The PORK Podcast

Finding Color Again: A Story of Love, Loss and Healing

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:38:27 GMT

It’s true that the pork industry is driven by data and science, but it’s ultimately built on the strength of the people who are in it. Sometimes that strength arises out of the darkest times of our lives. Dan Hamilton, senior director for product performance in the Americas for PIC, experienced a profound tragedy in 2005.

When Hamilton was a student at the University of Illinois, he met Rachel – a dynamic powerhouse who captured his heart quickly. Always the life of the conversation, she made people laugh and brought joy to everyone she was around, he says.

“We couldn’t wait to start our storybook life together,” Hamilton says. “We were young and of the mindset that you set a goal and achieve it. Then, you just keep doing that. We both had successful careers, bought our first house, and decided it was time to have a baby.”

He will never forget the morning when it was time to go to the hospital after nine months of waiting.

“We had the bag packed in the car like you’re supposed to, and the nursery was ready,” he recalls. “We went to the hospital and they took Rachel back. I went with her and they said, ‘You know, her blood pressure is a little bit variable. Why don’t you step out?’”

They told him they were going to get her blood pressure under control before moving on to the next step of the delivery process.

“It wasn’t a few minutes later that a lot of sirens started going off, and they were having some sort of a code event,” Hamilton says. “I wasn’t sure if it was her or what it was, because they had me in the waiting room with no direction. The next thing I know, the doctors were approaching me with a very grim face.”

They sat him down and explained that Rachel died in the delivery room that morning from either an amniotic or pulmonary embolism. A rare, one-in-a-million event, there was nothing the doctors could do to save his wife. In that very same moment, he found out he was the father of a baby girl, Kaitlyn.

Stunned, Hamilton didn’t know what to do next. The doctors were talking about the duress Kaitlyn endured while his heart smashed into pieces.

Black-and-White Memories

Because Kaitlyn experienced a lack of oxygen for a period of time, doctors whisked her off to the neonatal intensive care unit for the first four days of her life to stabilize her respiratory tract.

“I don’t think any dad goes into the hospital thinking he will leave a single father,” Hamilton says. “Not only was I grieving the loss of Rachel, but the stress of how I was going to care for Kaitlyn on my own put me to the limit.”

An outpouring of support from family and friends surrounded him at that moment.

“It’s unfortunate that it takes a traumatic event to realize how many people in the world care,” Hamilton says. “And that continued for years afterward. My parents were really close and they came and spent a lot of time with me. Rachel’s mother had just retired, so she was able to help me with Kaitlyn during the day. She was a godsend for sure. Friends would come on nights or weekends and give me a break when needed.”

When he looks back, he sees that time of his life in black and white.

“Memories are usually in color,” he says. “But that first year was definitely in black and white for me.”

Although watching each step of Kaitlyn’s development was the greatest gift, he says not having Rachel to share it with him was hard. He constantly questioned how he was going to be able to raise a young lady.

“Rachel would have been so good at this,” he says. “I asked a lot of questions. Why did this happen? Why was she taken away from me?”

He learned to stop asking those questions.

“You may never find reason with those,” he says. “Focus on the positive and the good things around you. Be grateful for the people that support you, because that is what God is sending you – the help, support and strength to move forward.”

Be in the Moment

When you’ve gone through a trauma like this, Hamilton says it’s important to take time to heal and reflect.

“My grief for Rachel will always be there,” he says. “I still tear up every time I think about it and it’s been 20-some years. I just want to encourage people walking through grief that someday you can reformulate your life and have positive experiences again. It may not feel like it at first, but there are good things ahead.”

And let people help you, Hamilton adds. People want to help, but don’t always know how to help. He believes letting people in allows both parties to process and that’s a good thing.

“One thing I’ve learned is to be in the moment,” he says.

Don’t let things get out of balance that shouldn’t get out of balance, he adds. For example, your job shouldn’t compromise your relationship with your family. That’s something he takes seriously.

Three years after Rachel’s death, he met his current wife, Carrie, and her daughter. Today they are raising three daughters. Kaitlyn is now a junior at the University of Illinois and doing amazing, he says.

“Looking back at what I went through, there’s always some guilt that I could have spent more time or done this or that,” Hamilton says. “Live your life so you don’t have those regrets as you go forward. You just never know when you’ll get that next chance.”

You can listen to more of Hamilton’s personal story of resilience on “The PORK Podcast” on YouTube or follow The PORK Podcast anywhere podcasts are found.

It’s Meeting Season: How to Conquer the Crowded Room

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 19:27:10 GMT

You walk into a crowded room of people you don’t know. Everyone is laughing and talking in their groups. It would be much easier to walk right back out, but you are there to represent a group with the mission of meeting people and making connections. So, you take your next step forward. But now what?

For some people, this is what nightmares are made of. For Jennifer Tirey, executive director of the Illinois Pork Producers Association , this is what she lives to do.

