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

Originally from Brazil, Lucas received his DVM and Master’s degrees from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG, Brazil) and completed his doctoral degree at the Prairie Swine Centre and the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. Lucas joined Zinpro Corporation in 2022 as a discovery researcher for swine. His current role includes product development and support, directing and coordinating research studies and providing training for internal employees and external customers.

• How sow lameness quietly reduces herd productivity and longevity, often before visible signs appear.
• The connection between claw lesions and lost piglets—how one sow can lose nearly a pig per litter due to hoof pain and imbalance.
• Why gilt care, flooring, and proper trace mineral nutrition matter more than ever for healthy feet and lasting herd performance.
• How early prevention and better diagnostics can protect your herd’s bottom line and animal welfare.
• Lucas’s “Golden Nugget”

Twyla Stevens is an accomplished HR executive with broad experience leading people strategies across national and international teams. As Chief Human Resources Officer at Professional Swine Management, she oversees talent acquisition, organizational development, compensation and benefits, and compliance initiatives. With expertise in workforce planning, leadership development, and change management, Twyla aligns HR strategy with business goals to drive organizational success. She holds a degree in Business Administration from Middle Tennessee State University, is a certified HR professional, and serves on the HR Advisory Board and the Sandburg Agriculture Advisory.

• Why real leadership starts with knowing yourself (your style, how you decide, and how you communicate).
• How a clear leadership path and training can turn nervous first-time leaders into confident managers.
• Simple ways to build trust and engagement every day (hands–heart–mind, first-day experience, being present).
• Practical habits you can put in place tomorrow, like quick standups and genuine check-ins with your team.
• How growing leaders from within cuts turnover, boosts promotions, and strengthens farm culture and performance.

Courtney Gray has been the executive director of the Pennsylvania Pork Producers Council since 2022, where she represents Pennsylvania’s 2,500 pig farmers. Prior to that, she was on the producer education and engagement team at Pennsylvania Beef Council and was a loan officer at Farm Credit. She is a graduate of Penn State University with a degree in agricultural science. She and her husband, Brian, operate a commercial cattle operation in Central Pennsylvania alongside their two kids, Porter and Hattie.

• How the “Taste What Pork Can DoTM” campaign connects state-level programs with consumers through relatable storytelling and flavor inspiration.
• Why digital marketing and influencer partnerships are key to reaching millennial and Gen Z audiences who make meal decisions.
• How retargeting and recipe content boosted Pennsylvania’s pork engagement by 48% — and what that means for local producers.
• Creative ways Pennsylvania’s Pork Producers Council blends consumer events, from Rib Fest to the State Farm Show, to make pork approachable and fun.
• Courtney’s “golden nugget”

Ton Kramer holds both master’s and doctorate degrees in Animal Science focused on Swine Locomotion and Health from Federal University of Paraná in Brazil. He has MBAs in Business Management and Project Management from Fundação Getúlio Vargas and a postgraduate degree in Marketing from Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing. Ton has also held leadership roles in the Brazilian Association of Veterinary Specialists in Swine. Currently, he serves as the South American Business Manager at Zinpro.

• How claw lesions have grown from a hidden problem to one of the top causes of sow mortality—affecting nearly 90% of herds.
• Why modern genetics and higher production demands make gilts and first-parity sows especially vulnerable.
• The real economic cost of lameness—replacement losses, lost production, and herd-health setbacks.
• How trace minerals like zinc, copper, and manganese help strengthen tissues, improve healing, and reduce claw damage.
• What producers can do to score, monitor, and improve claw health using Zinpro’s lesion index and daily nutrition strategy.

Brian Martin is a 5th generation farmer from Northwest Indiana, a husband and father of 3. He has 40 years of experience in Pork industry around the US, and he is Co-Owner and Manager of a 14,000 sow pork production operation.

• How Martin Family Farms grew from ~600 sows to two sow farms—including a 10k-head Prop 12 site—by taking smart, steady risks.
• Why “health first” drives everything: tight biosecurity, clear processes, and doing what you say you’ll do—every day.
• How modern sow housing evolved there (early ESF/loose housing, later Prop 12 retrofit) and what actually held up in the real world.
• What really keeps teams together: frequent personal touch-points, culture-building, and growing long-tenured staff (not just chasing numbers).
• Brian’s “Golden Nugget”