Advertise on podcast: Feedstuffs in Focus

A ceasefire can change the mood overnight, but it cannot instantly move ships, lower insurance, or restore trust in a trade lane that suddenly feels risky. We sit down with Chris Vlachopoulos, fertilizer specialist and senior editor at ICIS, to unpack what the U.S. and Iran two-week ceasefire really means for the fertilizer market and for anyone watching input costs ahead of planting season.  We dig into the disconnect between improved sentiment and stubborn reality: reports of no inbound traffic, significant volumes of fertilizer stuck in transit, and freight and insurance premiums that keep pressure on delivered prices. Chris explains why urea reacts so violently, how the market can change fast, and why a “return to normal” is hard when logistics remain constrained. We also map out which products carry the most exposure, from urea and ammonia to sulfur, sulfuric acid, and the knock-on impact those feedstocks can have on phosphate fertilizer pricing.  From there, we look at who feels it first and longest. India’s seasonal demand, Australia’s delayed shipments, and Europe’s demand destruction each tell a different story about availability and affordability. We also talk through what higher fertilizer and fuel costs can force at the farm gate, including crop pivots, reduced applications, and the risk that higher production costs eventually show up in consumer food prices. If you want a clear, practical read on fertilizer prices, global supply chains, and agricultural market risk, press play, then subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review. What signal are you watching next?

In a poultry barn, disease does not wait for the next walk-through. We sit down with Dr. Guoming Li of the University of Georgia to talk about a practical question every grower and integrator faces: how do you catch health problems early enough to protect animal welfare, reduce losses, and safeguard food safety when time and labor are limited? We explore precision poultry farming tools that turn everyday signals into early warnings. Dr. Li breaks down how thermography and machine learning can detect temperature shifts linked to avian influenza and Newcastle disease, and why focusing on non-feathered regions like the head and legs improves accuracy by reducing ambient-temperature noise. We also discuss how image-based diagnostics can fit into real farm routines, including the idea of a smartphone app that uses deep learning and transfer learning to classify fecal images for Salmonella risk assessment without adding expensive sensors. Then we tackle the hard part: trust. When a model trained on one dataset fails on another region or housing system, it exposes the generalizability problem that still holds back AI disease detection. We also look at behavioral analytics, including the broiler activity index and computer vision tracking of movement patterns, as biomarkers for illness, stress, and abnormal conditions. Finally, we zoom out to what makes AI reliable in animal health: curated datasets, rigorous validation, and science-based inference instead of confident guesses. If you care about poultry health monitoring, biosecurity, and practical AI on farms, listen now, share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What signal do you think will become the most trusted early-warning tool: heat, images, or behavior?

A lot of farm problems look like “people problems” until you zoom in and see what’s really happening: unclear expectations, mismatched communication styles, and feedback that never gets said out loud. We sit down with Dr. Brent Sexton of Suidae Health and Production to talk about communication on farm and why it stays challenging even when we’re always on our phones, computers, and email. From quick instructions in the barn to high-stakes decisions in livestock production, the message you send is only half the story. The other half is how it lands. We dig into self-awareness as a practical leadership tool and why understanding your own tendencies can change everything about how you manage, coach, and collaborate. Personality assessments like DISC and Myers-Briggs are not magic, but they can highlight default patterns such as urgency, intensity, or a need for more data before acting. When you know your style, you can adapt your approach to the person you’re talking to, build rapport faster, and reduce friction inside farm teams and animal agriculture operations. We also get real about feedback and how to make it usable. Critical feedback is rarely comfortable, but avoiding it is costly. We talk about formal reviews, in-the-moment coaching, and the underrated habit of asking for feedback before small issues become big ones. From there we tackle two major pressure points: language barriers and cultural differences, plus digital communication where tone is hard to read and a short “K” can spiral into assumptions. If you care about clearer farm communication, stronger teamwork, and better day-to-day execution across animal health and nutrition, hit subscribe, share this with a manager or crew leader, and leave a review telling us the communication challenge you want to solve next.