“Jennifer is excellent at building relationships with people,” says Josh Maschhoff, president of the Illinois Pork Producers Association. “She can walk into a room where she might not know anybody and quickly make introductions and connections with those people. And most importantly, she can remember their name, and she can do it with a lot of people.”

Maschhoff admits he often finds himself in a room with a lot of people, and he can’t remember their names.

“Whether it’s fellow producers or members of the legislature, the closer I can put myself to Jennifer Tirey, the better off I will be,” he says. “I know I’ve got a resource that can help pull me along when I’m struggling because she can remember all of those people.”

He says her ability to remember the details about someone’s personal life and truly make a connection with them makes her unique.

Authentic Relationship Building Takes Work

How do you develop a superpower like this? Tirey admits it does take work.

“You just can’t go into a room and know a lot of people’s names without putting a lot of work into it,” she says. “I go back to the very first meeting that I had with Pork Producers. I’d only been on the job for less than a week, and they had already scheduled a regional meeting in Bloomington. I spent the entire car ride — because someone else was driving — memorizing the names of the individuals that were going to be there because I wanted the producers to know that I care and want to know them.”

If you want to truly connect with people and build a relationship, you have to be willing to work at it. Before every event, Tirey devotes time to reading over the list of who will be there and looks up photos to try to memorize faces.

“I’m always learning and trying to sharpen that skill,” she says. “I think that’s a valuable asset to have within agriculture. At the end of the day, agriculture is a really small community, and you cross paths a lot. You need each other to be successful.”

How to Connect and Be Remembered in Any Room

Now, back to the crowded room. Before you enter, adopt a mindset that you are there to learn and support others, not just “work the room.” Here are a few tips to help you connect with the crowd.

1. Scan The Room.
When you enter the room, use soft eye contact as you scan the room. Don’t stare, but instead do a “sweeping gaze.” According to the Science of People , a sweeping gaze is a slow, methodical look around the room. Start the gaze the moment you enter a room by looking to your left then slowly sweeping across the room until you find your opening or where you want to go. Then, make longer eye contact there.

“It’s easier to make connections when you give yourself the outward look that you want to meet people,” Tirey says.

2. Project Confidence.
Remember to smile and stand tall to project confidence as you head toward where you want to go. If you don’t feel confident, don’t worry because you aren’t alone, says Marilyn Sherman, a well-known motivational speaker .

“Even when you don’t feel confident, act confident. It will change your entire mindset,” Sherman says.

3. Make Direct Eye Contact And Have a Firm Handshake.
Tirey says the best advice she has to offer when connecting with people is to start with direct eye contact. Let the person you are talking to know they have your full attention.

“In addition to eye contact, a really firm handshake to a person that you’ve never met gives a good impression,” she adds. “It also keeps you top of mind with them.”

4. Listen.
“Really taking a moment to listen to who they are and what they have to say is key,” Tirey says. “I think doing this gives me a chance to internally set myself and get prepared for meeting somebody new. It allows you to learn about the person you’re trying to get to know without any ulterior motive.”

She believes taking a pause and letting people share what they want to share first is a great way to understand where they are coming from, too.

5. Offer Value.
Tirey says she strives to be a straight shooter and appreciates that when meeting others.

“Life moves fast, and I would much rather cut to the chase.” Tirey says. “I love making connections and catching up with people, but there are things that must be done, too. I appreciate directness and constructive criticism because that makes me a better person.”

If you have a relevant idea or suggestion, be ready to share it succinctly.

“One thing that works like magic is creating a memorable moment,” according to Wave Connect . “Think about ways you can add value right in the moment. Maybe you overhear someone mention a challenge they are facing, and you can recommend a solution or introduce them to someone you know. That kind of value sticks.”

As Maya Angelou said: “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. People will never forget how you made them feel.”

Learn more about Tirey in the latest episode of The PORK Podcast.

One Farmer's Idea to Avoid Yellowstone Drama When Transferring the Family Farm

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:47:32 GMT

At 8 cents a pound, pigs weren’t worth much when Todd Wiley formed Interstate Swine LLC with his dad in 1998. Nobody wanted weaned pigs. Facilities quickly became available as people left the pork industry. With a sincere desire to make a living raising pigs on his family’s farm, Wiley stepped out in faith. Nearly 30 years later, this multi-generational farming endeavor in eastern Iowa has survived some of the toughest times and some of the best times.

Maybe that’s why Wiley has taken a unique approach to bringing the third generation back to the farm.

“There’s no doubt that family is important to Todd,” says Pat McGonegle, CEO of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. “He puts family first, and the farm is a part of that discussion. He manages his family members that are part of that farm in a real professional way, but also with an eye towards the legacy that he and Denise want to leave on their farm.”

Would This Be Good For My Kids?

Growing up, Wiley’s parents talked about succession planning often with their three sons. The concept of planning for the generational transfer of the family farm came naturally to Wiley.

“When we started Interstate Swine, we needed to hire employees,” he says. “One of the things I was conscientious about was making sure the employment opportunity within our business would be conducive to our children filling those roles.”

