Barely a week into his term as the new president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, Mike Paustian has his sights set on the future of Iowa and U.S. pork production.

Though the issues facing pork producers will not be anything new in the next year, Paustian sees progress being made, especially when talking trade. The completed trade deal with Japan, passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and a "baby step" of phase one of the China deal offer signs of optimism.

The specter of African swine fever will remain high on the list of priorities, as Paustian sees it, and says it will take a full team effort to keep the disease out of the United States.

This eastern Iowa producer has a farrow-to-finish hog business near Walcott and markets 22,000 head annually. Paustian Enterprises also has 2,400 acres of corn and soybeans. He attended Iowa State University, majoring in microbiology. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Paustian was first elected to the board in 2015.

We caught up with Paustian last week during the Iowa Pork Congress in Des Moines. Check out what he had to say in this video.