Oklahoma Pork Hosts Impactful Training

Oklahoma Pork's board and staff are always looking to "level up" our skills to better serve our members. So thanks in part to support from the National Pork Board, three Oklahoma Pork representatives took their communications expertise one step higher this week with an intensive two-day workshop hosted by nationally renowned Micah "Spike" Craven of Integrity Communications.

Dr. Suzanne Genova, Matti Carlile, and Ashton Mese Johnston were three of eight total participants who spent Tuesday and Wednesday this week stepping out of their comfort zones to grow as passionate advocates for Oklahoma's pork industry.

The Oklahoma Pork Council was grateful for participation from five other industry leaders who work in swine production throughout our region, including: Jesse Heimer - National Pork Board member and show pig producer from Missouri; Grace Jacobson - Seaboard Foods communications specialist based in Kansas City; Anthony Russo - AcuFast key account manager from Missouri; Mallory Brew - Alltech U.S. pork marketing lead based in Texas; and, Andrew Howerton - Novus International sales manager from Missouri.

Promoting Pork with MIO Collaboration

On Thursday, the Oklahoma Pork Council and the Made in Oklahoma (MIO) Coalition sponsored another free pork lunch event and shopper sweepstakes to fill bellies with pork and help more Oklahomans know that shopping local can absolutely include quality pork products found in their local meat cases.

Despite rainy conditions, more than 300 Edmond Uptown Grocery shoppers enjoyed free Prairie Fresh pulled pork sandwiches provided by the Oklahoma Pork Council and cooked by our friends at Head Country BBQ. Like similar collaborations Oklahoma Pork has done with MIO in the past, one lucky shopper also got to speed through seven minutes filling her cart with MIO groceries like Daily's Bacon, Prairie Fresh pork chops, and more. After having hosted several of these exciting "Supermarket Sweep" type contests throughout the past two years, our team was glad to see our shopper Sandy fill her cart with tons of pork as part of her $1,000 haul in seven quick minutes.

"Even when weather moves us inside like today, we have almost perfected engaging grocery shoppers through these fun Made in Oklahoma collaborations," Kylee Deniz shared. "We let the pork products - like our tasty Prairie Fresh sliders served today - speak for themselves as we connect with hundreds of consumers in their hometown grocery stores. These free lunches create a special opportunity to remind people that pig farmers care about their customers and are proud of what they produce."

If you are interested in helping the Oklahoma Pork Council host a free lunch event in your community, click here to let us know.

Investing in Future Ag Leaders Through OYE

We are almost ready to close the book on another successful Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE), but as the show wrapped up last weekend we want to share a few more ways the Oklahoma Pork Council celebrated young swine enthusiasts.

OYE's Grand Drive is famous for its over-the-top celebration of young people who won their breed divisions throughout Market Week of the show. Envision fireworks, a fog machine, and around 40 grinning students emerging from a limousine in the middle of a livestock arena. If you haven't experienced the rock-concert-energy of the OYE Grand Drive for yourself, consider adding it to your bucket list. This year's Grand Drive excitement was not only special as the last one held in the historic Jim Norick Arena, but also because it marked a new milestone for Oklahoma's pork industry. 

For the first time in history, Oklahoma's commercial pork industry and our state's show pig community perfectly embodied our "One Pork" collaboration through a simple act. Joe Locke, president of the Oklahoma Pork Council, presented Kaleb Dorr of the Wagoner FFA Chapter with the Grand Champion Market Hog trophy. In a heartfelt moment as the arena erupted in cheers for Kaleb and his Hampshire barrow, Joe got to represent all producers cheering for a pig-loving student to achieve his dream. Seeing both special segments of Oklahoma's dynamic pork industry together will be a moment we will long remember. Thank you to Joe for leading out front and actively supporting the 4-H and FFA students who will one day run the pork industry. 

In addition to the Grand Drive fun, each year the Oklahoma Pork Council sponsors academic scholarships for graduating livestock exhibitors who will pursue higher education. The two recipients of our 2025 $1,000 Oklahoma Pork Council OYE scholarships were Dade DeLozier from Adair and Macyn Olson from Owasso. Additionally, all top five participants in the Oklahoma Pork Partners Derby received scholarships and recognition from the Oklahoma Pork Council.