From the beginning, Wiley instituted health insurance plans, matching IRA funds, paid time off, paid vacation, and other benefits that employees would typically look for when securing a job.

“I constantly asked myself if this would this be good for my kids someday?” he says.

Wiley and his wife, Denise, have four kids: Drew, a Kansas State University animal science graduate and former K-State Football defensive tackle; Isaac, an Iowa State University agribusiness graduate now employed with Ever.Ag; Emma, owner of Auntie Em’s - Event Florist and attended Des Moines Area Community College; and Joshua, a junior at Iowa State University in animal science.

In 2017-2018, the Wileys doubled their sow farm to create more opportunities for the children to have a place on the family farm.

“It was a fairly tedious process – not only from a business standpoint, but about what the next generation was going to do,” he says. “They were all too young back then, and there was no way I could ask them for any sort of commitment to our business. But I did ask a lot of professionals. I remember asking our accountant specifically, ‘In your experience, what is the likelihood of a farm family having the next generation be involved, providing you have a viable business?’”

The accountant’s response was, “It’s pretty high.”

“Denise and I knew we needed to have some economies of scale,” Wiley explains. “There’s not much point in succession planning, if there’s nothing to succeed to or succeed with. We were mindful of that when we moved forward. Now, we have room for additional people, not only for labor, but also in management where we can utilize their skills.”

No Yellowstone Drama Here

As a family, it is easy to recognize each other’s strengths as well as quirks, he points out. But he wanted a better way to evaluate his children’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as interests, on the farm.

“I remember when a successful family in eastern Iowa, with a number of businesses, built a feed mill and elevator,” Wiley shares. “The father of this family passed away unexpectedly. Come to find out, nobody in the family had any interest in this feed mill and elevator, so they end up selling it.”

This hit Wiley hard. What would his kids say about where their farm was investing capital? That sparked the construction of a succession planning instrument for the Wiley family.

(Lori Hays)

“The first page of the instrument (an Excel document) started two years ago with a list of 35 jobs that need to be done on our farm,” Wiley says. “Most of them are pig related, but we do crop farm some. It was pretty much everything I was doing in a spreadsheet.”

Each of their children (and one daughter in-law at the time) was asked to rate those 35 jobs from one to five under this scenario: It’s 2033 and Todd and Denise are serving in an advisory role only. You choose to be an active employee of the family businesses. Please answer by circling the corresponding number that best describes your interest in the listed activity.

“It was interesting to see who had interest in what, but it also told us pretty clearly where we needed to go in the future if we wanted our children involved in our business,” Wiley says. “Initially, I think they saw it as a fun activity, just another of Dad’s crazy ideas. But I learned a lot.”

This past summer, the family completed the exercise again.

“I needed to see if the kids were drifting in their interest,” he says. “In one case, there was significant movement in what one of our kids wanted to do. It surprised me to be truthful about it. In the other three cases, they held true to what they thought two years previous. But bear in mind, our youngest was a freshman in college two years ago and a lot can change in college.”

Wiley emphasizes that nobody is required to come back and be involved in the operation. He says there are a million ways to make a living out there and he wants his kids to pursue their dreams. In the version his family filled out in the summer of 2025, he added a second page with 45 statements.

“If you’re going to work with people in a business and a family in any organization, even if you’re not related, you need to have some idea of where they’re coming from,” Wiley says. “On the second page of statements, they were asked to rank their level of agreement with the statement.”

For example, one of the statements was: No matter what I may think of a family member’s job performance, I’ll always have their back publicly.

“If you’ve ever watched Yellowstone, that show creeped me out,” Wiley says. “When I saw the family dynamic portrayed, it made me uncomfortable. We can have our disagreements. But, as a family, you better have each other’s backs out in the community, especially in the business we’re in.”

Getting Out and Getting In

This instrument has been helpful for the Wileys in many ways as they prepare to transfer more of the farm to their children.

“It sheds light on areas where their belief system parallels ours,” he says. “We have a definite place of emphasis now. Our children have a pig feeding business called Fourth Gen Hogs LLC, where they’re each 20% owners, Denise is a 10% owner, and I’m a 10% owner. It has been a great exercise in giving them the responsibility of ownership.”

He says the timing mirrors the situation he was in when Interstate Swine was formed.

“They got in about a year ago when it was pretty doom and gloom. We went to the bank with this idea, and they’re like, ‘You want to do what?’”

He believes this business venture will be the vehicle for he and his wife to exit pig ownership as their children get into ownership.

“Uncle Sam would have his way with us if we sold out all at once,” Wiley says. “But if we can gradually exit individual barns or individual parts of our production flow and have them enter into it, that’s a fairly nice segue for us to get out and them to get in.”

Wiley shares more about his mini adventure raising rabbits, opportunities for talented young people back on the farm and the message he hopes pork producers hear right now and more on The PORK Podcast. You can watch it here on YouTube or listen anywhere podcasts are found.

Watch more episodes here.

