The Poultry Leadership Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Egg prices can fall faster than your feed bill, and that’s when “normal” nutrition habits start burning cash. We sit down with Curtis Novak, PhD , Director of Poultry at Alltech , to get practical about what layer farms can do right now to reduce feed cost per ton without accidentally crashing egg production, shell quality, or livability. Curtis brings both bench science and field...

Send us Fan Mail The International Egg Foundation is building an infrastructure of hope across nutritionally disadvantaged regions — and the humble egg is at the center of it. When a teacher reported her students were getting loud, wild, and "naughty" after a school started serving eggs, that complaint was actually proof something was finally working. Children who'd been running on...

Send us Fan Mail Most leaders in the agricultural industry know AI is coming. Far fewer have actually figured out how to use it in a way that makes their day-to-day leadership better — not someday, but this week. In this solo episode, Brandon Mulnix shares what happened when he stopped treating AI like a search engine and started using it as a thinking partner. Over the last quarter, he used AI to...

Send us Fan Mail Prices spike, headlines swirl, and a humble staple turns into a cultural flashpoint. We sat down with Emily Metz, CEO of the American Egg Board, to unpack how the egg industry is rebuilding trust, boosting demand, and standing up new tools to keep farmers and consumers on the same side of the table. From a 50-year mandate to market eggs and fund research, to hands-on support for p...

Send us Fan Mail A fourth-generation story rarely follows a straight line, and George Weaver IV proves it. From sneaking into trade shows as a kid and napping under booth tables to helping steer a 90-person team, George invites us into a family business that measures success by people, not just pallets. He shares how his dad’s stroke pushed him into responsibility early, what it took to rebuild wi...

Send us Fan Mail Season three opens with a candid, funny, and deeply human conversation that spans leadership change, end-of-life care, family milestones, and the surprising ways a poultry podcast can move people. Brandon shares what “managing up” looked like through a leadership transition at Prism Controls—how learning a new boss’s values and cadence sharpened communication and trust over time....

Send us Fan Mail A blue jacket can change a life. We sit down with Michigan FFA state officer and MSU agribusiness student William Rogers to trace how one classroom broiler project became a launchpad for leadership, real business skills, and a clear career path in modern agriculture and the poultry supply chain. From public speaking nerves to state office, William breaks down the steps that built...

Send us Fan Mail What if your hen house burned tonight—would your plan hold? We sit down with Brett Cohrs, CRM and Senior Vice President at Palomar Insurance, to unpack what’s really changing in poultry insurance and how leaders can turn risk management into a competitive edge. From rate softening for large layered property programs to tighter appetites for smaller growers, Brett explains why dedu...

Send us Fan Mail A slow Sunday at a neighborhood lounge turned into the spark for a national brand. Raechel Van Buskirk shares how a grumpy regular, a tray of sriracha bacon deviled eggs, and pure curiosity unlocked a simple truth: everyone loves deviled eggs, no one wants to make them. That insight carried her from bar brunches to trailers, a mall push-cart next to a missing Santa, a full-service...

Send us Fan Mail Power problems don’t announce themselves—they show up as dead fans, stressed birds, and energy bills that creep higher every month. We invited superintendent electrician Cody Pommer of Interstates to walk through the electrical decisions that quietly decide whether a poultry site runs smooth for years or limps from fix to fix. Together, we unpack where farms get into trouble—moist...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 37 is jumping back to where it all began: Episode 1 with Benji Campbell of Cal-Maine Foods: What does it take to lead in the poultry industry during times of unprecedented challenges? General Manager Benji Campbell of Cal Maine Foods opens up about his journey in egg production management, sharing how family entrepreneurship shaped his leadership approach from the very beg...

Send us Fan Mail When a headhunter asked Budd Bentley, "How do you feel about chickens and eggs?" in late 2019, it marked the beginning of a transformative journey. After decades in automotive engineering and technology development, Bentley was about to step into the unfamiliar world of poultry technology as President of PMSI (now Prism Controls). In this revealing conversation with Bran...

