Eggheads

A few months ago, Eggheads had the pleasure of running a booth at the PEAK Conference in Minneapolis. We met so many different folks working in the egg world, and felt so inspired by all of the incredible things we saw going on within the industry. So today, we wanted to sit down with one of the people who made it all possible.  Lisa Henning is a board member for the Midwest Poultry Association, t...

Glenn Hickman is the president of Hickman's Family Farms, one of the largest egg producers in the southwestern US. You'd think that their location in the middle of the Sonoran desert, well outside the range of migratory birds, would keep them safe from outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). But that was unfortunately not the case.  After taking root in a nearby dairy farm, HPAI spi...

Why are so few young people pursuing careers in the skilled trades? For Aaron Witt, the founder of BuildWitt, the problem is a lack of visibility. For too many young people coming out of high school, the trades just don't end up on their radar. And he knows that firsthand, because he was one of those kids.  As a teenager, Aaron got a summer job working on a construction project in his hometown of...

Today, we return to our special 'Scramble' format, where some of our most trusted experts break down some of the most pressing issues facing the egg industry today.  First up, Dr. Kay Russo joins us to talk about the current situation with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, and why the number of outbreaks has declined so dramatically in recent months. We also get into the HPAI situation in the dai...

We've talked before about how government policy has prevented the egg industry from using vaccines to fight Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. But if there was a policy shift tomorrow, and producers were given the green light to immunize their birds, what would that effort even look like? Where would the vaccines comes from? How would we know they're safe and effective? How much would they cost? A...

This week on Eggheads , we're chatting with Dr. Ken Anderson, a long-time poultry scientist and a Professor in the Prestage Department of Poultry Science at North Carolina State University. Ken has been working with eggs since he was 6 years old, and his perspective is informed by a wealth of hands-on industrial and academic experience. One of his biggest contributions is a project called the Laye...

This week on Eggheads , we sit down with Mark Kellen, Executive Vice President at Daybreak Foods, to explore the mindset, skillset, and lived experience behind leadership in the egg industry. From his beginnings on a small family farm in Minnesota to overseeing operations across six states, Mark’s journey is rooted in curiosity, adaptability, and an unwavering commitment to his team. We unpack wha...

This week on Eggheads , we sit down with Dr. Maurice Pitesky, veterinary epidemiologist at UC Davis and founder of AgriNerds , to explore how technology—think radar, satellites, and spatial modeling—is reshaping disease prevention in the poultry industry. His tool, the Waterfowl Alert Network, helps producers track wild bird movement in real time, offering a red-light, green-light system for asses...

In this special roundtable edition of Eggheads , we bring back “The Scramble”—our unfiltered format where leading voices in the egg industry sit down to tackle the Avian Influenza chaos head-on. Host Greg Schoenfeld is joined by three experts at the forefront: Dr. Kay Russo, veterinarian and virologist, Brian Moscogiuri, egg market analyst, and Jacques Klempf, former egg producer and industry vete...

Sustainability, animal welfare, and transparency—are they just buzzwords, or true commitments? This week we sit down with Sandra Vijn, Managing Director of Kipster USA , to explore how the company is rethinking the entire system—from upcycled feed to carbon-neutral farming. Kipster is aiming to redefine what ethical egg farming looks like. Sandra shares how Kipster’s model challenges conventional...

Egg prices have been anything but stable in recent years, and behind every price shift is a complex web of market forces. In this episode, we sit down with Karyn Rispoli, Managing Editor of Eggs at Expana , to break down how egg pricing really works. From avian influenza outbreaks wiping out millions of layers to shifting market dynamics and the intricacies of price reporting, we explore why the e...

The egg industry is changing, and at the center of that transformation is a bold mission: ending chick culling globally. In this episode, Greg sits down with Respeggt Group’s Silvin Faulstitch to explore how their groundbreaking in-ovo sexing technology is reshaping hatcheries. Respeggt’s approach has evolved from early research to a fully automated production line that allows hatcheries to determ...

What does it take to succeed in the egg industry? According to Mark Kleinsmith, it’s a mix of hard work, persistence, and sometimes… shaving your mustache to close a deal. In this episode, Greg sits down with Mark, a legendary industry salesman whose career spans decades of innovation, market shifts, and unforgettable negotiations. Mark shares wild tales from his time in the field, from 5:30 AM sw...

