Patio Ponderings

Jim Smith, Ph.D.

Exploring the Expected and the Obscure in Agriculture From a lifetime in agriculture to deep dives into leadership, rural life, and the evolving food system, Patio Pondering is a podcast where thoughtful conversations meet the open air. Hosted by Jim Smith, Ph.D., a seasoned Swine Nutritionist, agricultural thinker, and storyteller, this podcast explores the connections between our agricultural roots and the broader world. What started as daily reflections—scribbled with a morning coffee in hand—has grown into a podcast that uncovers the insights, challenges, and sometimes-forgotten history of the industry that feeds us all. Whether solo pondering or engaging in candid discussions with guests, this show digs into everything from livestock production to food trends, rural business shifts, and the personal stories that shape agricultural life. Now available in both audio and video formats, Patio Pondering brings these discussions to life on YouTube and podcast platforms alike. Whether you prefer to listen on the go or watch the conversation unfold, you’ll find fresh perspectives, candid storytelling, and the kind of conversations that make you think twice. Subscribe and join the conversation—because agriculture is more than just dirt and livestock. It’s a story worth telling.

  1. Seeing Risk from All Sides of the Desk - Anya Pinkerton

    2D AGO

    Seeing Risk from All Sides of the Desk - Anya Pinkerton

    Send us Fan Mail Agriculture runs on risk. Weather. Markets. Policy. Input costs. And increasingly — the mental weight of managing all of it. In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim sits down with Anya Pinkerton — a Purdue Animal Sciences graduate whose career has taken her through the USDA Farm Service Agency, agricultural lending, and now into leading a growing crop insurance business. That perspective matters. Because Anya has seen agriculture from multiple sides of the desk — and understands that risk isn’t just something you manage on paper… it’s something you carry. This conversation explores:  How crop insurance has evolved from simple hail coverage to complex, revenue-based protection  Why today’s farmers are using insurance as a strategic tool — not just catastrophic backup  The growing importance of trust between farmers and their advisors  How communication — not just data — determines whether risk is understood or ignored  The mental and emotional weight of farming in an era of bigger numbers and tighter margins  Why no two farms should approach risk the same way Along the way, Jim and Anya touch on leadership, mentorship, Purdue basketball, and the reality that sometimes the most important conversations in agriculture aren’t about production — they’re about perspective. At its core, this episode is about one simple idea: Risk doesn’t disappear. It gets shared, structured, and understood — or it gets ignored. Five Signature Questions Included As always, the episode closes with the Patio Pondering Five — covering lessons from agriculture, underappreciated truths, and small changes that could shape the future of the industry.

    49 min
  2. Stay Positive and Look Forward — Lessons from the Farm with Terry Sible

    MAR 31

    Stay Positive and Look Forward — Lessons from the Farm with Terry Sible

    Send us Fan Mail Terry Sible grew up on a farm outside Churubusco, Indiana, learning the same lessons many farm kids do: responsibility, patience, and the value of community. At eighteen, Terry’s life took an unexpected turn. Just five years earlier he had lost his father in a farm accident in the same barn where Terry kept his 4-H livestock. But instead of letting those moments define him, he built a life centered on helping others. Today Terry works with schools and families helping children with disabilities find success in the classroom. Terry may get around in a wheelchair, but it has never defined who he is. Instead, the patience, resilience, and sense of community he learned growing up on a farm in northwest Allen County continue to shape how he approaches life and the people he works with. In this conversation we talk about growing up in 4-H and FFA, the farm community that rallied around him after his accident, raising kids, and the role patience and positivity still play in his life today. Terry also answers the Patio Pondering Five Questions, sharing what agriculture taught him about resilience, community, and why farmers are always trying to do the right thing.