Send us Fan Mail Ever feel like you're wearing an emotional mask at work? You're not alone. Brandon Mulnix sits down with TEDx speaker and breathwork practitioner Sam Kabert to explore the hidden mental health challenges that plague even the most successful leaders. Sam shares his remarkable journey from building a seven-figure business while working just four hours daily to confronting...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when 400 vegan activists storm your chicken houses? How do you rally an entire county to defeat a ballot measure designed to eliminate family farming? And what drives someone to keep producing food when faced with one existential threat after another? Mike Weber, fourth-generation California egg farmer, doesn't just survive challenges—he transforms them into oppo...

Send us Fan Mail When financial stress grips your mind, everything suffers - your health, your relationships, and especially your leadership. This revealing conversation with Matt Paradise takes us from his remarkable journey through teen homelessness and addiction to becoming a respected financial wellness expert who now helps leaders build healthier financial futures. The statistics are startlin...

Send us Fan Mail Jay Dee Graber sits at a fascinating intersection in the poultry industry as president of Michiana Equipment. Serving northern Indiana's substantial Amish farming community, he bridges traditional agricultural practices with modern poultry production requirements while navigating his own journey from reluctant family business participant to determined second-generation leader...

Send us Fan Mail A gentle voice with decades of wisdom, Mohamed Mousa reveals how his childhood experience of losing baby chicks in Egypt became the foundation for revolutionary animal welfare practices that transformed an entire industry. From tending a small flock by the Nile River to implementing poultry management systems across the globe, Mohamed's 40-year journey contains profound lesso...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered how the chicken on your plate became so efficient to produce? The answer lies in cutting-edge genetic science happening behind the scenes at companies like Cobb-Ventress. Brandon Mulnix sits down with William Herring, Vice President of Cobb-Ventress, at the Animal Ag Tech Innovation Summit in Dallas to uncover the fascinating intersection of artificial intelligence,...

Send us Fan Mail John Graham's life reads like an adventure novel, but with a profound transformation at its core. At just 17, he left behind his sheltered existence in Tacoma, Washington, for a summer job on a freighter bound for the Far East. That voyage would set him on a path of increasingly dangerous adventures spanning decades and continents. Graham recounts harrowing experiences with r...

Send us Fan Mail Jay Halliday of Vaxinova joins host Brandon Molnix for a heartfelt conversation about servant leadership that goes far beyond traditional management advice. Their candid exchange dives into how leadership principles transform not just workplaces but every human relationship. Jay shares his unexpected journey into agriculture through his language skills, which launched him into an...

Send us Fan Mail What drives you to get out of bed each morning? Is it just to collect a paycheck, or is there something deeper fueling your motivation? Brian Bosché, author of "The Purpose Factor," never expected his life to take such a dramatic turn. After achieving his dream job as a national journalist only to lose it a year later—along with his marriage ending and unresolved childho...

Send us Fan Mail Eric Rupnow's journey through agriculture—from his roots in Wisconsin to his role at J&D Manufacturing—reveals how ventilation technology transforms livestock operations across species. Driven by a passion for creating optimal environments where animals thrive, Rupnow brings practical solutions to complex airflow challenges in poultry, swine, and dairy facilities. The con...

Send us Fan Mail A simple yet profound question sparked a movement that continues to transform lives across continents: "What if I raised chickens to help my friends back home?" When 8-year-old Biruk Van De Stroet posed this question to his adoptive parents in Iowa, no one could have predicted the remarkable journey that would unfold over the next eleven years. Having been adopted from E...

Send us Fan Mail Legendary poultry industry pioneer Jim Dean shares his remarkable journey, from a challenging childhood to a thriving career in the egg industry. With grit and determination, Jim made the tough choice to leave school early, supporting his family and ultimately building a successful career. His candid reflections on his experiences, including his time in Vietnam, reveal invaluable...

Send us Fan Mail What would you do if you found yourself trapped in a remote canyon with your survival hanging by a thread? Aron Ralston, whose incredible story of resilience was captured in both his book "127 Hours" and the film adaptation starring James Franco, joins us on The Poultry Leadership Podcast to share his remarkable journey. Facing a life-or-death decision after being pinned...