Kiersten Hafer is Vice President of Business Intelligence and Innovation for the National Pork Board and provides strategy, insights and guidance to the pork industry and supply chain on where to play and how to win with pork.

She has leveraged her 30 years of experience with Fortune 500 companies and high-growth organizations to uncover and unlock potential, facilitate change and measure expansion. As a lifelong connector and change agent, she has strategized business growth with retailers, marketing agencies, food brokers, food-service operators, market research firms, and consumer goods manufacturers.

Before her role with the National Pork Board, she served as vice president of marketing for Clemens Food Group where she was responsible for marketing, innovation and business insights across its retail and food-service businesses.

Hafer is a graduate of Saint Joseph’s University with a Master of Science degree in food marketing from the Haub School of Business. She resides in the Greater Philadelphia region with her husband, two children and two golden retrievers.

• Why pork’s future growth depends on understanding today’s consumer and not just producing a great product.
• How data and business intelligence are being used to help sell more pork at retail and food-service.
• Why younger consumers want bold flavors, global cuisine, and finished dishes; not whole muscle cuts.
• How rethinking naming, portion size, and presentation can remove barriers to buying fresh pork.
• Kiersten’s “Golden Nugget”

Ben Blair was raised in Sparta, Illinois, where he grew up helping on his family’s corn, soy, wheat, and farrow-to-finish farm. He always enjoyed the numbers behind how things worked, which led him to study engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. After finishing his engineering degree, he felt the pull back toward animal health and entered the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.

Following a short time in clinical practice, he returned to Illinois to complete a PhD with Dr. Jim Lowe. His work focused on the cull sow marketing network and strengthened his interest in advanced analytics, machine learning, and applying AI to livestock systems. He then spent two years at the University of Minnesota as a researcher while also running a consulting business centered on data and AI projects in agriculture.

In 2023 Blair returned to the University of Illinois, where he now serves as an assistant professor in Livestock Health. His research combines infectious disease modeling with practical applications of AI in veterinary medicine and modern farming.

He lives in Villa Grove, Illinois, with his wife Cathy and their three children, Charlie, Liz, and Lincoln.

• How AI really works — breaking down machine learning, computer vision, and language models in everyday terms.
• Why the swine industry needs “homegrown” AI solutions that understand how farms truly operate.
• The biggest challenges holding back AI adoption in ag — from messy data to slow decision-making.
• How “crawl, walk, run” thinking can help farms start small with AI before chasing advanced automation.
• Ben’s “golden nugget.”

After earning his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 1984, Dr. Jeff Okones spent nearly two decades in food animal practice in Eastern Iowa honing his expertise in swine health and production. His problem solving and communication skills led him from private practice to industry, first as a phone consultant for Pfizer Animal Health, and later as a Professional Service Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. where he supported the Swine Sales and Marketing team.

In 2020, Jeff joined Pharmgate Animal Health as a Technical Service Veterinarian. Drawing on more than 30 years of hands-on experience, he bridges the gap between science and the barn, helping producers turn complex product data into practical real-world strategies. He’s particularly passionate about vaccine technology and how it can set pigs up for healthier, more productive lives while supporting producers’ bottom lines.

When he’s not working with pork producers and veterinarians, you’ll find him golfing, visiting small towns looking for the best pork tenderloin, following Iowa State athletics or spending time with his five grand kids.

• The real-world causes of swine respiratory disease (SRD) and how it often stems from multiple bacteria and stressors, not just one source.
• The most common bacterial culprits behind SRD and what symptoms to watch for before things get out of hand.
• Why stressors like weaning, weather swings, and transportation can quickly trigger respiratory issues—and how to prevent them.
• The role of good husbandry, strong biosecurity, and smart antibiotic use (like Tulissin and Tenotryl) in protecting herd health.
• Jeff’s “golden nugget.”

These Pharmgate products were discussed as part of SRD management strategies and responsible treatment approaches:

• Tenotryl
• Tulissin 25
• Tulissin 100