To close out the show, the Oklahoma Pork Council proudly donated more than $15,000 in support during the OYE Sale of Champions. We helped purchase multiple barrows, including several in partnership with our friends at Oklahoma Farm Bureau and Blue & Gold Sausage Co. We also use the auction as an opportunity to reward swine exhibitors who have completed PQA+ or YQCA certifications by "adding on" supplemental funds to their winning bids. Time, support, and financial investments in so many pork-loving students made OYE 2025 a huge success. Want to get all the OYE "feels" in 60-seconds? Click here to watch Oklahoma Pork's quick-fire highlight video made by the talented Shay Stegmann.

Adding All-Star Interns to Team Pork

With our investment in the next generation of agricultural leaders continuing to be a key priority at the Oklahoma Pork Council, we are thrilled to announce the two amazing college students who will join our team for the upcoming summer. Both of these young people wowed us during our collegiate leadership experience last fall, and they also excelled throughout the highly competitive internship selection process that began with 175 interested students. 

Chyann Emerson is an agribusiness and agricultural communications junior at Oklahoma State University (OSU). Growing up in Tuttle, Oklahoma, Chyann enjoyed showing pigs as part of her highly successful FFA involvement. After high school, Chyann judged livestock at Redlands Community College where she earned associate's degrees in animal science and communications. Now at OSU, Chyann is a member of the livestock judging team, she serves as the youth livestock coordinator intern, and she participated in Pork Industry Group last fall. 

Ethan Drake is an agriculture education junior at OSU. He grew up working on several farms and local businesses near his home of Mountain Grove, Missouri. Ethan's involvement with the pork industry began as a show pig exhibitor in FFA, and he continues to be active in a variety of livestock and community organizations. Ethan earned associate degrees in animal science and agriculture education from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. At NEO, he was active in livestock judging and more. Since transferring to OSU, Ethan has been involved in Pork Industry Group and works at Noble County Meats. 

Our team is counting down the days until Chyann and Ethan begin their summer of service to Oklahoma pork producers!

Legislators Show Pigs Between Votes at Capitol

We have reached the half-way point of session at the State Capitol. So, this week's "Legislative and Celebrity Showmanship" at the Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE) provided a perfect field trip to get many of our state leaders directly in touch with amazing students and their livestock projects. 

OYE truly incorporated all of Oklahoma Pork's four strategic intentions, as this chance to connect with legislators about pigs served as a wonderful "Freedom to Operate" touchpoint. Chaotic, educational, and fun are all words that describe the experience when around 50 elected officials and other Oklahoma leaders took direction from 4-H and FFA members from their districts who coached them on how to best present their animals to the judges. What a perfect reminder to these folks about the importance of agriculture and investing in our students.

The Oklahoma Pork Council shares a swine-loving shout out to Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, House Agriculture Chairman Kenton Patzkowsky, OSU Interim President Jim Hess, and the other leaders who chose pigs for their time in the show ring. State Senator Chuck Hall from Perry was named champion swine showman, with Pro Tem Paxton winning overall Legislative Showman!

Teaching Biosecurity and Inspiring Young People

In addition to helping run one of the largest pig shows in the world this week, the Oklahoma Pork Council also made time to host several workshops at the Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE) for students eager to learn about improving their biosecurity and setting goals for the future.

First, as part of our continued partnership with the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine (OSU-CVM), Oklahoma Pork hosted two rounds of fun biosecurity cleaning versus disinfecting workshops at the "OSU ExpOSUre: Livestock Docs at OYE" event. Targeting middle and high school students with an interest in veterinary medicine, ExpOSUre introduced attendees to several agricultural and scientific activities to grow their understanding of what animal health careers involve. 

With resources from our friends at the other OSU (Ohio State University), our Oklahoma Pork crew used glo-germ and black lights to teach more than 200 young people about the mind-blowing reality of how easily germs can spread. A perfect example of our "Foreign Animal Disease Preparedness" strategic intention, this eye-opening activity will certainly be remembered by students as they work to keep their animals and equipment as clean as possible after the show. 

In addition to our more science-focused trainings through the ExpOSUre events, our reigning "Oklahoma Agriculture Woman of the Year" Kylee Deniz got to inspire more than 100 OYE exhibitors during her hands-on vision board activity at the Diamond Hats "This One's for the Girls" leadership seminar. Kylee used her opportunity helping lead this special event to educate attendees about the pork industry, while encouraging them to set goals for their future plans related to agriculture and beyond. What a special way to "leave the ladder down" for young people looking to find their own path for school, work, and more. 

