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Leading with Heart: The Story of Hoosierland Pork’s Jennifer Romero

It started off as a minor inconvenience: Who doesn’t have back pain when they work on a farm all day?

Jennifer Romero brushed it off because she didn’t have time for it. As the Hoosierland Pork sow farm manager for Martin Family Farms, she knew her team needed her to be strong. But as spring turned to summer, the pain continued to escalate.

After multiple doctor visits, tests with no answers and excruciating pain, she knew something was wrong. A trip to the emergency room followed by hospital admission finally resulted in a diagnosis: cancer.

Romero immediately went to Indianapolis where she underwent surgery. Unfortunately, the cancer had progressed and spread throughout her body. When she came out of anesthesia, doctors told her they couldn’t get it all.

“I remember when I was little, and we were under a tornado warning,” says her daughter, Alyssa Wyatt, who is also part of the Hoosierland Pork team. “My mom had the front door open — cleaning and listening to music. She had no fear of the storm and told me, ‘When it’s my time to go, it’s my time to go.’”

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How AI Is Changing Family Hog Farms | Duane Stateler on Technology & the Future of Pork Production

Video: How AI Is Changing Family Hog Farms | Duane Stateler on Technology & the Future of Pork Production

Artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape pork production, and longtime pork producer Duane Stateler believes the industry is only getting started.

Recorded at World Pork Expo 2026, Stateler shares how technology has already transformed modern hog farming—from automated barn climate control and feed monitoring to real-time alerts—and explains why AI will play an even bigger role in improving animal care, efficiency, and decision-making.

As a fifth-generation hog farmer, he also discusses the importance of family farms, succession planning, labor, and how technology is helping today's producers care for more animals while maintaining high welfare standards.

In this interview:

The future of AI in pork production

How smart barns improve pig care

Feed bin monitoring and automation

Labor challenges and family farming

Why technology is shaping the next generation of producers