From Crisis to Calling: How Maddie Hokanson Found Strength in the Pork Industry

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 20:01:53 GMT

In June 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maddie Hokanson headed out for a routine doctor’s appointment. At 34 weeks pregnant, she admittedly wasn’t feeling great, but as a first-time mom, what’s normal?

She was sent to labor and delivery as a precautionary measure. Not long after, she was in a helicopter being airlifted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. She and her husband, Eric, welcomed their first child, Brent, by c-section later that day.

“Brent was born with hydrops,” Hokanson explains. “He was born at 10.5 lb. He had so much fluid around his organs and it was putting pressure on his brain, liver, kidneys and lungs. He almost didn’t make it.”

After a couple rough months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the Hokansons learned a lot fast.

“I remember a friend sending me this reminder: If not, he is still good,” she says. “Sometimes things don’t go how we want, and even if that’s the case, I believe God works all things for his good.”

Because of the pandemic, nobody was able to meet Brent until he came home from the hospital. Hokanson remembers being surrounded by so many people who wanted to help and offer support. She says it was a surreal experience.

“I remember my naivety thinking that we made it home – we had made it through the hard part and now he was going to flourish,” she adds. “That definitely was not the case for the first couple of years.”

Diagnosis after diagnosis, the Hokansons struggled to take it all in: epilepsy, visual impairment, heart condition, liver failure, autism and cerebral palsy.

“The mantra, ‘this too shall pass,’ kept playing in my head, but when? When will it pass?” Hokanson says.

Perhaps it never will pass, she explains, but what they have been able to do is find joy in all that their family has instead of the comparison of what they don’t.

A Lifeline

For Hokanson, a seventh-generation farmer with Schafer Farms, the farm has served as a lifeline during these early years of adjusting to parenting a child with serious health challenges.

“The farm was my reminder that whether it’s a good day or bad day, I’m still Maddie Hokanson. I still have a purpose in the world beyond being a mother,” Hokanson says. “Coming into the farm office, talking to my parents, grandparents or employees really held me up. I needed work in order to be able to continue handling myself as a mother.”

Schafer Farms was established in 1886. Today they raise pigs, cattle, crops and operate a transportation and trucking business as well. They have two sow farms where they raise genetics for Topigs Norsvin. Getting to work with her husband, her parents, Brandon and Monica, her grandparents, Pat and Lowell, and her brother, Max, and his wife, Hollie, has been a lifelong dream for Hokanson.

“I loved being involved in the farm from a young age,” she says. “From about second grade on, it was expected that we spend our weekends with dad on the farm, breeding and farrowing sows. Although I wasn’t like some farm kids who learned how to drive a tractor when they were 8, I sure knew how to breed a sow and collected a boar by that age.”

Living Out Her ‘Why’

As she became more involved in 4-H and FFA, she started doing livestock judging and participating in communication contests. She began to see the agriculture industry was much bigger than her own farm.

“In ninth grade, we took a careers class in high school that was required as part of graduation,” Hokanson says. “I explored ag communications and learned about promoting our product. That’s when I realized I was fascinated by talking to consumers about what we do on our farms.”

She connected with a Minnesota Pork Board program, Oink Outings. Through that program, she learned how to connect with consumers and advocate for the pork industry. This eventually led her to pursue a degree in ag communications at South Dakota State University, where was she named the commencement speaker in 2019.

“I spoke about a book by Simon Sinek, ‘Start with Why,’” Hokanson says. “It’s all about finding your why in life. I tried to focus on the fact that when you think about your ‘why’ and your ‘why’ resonates with every part of your life, then it doesn’t matter so much what you are doing if you are pursuing your ‘why.’”

She says her “why” since college continues to be to ensure a successful, thriving future for the generations she will never meet.

Eric, Scott, Brent and Maddie Hokanson

(LAURA KNOPIK )

“Whether I’m home with our boys, instilling values of faith, family and farming; at the farm office working on finances as the CFO; helping in the barn; or lobbying on behalf of the pork industry in D.C., my ‘why’ is the same,” Hokanson says. “All of those things help me fulfill my ‘why.’”

Hokanson’s son Brent is now 5, and Scott is 2. She hopes they will have the opportunity to be the eighth generation of farmers in her family. That’s why she devotes so much of her life to focusing on her ‘why’.

“Sometimes, what is best for the industry doesn’t have a short-term financial or other gain for your own individual farm,” she explains. “But it does benefit the industry in the long run – whether it’s with health, markets, traceability – being willing to do things that seem mundane or complex even when you don’t see any short-term gain individually is important. At the end of the day, a rising tide lifts all boats, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the rising tide comes in.”

Hokanson shares more about farm transition, parenthood and connecting with consumers on The PORK Podcast. You can watch it here on YouTube or listen anywhere podcasts are found.

Watch more episodes here.

Does Your Farm Team Need to Refocus or Reset?

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 19:05:24 GMT

Building a high-functioning team isn’t just a nice thing to do, experts say there is a strong business case to do it. Companies that cultivate strong, collaborative teams consistently outperform their competitors, driving innovation, engagement and results, according to the FranklinCovey Blog .