What does it take to keep a poultry farm safe from disease outbreaks? In this episode of Eggheads , Greg sits down with Jack Hughes , a biosecurity advisor at LiveTec Systems based in the UK. Jack shares his perspective on how proactive measures, innovative solutions, and a disciplined mindset can transform the way farmers protect their operations. From the risks posed by migratory birds to the im...

What drives a 22-year-old to take on the world of egg farming? In this episode of Eggheads , Greg sits down with Michael Jimenez, the founder and CEO of JMZ Farms . Starting with a single baby chick named Peaches in his mom’s backyard, Michael has grown JMZ Farms into a thriving pasture-raised egg operation.  Michael shares how his entrepreneurial spirit and a high school business plan paved the w...

Greg sits down with Ryan Bennett, Executive Director of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs and the International Poultry Welfare Alliance, to discuss his journey from public policy to driving sustainability in agriculture. With a career rooted in supporting farmers and improving industry practices, Ryan shares how he transitioned from lobbying in DC to leading initiatives that...

Today, Greg Schoenfeld sits down with Danny Leckie, CEO of Hatch for Hunger , to learn about his journey from corporate agriculture to leading a mission-driven nonprofit. With roots in feeding people that trace back through his career, Danny shares how he transitioned from big agriculture to Hatch for Hunger, where he’s now tackling food insecurity by providing fresh, sustainable proteins like egg...

Today Greg Schoenfeld sits down with the "Queen of the Coop," Lisa Steele -- the fifth-generation chicken keeper behind Fresh Eggs Daily , to explore her unique path from Wall Street to the farm. Lisa shares how her family’s tradition of raising chickens, which traces back to Finland, influenced her shift from accounting to becoming one of the most recognized voices in the backyard chicken communi...

In the debut episode of The Egghead Scramble , host Greg Schoenefeld reconnects with industry experts Brian Moscogiuri, VP of Eggs Unlimited, and Dr. Kay Russo, a leading veterinarian, to tackle the most pressing issues facing the egg industry today. Together, they dive into the economic turmoil caused by recent avian influenza outbreaks, which have led to record-high egg prices and significant su...

In this episode, we explore the cutting-edge of agricultural innovation with Robert Yaman, CEO of Innovate Animal Ag . A veteran of the tech industry, Robert is focused on in-ovo sexing technology, which addresses the significant issue of male chick culling in the egg industry. By determining the sex of a chick before it hatches, this technology promotes both animal welfare and sustainability. Rob...

In this episode, we dive into the bold gamble that changed the organic egg farming game. Cameron Whitehead, COO of Pete & Gerry's , shares the inspiring story of how a small family farm in Monroe, New Hampshire, went from the brink of collapse to becoming a trailblazer in the organic egg industry. In the 1990s, when 'organic' was still a rarity, Pete & Gerry’s made a daring move that saved...

Jacques Klempf is a true veteran in the egg industry, with a family legacy that spans three generations of egg farming. In this episode, we learn about his remarkable journey, starting with his grandfather’s humble beginnings as an egg candler, through his father’s entrepreneurial drive, and into Jacques' own leadership in the modern egg industry. We explore how Jacques embraced technological adva...

In this episode of Eggheads , Greg discusses the evolving role of poultry veterinarians with Dan Wilson, lead veterinarian and owner of Wilson Vet Co. Dan shares his unconventional path into poultry veterinary care, starting from his rural Indiana roots and leading to his impactful work and thought leadership in the egg industry. We explore the unique challenges of poultry health, including the im...

It's almost impossible to have a conversation about eggs without discussing the pressing issue of avian influenza. In this episode, we talk about its spillover into cattle populations with Dr. Kay Russo , a veterinarian from RSM Consulting. Dr. Russo shares her extensive experience in animal health, focusing on the critical importance of biosecurity and management practices in both the dairy and p...

Greg discusses navigating the confusing world of nutrition advice with the "Guilt-Free RD" Melissa Joy Dobbins , a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. They discuss the fluctuating dietary trends, the nature of nutrition research, and the role of critical thinking in making informed food choices. Melissa shares insights on the benefits of eggs, debunking the cholesterol myth, and...