About the Guests
Return on investment and payback are not the same number, and treating them as the same changes which projects on a farm ever get funded. Today on the Popular Pig Podcast, host Matthew Rooda welcomes Brian Strobel and Alex Adams to talk about precision feeding, technology implementation, and what they see on farms in Europe, China and Australia. You will hear why a change only sticks when the crew knows there is no going back, what individual feeding records let you prove about animal care, and the one job Brian does not expect a robot to take.
Brian Strobel has extensive experience in the swine industry, with a background spanning open gestation, lactation, growing pigs, gilt development, genetic selection, precision livestock technology, and farm management.
Brian has authored five articles for ASABE Resource magazine covering RFID, pre-wean mortality, labor and technology, gilt development practices, and water consumption. He serves as Treasurer for the National Swine Improvement Federation (NSIF) and is a member of the Pork Leadership Institute Class of 2025.
His industry experience includes working for Murphy Brown and Osborne, as well as serving as a contract grower for Smithfield and JBS until 2020. He also has extensive experience with lactation heating and genetic equipment.
Brian grew up near Greenville, Ohio, and is a general partner in his family partnership, which includes multiple farms and properties. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Systems from The Ohio State University in 1991, a Certificate in Civil Engineering Technology, a master’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from Purdue University in 1996, and an MBA from Ohio University in 2001. He received his Professional Engineering (PE) license in 2007.
Brian and his family reside in Knoxville, Tennessee. He and his wife, Catherine, have two children, Sophia and Austin. He is active in his church and community through several organizations and volunteer efforts, and he plays violin.
What can you expect to learn from this episode of Popular Pig?
- Why a change on farm only sticks when the crew knows there is no going back.
- How individual feeding records let you prove animal care instead of defending it.
- What return on investment should actually mean, and why stopping at payback costs you.
- Where technology earns its place in the barn, and the one job it should not take.
- Brian & Adam’s “Golden Nugget”