Studies have shown that high-performing teams are significantly more productive and creative than ineffective teams, making more-informed decisions and saving more time while producing better results. High-functioning teams also see higher employee engagement and job satisfaction, reducing turnover by 50%.

Joel DeRouchey, professor swine nutrition and state Extension leader at Kansas State University, says building a high-functioning ‘team’ is one of the most important things you can do to achieve success, whether it’s your team at work, a volunteer committee, or even your family. Though the size and dynamics of each of those teams varies greatly, what makes them high functioning doesn’t.

Shared Purpose
As an educator, DeRouchey has had the opportunity to be a part of many teams and see a lot of teams in action. From his perspective, teams must constantly evaluate if they need to refocus, recharge or reset. That starts with asking yourself some questions, he says.

“Are you engaged? Are you with people who truly believe in the purpose of the team?” DeRouchey asks.

He says high-functioning teams share the same goals.

“Whether you’re building a team of employees in the barn or in the boardroom, you have to start with the same goals of self-improvement,” DeRouchey adds. “This requires being open-minded, being a good listener and speaking up when needed.”

The most important trait high-functioning teams possess is horizontal accountability, he says.

“I’m accountable to my team members,” DeRouchey explains. “We all have some individual responsibilities that we have to be champions for, but we must realize how our role impacts the other team members.”

He says horizontal accountability builds trust, understanding and self-awareness that helps each individual improve while propelling the whole team forward.

“To me, that accountability to others is key,” DeRouchey says. “Teams that are always trying to one up each other get destroyed really fast.”

When is it Time to Move on?
One of the hardest parts of being a part of a team is recognizing when it’s time for the team to be done.

“All teams don’t have to stay in the same function and fashion for decades and decades,” DeRouchey says. “They need to evolve to those who can work together, have a common mission and trust each other.”

Teams that don’t work well together aren’t productive or fun. He says this is often due to selfishness among one or more members of the team.

“Sometimes people are concerned if others are getting credit, or if they feel the limelight is being taken away from them,” DeRouchey says.

Other times, the challenges arise when someone is doing a disproportionate amount of work because somebody else isn’t pulling their weight.

“There’s never an exact equal percentage of time spent on every little thing between members of a team,” he points out. “There’s never a equal percentage of who gets the credit.”

But he argues high-functioning teams don’t care who gets the credit. They just want to get it done right. When teams become unfunctional, or people lose interest, it’s important to be able to make hard decisions for the good of the bigger team, DeRouchey says.

“I don’t know what the right word is, but you’ve got to be happy on your team, and if you’re not, then you need to reflect on whether or not you should be part of this team,” he says.

It’s also good to look around to see if there is somebody on the team who’s causing unhappiness or if something the team is doing is causing it. If so, it may be time to hit the reset button.

“We can get into the blame game pretty fast on a team,” DeRouchey says. “That’s human nature. We need to instead look in the mirror and take a step back and say, ‘All right, if something’s not going right, what is it? Is it me? Is it the situation?’ Then, go figure out how to best go forward.”

DeRouchey shares more on The PORK Podcast. You can watch it here on YouTube or listen anywhere podcasts are found.

Watch more episodes here.

The Truth About Stock Show Moms

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 21:12:46 GMT

Stock show moms can’t be put in a box. From the mom who can feed barrows better than anyone in the barn to the mom who always has the best snacks for the kids, and from the mom who takes all the pictures to the mom who listens to everyone’s problems, it takes all kinds to make the show go on.

Emily Spray, a stock show mom of three from Indiana, says there is no shortage of lessons learned at stock shows. One of the most valuable she has learned from being a stock show mom is humility. If it’s not the animals, it’s the kids who humble you, she laughs.

The Spray family and friends at the 2024 Indiana State Fair.

(Lindsay Hanewich)

“The other day I saw a picture of a house with a long row of hydrangea bushes,” Spray says. “The owner was discouraged because there was only one bloom on that whole row of bushes. The owner said, ‘I’ve been fertilizing them the same way. I’ve been watering them the same way. They’ve all been tended to the same way. But I’m only getting one bloom on that bush.’”

Spray relates this to showing livestock and raising kids.

“We’re not just going to dig out all the bushes and plant something else,” Spray says. “We’re going to keep at it. We’re going to keep going. Sometimes when we’ve got these kids who have big goals, there’s a lot of stress, competitiveness and goals being made. You’re doing the right things. You’re walking them all the same, feeding them all the same, but you’re not getting those blooms.”

Motherhood is about teaching kids to keep doing the next right thing. And someday, Spray adds, they might have more blooms on all those bushes.

“Keeping things in perspective is a valuable lesson,” she says. “Being able to change, adapt and edit as you go is important because there’s not always one right answer.”

“Her flexibility with an ever changing and always busy schedule is probably her super power,” Makayla Spray (r) says about her mom Emily (l).

