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Q. What keeps you up at night?
A. African swine fever (ASF) concerns me immensely as it has potential to devastate our industry in North America. Seeing how Europe has had to battle it, seeing how Vietnam, the Philippines and China had to battle it, unfortunately it feels like it’s just a matter of time before we have to battle it. It will not be pretty.
Q. What is your business philosophy?
A. Business to me is about finding a solution to somebody’s problem within the product range you have to offer. It’s about finding the right mix, the right package that fulfills somebody else’s need while making a little bit of money at the same time. It’s really about helping fill an unmet need.
Q. What will the business look like 20 years from now?
A. When I look at the swine genetics industry, there’s a cornucopia of genetic companies out there. There are a few big, large global players, but there’s literally hundreds of smaller, family-run genetic companies that are out there around the world. So, 20 years from now, I would assume that the industry is going to look a lot more like the layer or turkey industry where there’s a handful, maybe five or six, very large global players. There will still probably be a few more beyond that, but most of the genetic world I think, will be in the hands of a few of companies.
Q. If you could go back and do something differently in your career, what would it be and why?
A. Take more risks early in your career. I started off in the animal nutrition world and I enjoyed that. I probably could have taken more risks earlier in my career which could have led to different or more opportunities. I learned that lesson later in my career than I should have. If you always stand on the sidelines and don’t take the risk, you’ll never reap the rewards. If you have an idea or get presented with an opportunity, go for it. What do you have to lose early in your career? We all want to play it a little safe when we start out, but the reality is there are opportunities out there. If you don’t put your hand up or say, “Here’s an idea,” you aren’t learning. You are being too safe.
Q. What advice do you have for someone who might like to do what you do someday?
A. Learn as much as you can about the industry you want to be in. Participate in the industry you want to be in. Be on committees. Work with the National Pork Board. Volunteer for things in your industry. You’ll meet a whole host of people and learn a whole lot. The more that you do that, the more valuable you are and more skill you’ll have to help our industry.
Q. How do you think COVID-19 has and will continue to impact the future of the pork industry?
A. COVID-19 kicked us in the butt last year with the slowdown of packing plants and getting hogs to market. Economically, it was devastating. We are reaping rewards at the moment while the rest of the world languishes with ASF concerns. COVID-19 has changed the way we do business in terms of being able to do face-to-face stuff. Our business has changed a lot, too. We used to travel a lot, but that’s not happening and is not likely to come back at the same pace either. Good or bad, COVID-19 has changed our industry and a little about how we approach things. Are we out of it? I don’t think so, but hopefully we will be soon.
More from Farm Journal’s PORK:
PORK Perspectives: A Minute with Pat Joyce
PORK Perspectives: A Minute with John Waddell
PORK Perspectives: A Minute with Frank Brummer
PORK Perspectives: A Minute with Mark Bienhoff
