Patio Ponderings

About Patio Ponderings

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.

Publisher

Jim Smith, Ph.D.

Category

business · science · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Dec 2024

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

108 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   Against the Grain — Bullshit, 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 — Bullshit, 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 assu...

2. 

   29 Sept 2026

   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...

3. 

   24 Sept 2026

   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 mar...

Who has been a guest on Patio Ponderings

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Colby Stackhouse
• Mark Johnson
• Jen Campbell
• Dave Voors
• Todd Thurman

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

10 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 46 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

80

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

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