BRD doesn’t always announce itself with a dramatic crash in gain. Sometimes it shows up months later where nobody expects it: on the rail, as lower marbling and a worse carcass grade. That’s the unsettling thread we pull on with Dr. Melissa Cantor of Pennsylvania State University, as we unpack what early-life respiratory disease means for beef on dairy, beef, and crossbred calves.  We start where lifetime health really begins: colostrum management. Dr. Cantor explains how immunoglobulin G (IgG) transfer shapes passive immunity, antibiotic treatment risk, and even survival. From there we dig into why bovine respiratory disease peaks around weaning, what lung consolidation can look like for weeks after milk is removed, and why “they caught up later” can still hide real damage.  Facilities and daily routines become the practical battleground. We talk ventilation targets (including why shutting barns tight in winter backfires), nose-to-nose contact in wire pens, sanitation and bedding removal, and calf housing choices that reduce stress while supporting early grain intake and rumen development. We also get specific about detecting BRD the right way, why coughing alone is a poor trigger for antibiotics, and how free tools like the UC Davis respiratory scoring system can tighten decision-making. Finally, we cover pathogen shedding during stress. If you raise or buy beef on dairy calves, share this conversation with a partner, subscribe, and leave a review so more producers can find practical, science-backed calf health strategies.

The proper nutrients can make a big difference but what happens when they aren't available or are priced out of the diet formulation?  We sit down with IFEEDER’s Lara Moody and Dr. Yuan-Tia Hung to unpack new species-level reports that reveal how disruptions in feed-grade vitamins and amino acids ripple through broilers, layers, turkeys, and swine operations. The conversation connects precise on-farm impacts—like average daily gain cut in half when lysine runs short and broiler meat yield slipping by double digits—to the bigger picture of U.S. food security and supply chain resilience. We dig into what the data say: where lysine, methionine, threonine, and tryptophan matter most by species and phase; how vitamin A, B-complex, D, and E shape animal health and carcass yield; and why reformulating with corn, soybean meal, DDGS, or fish meal is only a partial fix. You’ll hear how higher crude protein can strain gut health and barns, why costs can spike more than 50% when replacing methionine in poultry diets, and where ingredient-based vitamin replacement simply hits a wall. Then we zoom out to trade realities: imports of vitamins rising from roughly 68% to 76%, a widening price discount from China encouraging least-cost rations, and vitamin A capacity utilization hovering around 40–50%, all pointing to fragility in a system that looks cheap—until it is not. We talk through practical resilience moves for producers and nutrition teams, from mapping critical nutrients and testing reformulation scenarios to diversifying suppliers and considering targeted inventories. On the policy side, we explore why tariffs likely miss the mark for vitamins, and how credible data equips stakeholders to pursue smarter levers that encourage diversified capacity and faster approvals for alternative sources. Want the details? The full 200-plus-page report, a 12-page summary, and species sub-reports are available at ifeeder.org. If this conversation helps you plan better, subscribe, share with your team, and leave a review. Your feedback guides future deep dives and keeps these industry-critical insights flowing.

Akralos Animal Nutrition, a new North American animal feed and nutrition company, officially launched Feb. 1. Formed through a joint venture between global agriculture leaders ADM and Alltech, Akralos combines Alltech’s U.S.-based Hubbard Feeds and Canada-based Masterfeeds businesses with ADM’s U.S. feed operations. Operating an extensive network of more than 40 feed mills across North America and supported by more than 1,400 team members, Akralos delivers reliable, high-quality feeds, minerals and supplements through its trusted brands, backed by advanced nutrition expertise, leading-edge science and personalized service. We talk with Alltech President and CEO Dr. Mark Lyons to learn more about the longstanding relationship between the two companies, the unified organization's mission and what's ahead.

