

    Against the Grain — B******t, Big Ag, and the Power of Speaking Up | Patio Pondering Gem

    Send us Fan Mail PATIO PONDERING GEM Some conversations are worth another listen. For this Patio Pondering Gem, we’re going back to Episode 50 and my conversation with Oklahoma farmer and rancher Jerod McDaniel: Against the Grain — B******t, Big Ag, and the Power of Speaking Up. Jerod has never been particularly interested in doing something simply because that’s the way everyone else does it. After taking responsibility for his family’s operation at 18, experience taught him to question assumptions, trace information back to its source, make his own mistakes, and be willing to change course when the evidence says he was wrong. That philosophy takes this conversation well beyond farming. We talk about raising cattle and crops in the Oklahoma Panhandle, low-population corn, agricultural economics, raising independent kids, learning from previous generations, the danger of following the herd, and why agriculture sometimes hurts itself by refusing to be completely honest about how food is produced. Jerod’s lesson from agriculture is simple: Question everything—and do your own due diligence. And when I ask what small change could make a huge difference for agriculture’s future, his answer may summarize the entire conversation: Rip back the curtain. This was one of the most-listened-to conversations in Patio Pondering history. The original episode was released as audio only, but the video remained in the archive. For the first time, here is the original video conversation. Jerod McDaniel — Against the Grain. Clear Thinking for Complex Agriculture. Be Safe Out There.

    Against the Grain — B******t, Big Ag, and the Power of Speaking Up | Patio Pondering Gem

  5. 29 Sept ·  Video

    Where Do I Fit? | John Canary

    Send us Fan Mail John Canary farms with his family in Johnson County, Indiana, where the edge of Indianapolis keeps moving closer. Houses, warehouses, and other development compete for the land around him. What does a farmer build when he cannot count on the acres being there? John has found openings in sweet corn, pumpkins, straw, hay, livestock, and direct sales. He is also repairing old barns and weighing what to preserve against the changes the farm needs to survive. His family’s history matters to him, but he is candid about the burden that history can place on the next generation. We talk about the roadside stand, competition for niche markets, and how he tells the farm’s story online without turning it into a performance. The conversation moves into the work his children do, the difficulty of stepping away from the farm, and the financial pressure behind many conversations about farmers’ mental health. This is John’s first podcast interview. He does not arrive with a polished answer to where he fits in agriculture. He thinks it through with me: how to keep a family farm useful, honest, and possible as the world around it changes. Be Safe Out There.

    Where Do I Fit? | John Canary

  6. 24 Sept ·  Bonus Video

    We Got Exactly What We Asked For!

    Send us Fan Mail An article about beef’s long push for eating quality got me fired up about pork. I started with a sharp critique of the industry—then realized I was handing the work of change to everyone else. In this bonus episode from The Patio, I look at what The Other White Meat accomplished, the lean pig we deliberately created, and the choices that could make pork worth seeking out for its own eating quality. I was part of that pursuit of leanness. Now I think we need to invest in marbling, color, and a better experience on the plate. Change takes decades. We’d better get started. Be Safe Out There.

    We Got Exactly What We Asked For!

  7. 22 Sept ·  Video

    The Customer Is Not Always Right!

    Send us Fan Mail Karl Shlagel joined me from the cab of a tractor while spraying pumpkins on his family’s fourth-generation farm near Waldorf, Maryland. The connection occasionally fought us, the tractor kept moving, and the conversation zigged and zagged—which made it feel right at home on the Patio. Karl’s family grows fruits and vegetables that they sell wholesale, at farmers markets, through an on-farm store, and directly to consumers. While much of agriculture talks about what consumers want, Karl meets them face-to-face, and he has learned that we cannot assume we know what they value, what they can afford, or what they are willing to buy. We talk about growing the farm business so another generation can return, why profitable farms are the best form of farmland preservation, and the institutional knowledge that can disappear when succession planning comes too late. Karl also explains why Southern Maryland’s attachment to tobacco may have prevented agriculture from adapting sooner. The conversation moves into food safety, wildlife pressure, direct marketing, Farm Bureau leadership, and the difficult balance between respecting those who built an organization and creating room for new people and new ideas. Karl is candid, opinionated, and willing to challenge one of the most dangerous phrases in any business: “This is what we’ve always done.” This is a raw conversation recorded in the middle of a working day; exactly the kind of conversation the Patio was built for. Be Safe Out There.

    The Customer Is Not Always Right!

  8. 15 Sept ·  Video

    Did It Make Money?

    Send us Fan Mail Farmers have never had more information available to them. But more data does not automatically lead to better decisions. Dale Durchholz has spent nearly five decades studying agricultural markets, analyzing data, and helping farmers make decisions when certainty is impossible. Dale joins Jim on the Patio to discuss what makes data trustworthy, why farmers sometimes accept bullish numbers while rejecting bearish ones, and what a career in the markets has taught him about being right, being wrong, and managing emotion. Their conversation moves beyond USDA reports and price projections into farmer responsibility, marketing decisions, diversification, and the importance of building mental security into both a farm business and a life. Because the question is not simply whether a decision proved perfect. Sometimes the better question is: Did it make money? Until next time, be safe out there.

    Did It Make Money?
See All (111)

About

Clear Thinking for Complex Agriculture. Hosted by Jim Smith, Ph.D., the Patio Pondering Podcast features thoughtful conversations with the people shaping agriculture. Together, we explore the experiences, ideas, and values that influence our industry and the lives behind it. From researchers and farmers to entrepreneurs, educators, and industry leaders, each episode goes beyond the headlines to uncover the stories, decisions, and perspectives shaping agriculture today.

Information

  • Creator
    Jim Smith, Ph.D.
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    111
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Patio Pondering
  • Show Website
    Patio Pondering

You Might Also Like