(Jennifer Shike)

Sometimes It’s Not Your Turn
Disappointments inevitably come when goals aren’t reached or hard things happen. Spray recalls a story about one of their best Hampshire gilts before the state fair.

“I’ll never forget when my husband Craig and daughter Makayla walked in from the barn,” she says. “I could tell there was something wrong.”

The gilt had shucked her hair. Because she had a thin belt to begin with, they knew the gilt would likely not be eligible to show as a Hampshire according to breed requirements.

“That led to some hard conversations about the right thing to do. Ultimately, we’re in this industry to teach our kids the right things to do. We had to sit down and say, ‘Okay, if this happens, this is how we’re going to handle it.’”

Emily Spray

During breed checks, the gilt didn’t pass. As she and Makayla walked out of the ring, Spray says she had to initiate another conversation to shift both of their perspectives.

“That week there was a family who had some teenagers coming to the state fair when they were in an awful wreck on the interstate,” Spray says. “There we were complaining we weren’t passing a breed check, but there was another family just down the road fighting for their life in the hospital. As hard as it was to say, ‘Okay, this is what we really wanted,’ we had to think about keeping the big things the big things.”

Sometimes it’s your turn, and sometimes it’s not, Spray says.

“In that moment it wasn’t Makayla’s turn,” she says. “Instead, she had a front row seat to the Hampshire show. It wasn’t from the middle of the ring like she wanted, but she sat in the front row and watched the entire show. Those are the moments that put that drive and desire in your heart – being so close to getting that goal – to come back and try again.”

Stop Comparing
New York Times bestselling author Shauna Niequist says, “You can compare and you can connect, but you cannot do both.”

Spray believes one of the biggest challenges parents face right now are social media highlight reels.

“So many of our kids are seeing all the wins, all the kids who are having success at all the shows across the nation,” she says. “That wasn’t a thing when we were kids. We saw who won the open show when we were there that day in living color. These kids are constantly seeing everyone’s highlight reel, so it’s easy for them in that moment to stop and compare themselves.”

Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other families at shows.

(Craig Spray)

Spray wants to challenge people – kids and parents alike – to reframe that moment to connection instead.

“The best way to stop comparing is to find ways to connect,” she says. “I think there’s a lot of disconnect when it comes to being friends on social media. Have you ever had a conversation with that person? Do you know anything more than what you’re seeing on a screen about that person? How can you really get to know them?”

A few years ago, she had a t-shirt made for state fair that said, “You can’t compete with me.”

“When you read that first line, you think, ‘Oh, well, that’s kind of proud.’ But the second line said, ‘I want you to win, too.’ When I wore that shirt, it confused a lot of people,” Spray says.

She remembers one dad who was particularly bothered by her shirt. He finally came up at the end of the day and asked her about it.

(Emily Spray)

“He said, ‘What do you mean? You don’t want your kid to win?’ I said, ‘Absolutely, I want my kid to win. But if you look at any other kid in this barn, it’s not like they just threw their pig on the trailer and decided to come to a show,” she says. “All of these kids have put in so many hours of work. And you know what? If your kid gets to win today, I’m going to clap for them, and I’m going to be happy for them.”

Keep the Big Things Big
The show barn is filled with people who share many common interests. It’s where true friendships are forged. For Spray, it’s worth remembering that as she strives to keep the big things big and the little things little.

“What are your big things? What is most important for you as a family?” she asks. “Is it winning a banner? Is it developing character? Is it enjoying what you’re doing? I think it looks different for every family, but taking that time to decide what means the most for your family is key to not letting all the other stuff get in the way.”

Episode 24 with Emily Spray is one you can’t miss.

(Jennifer Shike)

Even though it’s easy to judge others by what you see on the outside, Spray says the truth is that no mom has it all figured out.

“Look for that mom who’s in the season ahead of you,” she says. “Invite her to coffee and talk with her about the things she’s going through. That has been valuable for me, because when you’re in the thick of it – when you’re in the weeds and you can’t see beyond one day to the next – it’s helpful to have somebody who’s already paved that path ahead of you.”

Listen to The PORK Podcast to find out how Spray’s social media persona, The Funny Fair Mom, came to be, why she chooses to redirect when life gets stressful, and helpful hacks every show family needs to know before state fair season. Watch this episode on YouTube or listen anywhere podcasts are found.

The Iowa Gallivant: Finding the Food and People Who Make Up the Best of Rural America

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 21:39:16 GMT

Rural American. Stand-up comedian. Chef. Travel blogger. Fan of pork tenderloins. What do any of these have in common? They all offer a glimpse into the life of JayJay Goodvin, better known as The Iowa Gallivant , who has a cult-like following after traveling through all 99 Iowa counties to find the best pork tenderloin .

His love of rural America and the importance of supporting local food places throughout the country motivate him to bring those passions to light through his blog, The Iowa Gallivant.

Goodvin grew up in the Cedar Rapids area, but his parents were from rural Iowa so visiting small towns and farms was part of his childhood.