Proof builds trust, and trust keeps the supply chain moving. We take you inside the Common Swine Industry Audit (CSIA) to show how one science-based, third-party verification practices helps producers and packers demonstrate animal welfare and pre-harvest pork safety with clarity and credibility. With guests Brooke Kitting, CSIA task force co-chair and senior veterinarian at Seaboard Foods, and Stephanie Wetter, Director of Animal Welfare at the National Pork Board, we explore why a single recognized audit reduces duplicative demands while protecting freedom to operate for farms of every size. We break down the 2026 CSIA updates that matter most. The audit now reflects the Five Domains model, shifting from a narrow focus on avoiding negatives to recognizing positive welfare states that contribute to a good life for pigs. You’ll hear how the animal benchmarking section evolves, why sampling is being expanded to detect low-frequency issues with greater confidence, and how clear transport space and handling criteria close critical gaps between barn and plant. These changes align with PQA Plus and TQA, creating a teach–implement–verify loop that matches what caretakers do every day and what customers expect to see documented. Beyond passing a checklist, the goal is a reliable feedback loop that drives continuous improvement and builds stronger trust with processors, retailers, and global customers. Ready to see how a single, science-backed practices can raise the bar for welfare, safety, and transparency across U.S. pork? Follow the show, share this episode with your team, and leave a quick review to tell us what change you’re most excited about.

A single stretch of water can set the tone for global prices, rural incomes, and the cost of everyday goods. We dive into the Mississippi River Ship Channel with Ken Erickson of Polaris Analytics and Consulting and Sean Duffy of the Big River Coalition to unpack new, verifiable numbers that quantify its outsized role in U.S. trade. The study pegs $226.5 billion in annual value moving through a corridor that links Midwest barges to ocean-going vessels, stitching together grain exports, fertilizer supply, refined products, coal, cement, aggregates, and more into a single, high-throughput system. We explore how reliability turns into real money: why every foot of lost draft can raise ocean freight rates about 2%, how brief closures ripple into weaker basis for farmers, and where those costs land first in local communities—lost output, fewer labor hours, and thinner tax receipts. The conversation traces supply chains from Baton Rouge past New Orleans to the Gulf, highlighting five deepwater ports that together handle nearly 500 million tons a year. We also address policy head-on, showing how hard data—sourced from vessel agents, customs districts, and industry partners—strengthens the case for sustained dredging and smarter infrastructure funding. If this story of data, infrastructure, and competitiveness speaks to you, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review to help others find it.

Most farms chase averages and miss the levers that actually move sow productivity. We pull back the curtain on what truly drives reproduction and lifetime output: preparing gilts with purpose, managing health and stress to guard genetic potential, and leaning on objective, repeatable data instead of gut feel. With Dr. Chad Yoder of Elanco Animal Health, we connect the dots between environment, selection intensity, and the everyday choices that decide whether a sow flourishes or falls behind. We start by challenging one-size-fits-all SOPs. Housing systems, health status, and pen design aren’t background details—they’re the context that shapes outcomes. From stall-based to ESF group housing, the plan must fit the barn. Then we dive into body condition as a precision tool: why over-fat sows struggle to farrow and milk, why thin sows miss rebreed targets, and how calipers and emerging camera tech turn subjective scoring into actionable numbers. Consistent checkpoints through gestation and lactation let you course-correct before performance slips. Stress control is the quiet superpower. Each biological milestone—entry, training, breeding, farrowing, lactation—adds load and inflammation that erode potential. Smart handling, fewer movements, cleaner spaces, and well-timed nutrition or feed-grade interventions help sows stay on track. We pair that with data discipline: routine diagnostics to define health status, distribution analysis to spot weak subgroups, and year-over-year benchmarking to keep pace with genetic gains. Finally, we spotlight gilt development and selection—boar exposure, structure scoring, vulva size, body condition—and the advantage of raising more gilts than you need so you can select only the best. If you’re ready to shift from averages to precision—feeding where the sow is and where she needs to be, selecting for longevity, and reading data that actually guides action—this conversation is your playbook. Subscribe, share with your team, and leave a review with the one metric you’ll start tracking differently this week.

Protein took the main stage in the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and we dig into why eggs rose to the top. With Emily Metz, President and CEO of the American Egg Board, we explore the real-food case for eggs: complete protein, nutrient density, affordability, and a versatility that works for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything between. We also clear the air on cholesterol with current science and discuss how consumer understanding has shifted from fear to trust. The conversation turns to new brain health research, including studies indicating a relationship between eating two eggs a day and a lower risk of Alzheimer’s dementia. We talk about nutrients like choline and lutein, why this matters as populations age, and how simple, daily habits can support cognitive health. If you’re focused on satiety or navigating GLP1 medications, eggs offer a compact calorie-to-protein ratio that makes sticking to a higher-protein pattern easier and more satisfying. From the industry side, we shares why the guidelines validate years of research support from egg farmers. We also look ahead to IPPE highlights, consumer education around all-day egg eating, and the role of U.S. egg products in promising export markets. Enjoy the episode, share it with a friend who still thinks eggs are only for breakfast, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show.