    42 min
  3. Leadership, Service, and the Power of a Pause — with Jill Zimmerman

    MAR 24

    Leadership, Service, and the Power of a Pause — with Jill Zimmerman

    Send us Fan Mail Leadership in agriculture is often talked about as if it simply appears — the loudest voice in the room or the person willing to take charge. But real leadership is something different. It can be cultivated, sharpened, and intentionally developed. In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, I sit down with Jill Zimmerman, President of the Kansas Agricultural and Rural Leadership (KARL) Program, to talk about how leadership actually develops in agriculture and rural communities. Jill shares how programs like KARL help cultivate leaders across agriculture, rural communities, healthcare, education, and policy — and why leadership today requires collaboration, service, and a willingness to step forward. Along the way we explore: • How leadership in agriculture is evolving  • Why raising your hand still matters in rural communities  • The power of networks and relationships in agriculture  • The importance of allowing “a pause in the noise” to sharpen our thinking • How mentorship and encouragement shape future leaders Plus Jill answers the Patio Pondering Five Questions, sharing lessons about passion for agriculture, leadership development, and the future of agricultural innovation.

    1 hr
  4. Beef, Raw Milk, Rifles, and RFK Jr. — A Conversation with Brian McFarlane

    MAR 17

    Beef, Raw Milk, Rifles, and RFK Jr. — A Conversation with Brian McFarlane

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim sits down with Brian McFarland, a longtime leader in the beef packing industry and a cattle producer with experience across multiple parts of the beef supply chain. Jim and Brian first met years ago in graduate school at Kansas State, but their conversation quickly moves beyond old memories into the realities facing the beef industry today. They discuss the shrinking U.S. cow herd, rising beef demand, and the economic challenges of rebuilding cattle numbers. Brian shares insights from his years inside packing plants at companies like Tyson, IBP, and JBS, explaining the major advances in food safety that have occurred over the past three decades. Along the way the conversation wanders—as good agricultural conversations often do—into topics like cooking meat correctly, the rise of meat thermometers, raw milk debates, veterinary shortages, and even long-range rifles and bow hunting. It’s a wide-ranging discussion that highlights how complex modern agriculture really is—and how much work happens behind the scenes to safely put food on the plate. Topics include: • Why the U.S. cow herd may take years to rebuild  • The economics of cattle vs. crop farming  • Beef-on-dairy genetics and how it changed the industry  • The hidden food-safety systems inside modern packing plants  • Why cooking meat properly matters more than people think  • Challenges facing veterinary medicine in agriculture  • Technology shaping agriculture’s future Plus Brian answers the Patio Pondering Five Questions, sharing lessons about work ethic, innovation, and the future of agriculture. Brian can be found on LinkedIn at: linkedin.com/in/thebrianmcfarlane His cold weather gear company can be found at: https://shivershield.com/

    59 min
  5. Patio Pondering at 18 Months — The Three-Legged Stool

    MAR 13

    Patio Pondering at 18 Months — The Three-Legged Stool

    Send us Fan Mail Over the past week something happened that made me stop and think about Patio Pondering. At the Niman Ranch Annual Meeting, a young woman at a lunch table suddenly looked across the table and said, “Oh… you’re Patio Pondering.” The moment was unexpected, but it was not the only one. Throughout the week at the Midwest Animal Science Meetings and a Purdue alumni event, several people quietly shared that they had been reading or listening. None of them had ever commented online. But they were reading. They were listening. That realization led to another reflection. This week Patio Pondering quietly passed its 18-month mark. In that time there have been more than 300 written reflections and 78 podcast episodes, reaching listeners and readers on every continent except Antarctica. Somewhere along the way, without really planning it, Patio Pondering has developed a structure. Like the old three-legged milk stools that sat in barns across the Midwest, it now stands on three legs: • Writing • Conversations • Consulting Together those three legs support a place to pause for a moment and think about agriculture. This episode reflects on how Patio Pondering started, what it has become, and the simple goal behind it all: Clear thinking for complex agriculture. And apparently… the penguins are next.

    9 min
  6. Teaching Agriculture And Teaching Life - Dr. Travis Park

    MAR 10

    Teaching Agriculture And Teaching Life - Dr. Travis Park

    Send us Fan Mail What does it take to turn a farm kid into a professor preparing the next generation of agricultural teachers? In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim sits down with longtime friend and FarmHouse brother Dr. Travis Park of North Carolina State University. Travis shares the path that took him from Trafalgar, Indiana and the Indian Creek FFA chapter to a national career in agricultural education. Along the way the conversation explores: what new ag teachers really face when they enter the classroomwhy electives like FFA and band matter more than we often admithow agriculture survived the brain drain of the 1980s farm crisisthe importance of resilience in both farming and educationand how agriculture must balance tradition with global realitiesTravis also reflects on raising three daughters, keeping honeybees in a suburban neighborhood, and why agriculture still requires a deep amount of faith. As always, the episode closes with Jim’s five signature questions — covering everything from Booker T. Washington to the humble milking machine. It’s a thoughtful conversation about leadership, education, and the people who shape agriculture’s future.