“Growing up in the metro areas, that was my fantasy land when I would visit the farm or the small town,” Goodvin says. “It’s been a part of my travels since I was a baby. I’m still just as excited to get out to small-town Iowa and small-town America whenever I can.”

In the late 90s, Goodvin left Iowa and traveled the country to Arizona, Cape Cod, the Florida Keys, Montana, Austin, Texas, the Black Hills of South Dakota and Central Illinois. He lived in Phoenix because he wanted to be close to Las Vegas and L.A. — to try his hand at comedy. He said it didn’t pay very well while he was starting out, but he could always find a job as a cook and found himself gravitating toward the restaurant industry.

“I ended up really loving that culture,” he says. “I think it was Anthony Bourdain that said, ‘it’s like, pirate culture — we’re all a bunch of scallywags in the kitchen and things like that.’ And I just learned how to make great food under really great chefs.”

He says it was a great way to see the country, too.

“I worked with a lot of other cooks, but there was just all sorts of things that happened due to those travels, due to working in that industry that made for some very positive outcomes,” he says.

In 2010, Goodvin came back home and combined his love of food, traveling and family into his blog. What started as a family scrapbooking project on WordPress turned into a travel vlog and now has taken on a life of its own.

“It morphed into my first book, Rural Iowa Sausage , from another project that we did, which is very pork related, called Iowa’s Wurst Road Trip — Casing the State for the Best Sausage ,” Goodvin says.

This trip was a bit of a full circle moment for him as his grandfather had his own meat locker in northwest Iowa.

“As we went along with Iowa’s Wurst Road Trip, I realized just how vital that industry was and needs to be,” he explains. “I learned in the 1970s at its peak, we had over 400 lockers statewide. Now we’re just north of a hundred. COVID actually gave it a renaissance period because a lot of people realize how important it is.”

He says more people want to know where their meat comes from.

“You can literally go to one of our local lockers and shake the hand of the person that you’re helping to keep employed. And that’s huge,” he says. “The revenue mileage on buying a pack of brats at our local lockers goes a lot further, it seems. Because when you when you can actually see how that’s helping somebody put their own food on their table, it’s like, come in and eat, or we all go hungry.”

To hear more of Goodvin’s adventures, upcoming projects and why he finds it so important to share about the food and communities of rural America, watch the latest episode of The PORK Podcast here or on your favorite podcast channels.

Advice From The Unexpected Spy: Stop Overthinking and Do It

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 13:15:07 GMT

If she’s being honest, Tracy Walder never imagined a life for herself as a CIA counterterrorism staff operations officer or as a special agent at the FBI. In fact, if she had thought too long about saying yes to those opportunities, her life would have looked much different.

But she did say yes.

The shy, thoughtful girl who was once bullied by her peers stepped into the unknown on a path she never imagined.

“I think a lot of times, if we veer from whatever path we thought we wanted, people get a little jarred by that,” Walder shared in an exclusive interview with Farm Journal’s PORK ahead of her leadership keynote at National Pork Industry Forum.

Former CIA and FBI agent Tracy Walder shares her story at the National Pork Industry Forum.

(Jennifer Shike)

It was the 1990s and terrorism looked a lot different than it does today, she says. College graduates were not actively pursuing careers in counterterrorism because it wasn’t in front of their face like it is now with popular TV shows such as Quantico, Covert Affairs, FBI and Homeland. People around her struggled to understand how she could join the CIA when she had always wanted to be a history teacher.

“Instead of people asking me ‘How?’ (which is a more important question), a lot of people were asking me ‘Why?’” Walder says. “I think we almost get stigmatized by that question of why. It causes us to not go down that path we were thinking about and just continue on the one we were on. I believe we must actively fight against that mindset every day.”

That’s one of the most important lessons she took away from her time at the CIA – that it is possible to overthink things and get too deep into planning and asking questions.

“Sometimes you just need to do it because asking questions becomes this crutch for us to not do the thing,” Walder explains. “I’m not saying we should be careless or reckless. I’m not saying we should not research things before we do them. But I think you can only plan for so much. You can only ask questions for so long before you we just need to get into it and do it.”

Much of her work in the CIA was like that. It was reactionary based on the situation that had arisen at that moment in time. She wasn’t always able to ask questions, she had to make decisions and move forward.

Meeting a Terrorist
Walder grew up in Southern California where her dad was a college professor. Although she says they weren’t ‘millionaires by any stretch,’ she had no idea what the world in dire straits looked like.

“I remember serving a tour in Afghanistan. When I came face to face with a terrorist for the first time, my first question was ‘Why did you become a terrorist?’” she says. “I knew that he was a radical, but his answer really changed my perspective.”

What he said didn’t absolve him of his behavior, Walder clarifies. He was a terrorist who killed people. However, his response opened her eyes.

(Photo provided by Tracy Walder)

“Talking to him about why he became a terrorist was a very pivotal moment for me,” she says. “He grew up in a country that we would label as a fragile or a failed state, meaning they’re not meeting the needs of their people. He was orphaned at age 7, had completely unchecked hepatitis and was living in a storm drain. A member of al Qaeda found him on the streets and offered him food, clothing, shelter, medicine, and as a result, this individual felt very beholden to them, and that’s why he became a member of al Qaeda.”