Planning a smart, efficient International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) 2026 starts long before you hit the show floor. We break down the must-see sessions, the most valuable networking spots, and the tools that will help you navigate 665,000 square feet of exhibits and nearly 1,400 companies without missing the moments that matter. We talk with Victoria Broehm of the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) to find out more about a free AFIA Feed Production Education Program delivering fast, useful updates on FDA’s new ingredient review and consultation processes, GRAS reforms, EPA’s approach to formaldehyde, and OSHA’s heat injury and illness prevention rules. Add in practical mycotoxin management and you’ve got a crisp briefing to align your team on compliance, quality, and operational risk. From there, the AFIA nutrition program reframes “old” ingredients with new data on animal health, feed efficiency, and sustainability, plus micro and macro ingredient trends that inform modern ration design and clear consumer communication. Pet food leaders will find an all-day conference that digs into AI for recipe design and kibble production, along with the rise of black soldier fly larvae as a credible protein option. Expect regulatory perspective from FDA and fresh insights from students shaping the future of pet nutrition. On the Tech Talks stage, AFIA and iFeeder share new research on vitamin and amino acid supply chains, showing how disruptions can ripple across species and how to plan resilient procurement. The Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit connects the dots between ingredient innovation, feed efficiency, and measurable progress across poultry, meat, and feed. We also map the lighter, high-value touchpoints: a show-floor happy hour with a country vibe, courtyard meetups, and the return of the hot wing challenge. First-timer or veteran, bring a buddy, download the app, plan your routes, and bookmark lunch spots near your sessions to keep your energy up and your calendar tight. Subscribe, share this guide with your team, and leave a review telling us which session or technology you’re most excited to explore. For more information, visit ippexpo.org.

Milk yield, fertility, and resilience don’t start in the parlor—they start at the intestinal barrier. We sit down with Dr. Elliot Neto, Dairy Technical Service Manager at Kemin North America, to unpack why gut integrity is the hidden driver of modern dairy performance and how a leaky barrier quietly siphons energy, components, and profit. From calves with permeable, naive guts to fresh cows facing intake swings and heat stress, we connect the physiology to practical decisions that make or break the lactation curve. We walk through the core stressors that challenge the intestine: inconsistent colostrum delivery, abrupt weaning, pathogenic pressure from E. coli and Salmonella, transition-related drops in dry matter intake, and rising heat stress that redirects blood away from the gut. Dr. Neto explains the cascade when tight junctions fail—LPS translocation, systemic inflammation, and glucose diverted from milk to the immune response—translating into lost kilograms of milk per day, poorer feed efficiency, and higher disease risk. The message is clear: protect the barrier and you protect the balance sheet. Then we get tactical. We dig into strain-specific probiotics—especially characterized Bacillus subtilis—that deliver three proven modes of action: pathogen inhibition via antimicrobial metabolites, inflammation reduction through signaling control, and quorum quenching to block pathogen communication and biofilms. For calves, that means fewer scours and steadier intake; for transition cows, stronger barriers, better DMI, improved liver function, and higher peak milk. We also discuss Kemin’s research frontier: genomic strain mapping, metabolite profiling, biomarkers like circulating LPS and tight junction proteins, and functional nutrition with targeted amino acids and postbiotics. If you’re ready to stop chasing gut problems and start building resilience, this conversation gives you the roadmap and the why behind it. Subscribe, share this episode with your nutritionist or herd manager, and leave a review telling us the one gut-health change you’ll implement this season.

