Memories of raising purebred Durocs, taking boars to the test stations and following his father around Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College’s farm remain fresh in Russell Fent’s mind decades later. He credits his deep passion for the swine industry to his father’s love for animal science.
“He was super knowledgeable and passionate about animal husbandry and all things agriculture, so that inspired me,” Fent says.
Even more important than his father’s skill was his selfless service to others.
“My dad advised a lot of students during his years of teaching and pushed them to achieve greater things than they thought possible of themselves,” Fent says. “That’s a pretty cool thing to be able to watch happen from the passenger’s seat growing up. He was great at relating to people from all backgrounds and could put information in terms that anyone could take and apply.”
It’s no surprise Fent pursued his education at NEO and Oklahoma State University, where he competed on the livestock judging teams. He worked at the swine unit with Kim Brock at Oklahoma State where he eventually went on to pursue his master’s in swine nutrition under Dr. Scott Carter. After getting his Ph.D. under Dr. Gary Allee at the University of Missouri, he was offered a job with Ralco Nutrition Inc. and has been there for the past 21 years.
Read on to learn more about his career as the swine technical team director at Ralco – from his business philosophy to his views on the future of the U.S. pork industry.
Tell me about your business and your ‘why.’
- Ralco’s founder was ahead of his time and had a vision during the ‘70s of feeding animals as naturally as possible. The company has embraced this over the years. We research natural technologies and then implement those into practical production scenarios where they fit. The company is deeply rooted in the principles of faith, family and doing what’s right. That’s the backdrop of our ‘why’ to enhance animal performance and producer efficiencies to ultimately help the producer customers.
Describe a typical day on the job.
- My job is a good blend between research and development, but also applied implementation of projects. I work with a great swine technical team to provide technical support for both internal and external customers. This includes health-supporting technologies that we develop and nutrition formulation and diet implementation. On the innovation side, I help identify new technologies and determine research needs around those. I oversee research experiments and data evaluations involving those technologies.
How does your company help its customers?
- On a fundamental level, we develop technologies. Most of what we develop are natural-based technologies that we research and implement with the goal to support health and productivity. We identify the most pressing industry challenges and tailor strategies specific to those challenges. Additionally, we do full-circle nutrition. We sell premixes to customers that they will add on the farm or at the feed mill. We also provide formulation and technical support.
How has the business changed over the years?
- When I first started my job, Ralco was new in the phytonutrient space. I can remember when I first was introduced to the company and thinking, ‘what is this stuff?’ There wasn’t a lot of information back then, so we had to dig in and conduct research at the ground level, building appropriate data and overcoming skepticism in the field. Through that research validation and applied success, natural-based phytonutrient technologies have become more widely accepted in industry. The learnings over those years allow us to dial down more specifically now on the strengths of different phytonutrients. We can then match those properties to specific challenges we see in the industry.
What are the biggest challenges facing the swine industry?
- The first thing that comes to mind is labor resources – in all aspects. It starts with being able to attract quality talent to all jobs associated with the swine industry, making sure we have the labor and talent source coming into the industry. In the future, if the production labor does become more limited as we go, the question will become, ‘How will that impact some of our associated management processes? Will some management have to adjust based upon that?’ Another concern is health, whether it’s new viral strains that are affecting animals or the risk of foreign animal disease. I also think a lot about capturing the value of pork quality in the future. How could producers capture that value? If they invest in something that increases pork quality, how would they capture that value back or be incentivized to do those things?
What are the greatest opportunities in the swine industry?
- Pork has a great opportunity right now. It is a very cost-effective and quality protein source. Coupled with the fact that the U.S. already has an extremely safe and quality food supply, I think there’s an opportunity to grow demand both domestically and internationally.
What is your business philosophy?
- Bob Galbraith, Ralco’s founder, always said, ‘People buy from people, not from companies.’ The root of that was in having good relationships with people – treating people fairly, and being honest and ethical. I can see how that’s displayed in our company’s mission and values. Ralco’s mission is to steward our God-given gifts to enhance the vitality of plants and animals for a safe and abundant global food supply. We’ve continued to refine our principles that guide how we work and treat people. They include courageous curiosity, driven to deliver, master your craft, root for the team and earn the relationship. I believe our founder’s vision is intertwined through all of those business principles.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
- I love working with a talented group of people to develop a technology. I enjoy taking a project through from ideation to research and development to implementation. But the real payoff is when you actually put it into practice, solving a problem for a producer. That makes the long process so rewarding when you see it come to fruition.
What will the business look like 20 years from now?
- I think it will involve a greater use of technology. I know that’s a big bucket, but I think of it in terms of farm management. I think it will likely be expanded through the use of technologies and associated equipment that goes with the technology to help with efficiency of labor and animal performance. The other piece of it is the rapid expansion of technology to help in the decision-making process. I think that’s going to continue to expand quite a bit in our business.
If you could do something differently in your career, what would it be?
- I’m not sure there’s much I would change in the grand scheme of things, outside of deepening learning in certain areas. When I came out of graduate school, I pursued my Ph.D. because I wanted to go the academia route. In my Ph.D. program, I had the opportunity with Dr. Allee to do industry-related research. That led to this industry role with Ralco and I’ve been here ever since I left graduate school.
What advice do you have for someone who might like to do what you do someday?
- Keep an open mind to new technologies. Oftentimes we get used to what we’re used to. Having an open mind to think outside the box and look at new things is important. You still need to learn to do good research, investigate and critically evaluate. But during that process, keep an open mind as that’s how we broaden our horizons and find new technologies that work. The other aspect is to embrace a good work ethic. You must be ready to help customers at all times, and some of that comes outside of 9-to-5 hours. Dad always said, ‘The pigs still eat on Christmas morning, and you need to go feed them.’ You have to be open to helping people when they need it, and sometimes that’s an evening or weekend. On the soft skill side of things, I’ve learned it is even more important for people to learn emotional intelligence and how emotions affect others. Learning to work with a wide array of personalities will help you be more successful.