This life-changing conversation helped her identify for President George Bush at the time how to stop this threat from the ground up, rather than from the top down, Walder says.

Although she doesn’t remember feeling scared in her roles at the CIA and FBI, she admits there was one time when she did wonder how the situation would pan out for her in the end.

“In your 20s, you feel invincible,” Walder says. “I understood the job was risky – I’m not stupid. At 47 now, I don’t feel so invincible. I see the risks involved in what I was doing, but at the time, I don’t remember ever feeling scared.”

What She Almost Didn’t Put in Her Book
Moving on from the CIA to the FBI was a hard decision for Walder.

“I wish I had a sexier answer, but I was sick of being overseas,” she says. “I loved the CIA. There wasn’t any ill will or reason that I left. I was obviously and still am very passionate about the counterterrorism mission. I felt that the best way to do that work in the U.S. was to become an FBI agent.”

After 17 weeks of training at Quantico, she moved to the Los Angeles field office in the Santa Ana resident agency. She worked the very first Chinese economic espionage case in the U.S., white-collar crime cases like health care fraud and big arrests.

She was used to being the only female when she was at the CIA and had zero issues working in a male-dominated field.

“The FBI was a very different story,” Walder says. “I think we look at the gathering of intelligence as a bit more female. I think we associate law enforcement, like breaking down doors and arresting people, as a very male-dominated career. The number of struggles I had being the only female was not pleasant, and unfortunately, at the time, the FBI had no way to report or communicate any of that.”

It was a difficult time in her life. But it’s also when she realized she could help change the dynamic by going into education. She left the FBI, got her master’s degree in education and became a high school history teacher. She created a class on national security, foreign policy and law enforcement for girls to try to get them into those careers.

While writing her book, The Unexpected Spy, someone sent her an email about a 19-woman gender discrimination lawsuit at the FBI from Quantico.

“The head of Quantico at the time was an individual who made my life miserable when I was at Quantico. I did not join their lawsuit,” she says. “I found it interesting, though. To date, it’s the largest gender discrimination lawsuit ever against a federal agency. I almost didn’t put that I was an FBI agent in my book, so I guess it’s a fun fact I’m giving you because it’s really painful to talk about what happened.”

She’s since moved on from teaching high school and now teaches criminal justice at Texas Christian University. In addition to teaching, she serves as the National Security Contributor for News Nation – the only former CIA officer who’s doing that.

One of the greatest moments of Walder’s life was the night she launched her book, “The Unexpected Spy,” at the Spy Museum and 60 of her former female students who have jobs in national security showed up to support her.

(Jennifer Shike)

“It may sound silly, but representation does matter,” Walder says. “When people see a female who’s had the experience I have talking on these issues, we start to normalize it a little more.”

She says the most important lesson she wants to convey to her students is simple.

“You are your biggest obstacle, so don’t be the one to tell yourself ‘no,’” Walder says. “You’re never going to get the yes if you don’t even try.”

Want to learn more about Tracy Walder’s experiences as an ‘unexpected spy’ in the CIA and FBI? Watch the entire conversation with Walder on The PORK Podcast here or anywhere podcasts are found.

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Influenza Expert Gets Real About the H5N1 Risk to Your Swine Herd

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 22:11:28 GMT

Is influenza a greater concern to pigs and people in light of the Oct. 30 USDA announcement that H5N1 was detected for the first time ever in a pig from a backyard Oregon farm? If so, how?

Andrew Bowman, DVM, one of the country’s top swine influenza experts, joined The PORK Podcast to answer that question and more during a special report on H5N1. A professor in the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine at The Ohio State University, he is well known for his expertise in swine production medicine, veterinary public health and epidemiology.

“Across the swine industry, we routinely deal with influenza, so we’re pretty well versed in flu,” Bowman says. “But this adds a whole other character to the scene that we really don’t want and reassorting with the flu viruses we already have.”

This isn’t just something that will go away, he adds. This is a topic that’s becoming a bigger issue across the ‘entire proverbial barnyard.”

“Poultry has been dealing with this problem for a while. Dairy, this year, has joined the influenza game. Pigs have had our own endemic strain. The idea that high-path might be affecting pigs as well, and even if not, is a good warning sign the threat is there,” he says.

It’s an important topic for the pork industry to think about, Bowman points out. Oregon might be miles from your farm, but the threat isn’t going away. So, how are you trying to keep diseases such as influenza out of your herd with biosecurity protocols?

“We need to work together. I don’t think there’s much finger pointing left in the flu world. We’re all on the same bus, and we need to figure out how we manage this,” Bowman says. “Granted, it will be different in different species, but this is a problem everyone’s having to deal with.”

Listen to the podcast here as Bowman tackles some of host Jennifer Shike’s questions after hearing USDA’s announcement.

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