    58 min
  7. Hard Working. Determined. Strategic. — A Conversation with Jamee Krug Blahauvietz

    MAR 5

    Hard Working. Determined. Strategic. — A Conversation with Jamee Krug Blahauvietz

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim sits down with longtime friend and agricultural leader Jamee Krug Blahauvietz. Jamee’s career path is anything but typical. Starting with a unique combination of journalism and animal science at Iowa State, she built a career that moved from agricultural advertising to leadership roles in major animal health companies including Elanco and Phibro. The conversation begins with a simple question:  How would three people describe you? Jamee’s answer — Hard Working. Determined. Strategic. — becomes the thread that runs through the entire discussion. Jim and Jamee explore: • The unexpected path from restaurant manager to ag marketing  • Lessons learned working inside both agency and corporate agriculture • The strategy behind the well-known “Full Value” livestock campaigns • Why legacy is one of the most powerful emotional drivers in agriculture • How leadership in agriculture has evolved over the past 30 years • The growing humanization of the agricultural workplace • The balance between career ambition and family life They also discuss how agriculture is adapting to new tools like AI, changing marketing channels, and new technology in livestock production. The episode closes with the Patio Pondering tradition of five questions — touching on lessons from agriculture, innovation in livestock production, and one small change that could make a big difference for the future of the industry. It’s a thoughtful conversation about leadership, legacy, and the people who make agriculture work.

    1h 8m
  8. Hope Is Not a Marketing Plan — Episode 75 with Ryan Moe

    MAR 3

    Hope Is Not a Marketing Plan — Episode 75 with Ryan Moe

    Send us Fan Mail In this milestone episode of the Patio Pondering Podcast, Jim sits down with Ryan Moe of StoneX for a conversation that moves beyond farm roots and into the harder questions of discipline, risk, and decision-making. At what point does being good at production stop being enough? Ryan shares how his early experience in energy hedging and commodity markets reshaped his thinking: raising crops or livestock well does not automatically mean managing risk well. Together, they unpack: Why most producers avoid structured risk managementThe emotional trap of waiting for higher pricesThe disconnect between hedge accounts and checking accountsWhy portfolio management beats home-run marketingThe illusion of small-scale commodity profitabilityHow AI and algorithmic trading are already shaping marketsAnd why personal discipline may be agriculture’s greatest competitive edgeThis episode challenges romantic narratives about farming and replaces them with something sturdier: clear thinking for complex agriculture. If you produce commodities, manage market risk, or wrestle with marketing decisions each season, this conversation will sharpen your perspective.

    50 min
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5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Exploring the Expected and the Obscure in Agriculture From a lifetime in agriculture to deep dives into leadership, rural life, and the evolving food system, Patio Pondering is a podcast where thoughtful conversations meet the open air. Hosted by Jim Smith, Ph.D., a seasoned Swine Nutritionist, agricultural thinker, and storyteller, this podcast explores the connections between our agricultural roots and the broader world. What started as daily reflections—scribbled with a morning coffee in hand—has grown into a podcast that uncovers the insights, challenges, and sometimes-forgotten history of the industry that feeds us all. Whether solo pondering or engaging in candid discussions with guests, this show digs into everything from livestock production to food trends, rural business shifts, and the personal stories that shape agricultural life. Now available in both audio and video formats, Patio Pondering brings these discussions to life on YouTube and podcast platforms alike. Whether you prefer to listen on the go or watch the conversation unfold, you’ll find fresh perspectives, candid storytelling, and the kind of conversations that make you think twice. Subscribe and join the conversation—because agriculture is more than just dirt and livestock. It’s a story worth telling.

Information

  • Creator
    Jim Smith, Ph.D.
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    82
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Patio Ponderings
  • Show Website
    Patio Ponderings

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