A billion-dollar-plus disease problem demands more than wishful thinking, so we went straight to the genetics that keep pigs alive and growing when pathogens hit. With Dr. Jenelle Dunkelberger of Topigs Norsvin, we unpack the science and the on-farm relevance of breeding for disease resilience—how it’s measured, predicted, and proven in real barns. The conversation starts with new analysis on PRRS costs and moves quickly into what genomic selection can do for finding and scaling animals that sustain growth and cut losses under challenge. We trace the story from customer reports of hardier terminal lines to controlled, side-by-side trials that tracked mortality, growth, clinical scores, and treatments from wean to market. The results confirmed a resilience edge but also revealed a crucial insight: large differences among sires within the same line. That variation is the engine of progress. By estimating breeding values for resilience and validating them in challenge trials, the team saw predicted high-resilience progeny suffer about half the mortalities of the low-resilience group—a result that turns genomic predictions into tangible, barn-level outcomes. We also dig into heritability. Under standard conditions, mortality looks barely heritable. Under real challenge, heritability rises into the low-to-moderate range, accelerating genetic gain and giving producers a tool that compounds with each generation. With a reference population built since 2017 and continuously updated with current isolates and genetics, the roadmap points to resilience-forward offerings targeted for 2026. Most importantly, we clarify resilience versus resistance: not blocking every infection, but breeding pigs that cope, recover, and keep converting feed when the environment gets tough. If you care about pig livability, throughput, and the true cost of disease, this conversation translates complex genetics into practical decisions for sourcing and selection. Tune in, subscribe for more data-driven livestock insights, and leave a review to tell us what resilience questions you want answered next.

Some ideas feel too simple to matter—until the data proves they move the needle on survival. We sit down with Dr. Jordan Gebhardt from Kansas State University to unpack how feed form, small management choices, and genetics combine to cut nursery removals and mortality. From creep feed strategy to the surprising power of very large pellets, we explore why pigs eat more when feed doubles as a social stimulus and how that early intake protects against the post-weaning dip. We break down practical tools producers can apply right away: when and how to use mat feeding to accelerate feed discovery, what gruel feeding frequency actually changes, and how to prioritize labor for the moments that count. Jordan shares fresh research showing no advantage for four-times-daily gruel feeding over twice daily, freeing up time for better pen-walks and faster fallback identification. We also cover a head-turning genetic angle: divergently selected Duroc sire lines respond differently to weaning stress, with early-maturing lines eating sooner and losing less weight, while later-maturing lines make their gains in finishing. It’s a clear reminder to align genetic choices with system goals and health pressure. The biggest unlock may start upstream. Roughly two-thirds of wean-to-finish survivability variation traces back to the sow farm—colostrum, health status, and gilt development set the stage long before the nursery. When teams pair a better weaned pig with consistent basics—clean water, fresh feed, dry floors, and engaged caretakers—mortality drops. If you want a playbook that’s proven, practical, and ready for tomorrow’s chores, this conversation delivers. If you learn something useful, follow the show, share it with your team, and leave a quick review so more producers can find it.

Think water is the simplest input on a swine farm? We open the waterlines and find a living system that can quietly limit growth, blunt medications, and raise mortality if it goes unmanaged. With Dr. Gabi Doughan from Iowa State University, we connect barn-floor realities to lab-backed strategies that turn “clean enough” water into a performance advantage. We walk through a practical roadmap for testing what truly matters at the source and the drinker: pH and hardness that drive mineral scale, trace minerals that affect palatability and toxicity, and TDS, sulfates, and nitrates that can tip pigs into gut upsets. Just as important, we spotlight the biological side—coliforms, E. coli, and biofilms—that hides in hoses and nipples even when the well looks fine. Dr. Doughan explains how biofilms shelter microbes, carry resistance genes, and inactivate treatments, making water-administered medications unreliable if the system isn’t controlled. From there, we get tactical. You’ll hear how to build a testing plan across the line, choose compatible chemistries for descaling and biofilm penetration, and set a continuous disinfection regimen that holds gains between periodic shocks. We discuss measurable outcomes producers are seeing—improved average daily gain, stronger feed efficiency, and meaningful drops in mortality—and why verifying dose at the end-of-line is essential when delivering medications through water. The result is a clear, repeatable framework that aligns animal health, antimicrobial stewardship, and operational efficiency. If you care about better growth and fewer surprises, this conversation will help you turn water into a managed asset instead of a guess. Follow the show, share it with your team, and leave a review with one change you’ll make to your water program today.