So much good happens during the jam-packed two weeks of OYE that we don't get the chance to celebrate every event. But we want to thank Oklahoma's Agriculture Secretary Blayne Arthur, OSU-CVM's Dr. Rosslyn Biggs, leadership from the Diamond Hats, and others who invited the Oklahoma Pork Council to lead each of these exceptional events. See more of Shay Stegmann's beautiful photos from OYE by checking out Oklahoma Pork's social media here!

Fantastic Second Year of Pork Partners Derby

Our second year of the "Oklahoma Pork Partners Derby" concluded on Tuesday, with smiles filling the pig barn as these first-time swine exhibitors saw their hard work pay off. A collaboration of the Oklahoma Pork Council, Oklahoma State University (OSU), the Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE), Oklahoma 4-H, and the Oklahoma FFA Association - the Derby provides a life-changing opportunity for students who may not otherwise receive the chance to raise and show a pig. 

As part of Oklahoma Pork's "Workforce at All Levels" strategic intention, our organization sees this program as a perfect recruitment tool for future pork producers to fall in love with raising pigs. You may remember the 2025 Derby actually kicked off last October when around 30 eager 4-H and FFA students took part in Derby Draft Day to each choose their own pig from the OSU Swine Farm. After a day of training about animal care, nutrition, biosecurity, and more - the Derby participants then took their pigs home to raise until this week's special Pork Partners Derby classes in the OYE pig show. 

The Derby students received hands-on assistance with their animals over the past five months, then arrived at OYE ready to take part in: (1) an official weigh-in for class breaks; (2) ultrasound scans evaluating loin eye area, back fat, and percent lean; and, (3) a written pigs and pork knowledge test. Finally, these excited students got their turn under the bright lights when they showed their Derby barrows for judges Jim Coakley and Bobby Listen. The top five Derby students also participated in interviews about their overall experience raising a pig for the very first time. 

Jose Castro of the Cherokee FFA Chapter emerged as the 2025 Oklahoma Pork Partners Derby Champion. Jose and his pig Porky not only excelled in the show ring, but also took home the Derby Sweepstakes Award for success in the other Derby contests as well. Jose was joined by Parker Moody, Madilyn Lind,Tiffany Moore, and Ally Runyan to be awarded as the Top Five Pork Partners Derby scholarship recipients on Thursday night. 

Thank you to Oklahoma Pork's board of directors for generously investing in this program, to Oklahoma Pork's Matti Carlile for helping to organize it throughout the year, and to our members for supporting the next generation of proud pork producers. Check out more about the Oklahoma Pork Partners Derby on social media here, and click here to contact Matti about supporting this unique workforce program next year!

One Pork: Members Serving at Youth Expo

This week kicked off the world's largest junior livestock show - the Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE) - in Oklahoma City. For the Oklahoma Pork Council, OYE brings an incredible opportunity to connect with thousands of pig-loving individuals and witness true servant leadership in action from a few V.I.P. leaders within our organization. While our biosecurity messaging fills the screens and airways around the pig barns, a handful of devoted pork gurus are working to make this year's show the best one yet. 

Ex-officio board member Brett Ramsey spent his fifth year on the microphone, pronouncing hundreds of student names with ease and tracking winners among more than 2,000 participating gilts within a complicated series of spreadsheets. Brett helps run the pig show by being cool in every sense of the word, as he handles any issues with a steady hand and makes everyone laugh all week long. 

Oklahoma Pork's Vice President Dr. Suzanne Genova serves as OYE's official veterinarian, spending two weeks diligently working to keep thousands of animals on-site as healthy as possible. From monitoring animals for disease to inspiring the next generation of livestock caretakers, she is truly on the front lines educating show families about the importance of biosecurity as part of our "One Pork" mission with her calm and practical approach to animal health. 

For almost 20 years, one of the most respected faces in pork production Rob Richard has been a steady hand at the pig scales and anywhere else that needs his expertise throughout OYE. Rob sets the ultimate example of a swine showman turned industry role model for these students as he helps efficiently and kindly keep the show moving along. 

In addition to these three pork industry all-stars, Oklahoma Pork's wonderful Matti Carlile devotes herself to OYE's pig barns for two full weeks. Helping to manage technology, meals, sale order, and much more - Matti handles her role with grace, and she continually solves problems for everyone around her. Matti also helps direct dozens of college students serving at the pig show this spring, including familiar faces like Molly Buckmaster and Raylee Stuckey who are alumni of our Pork Industry Group program at OSU. 

We want to shout a heartfelt thank you from the rooftops to Brett, Dr. Genova, Rob, Matti, and the other pork industry pros who are spending their spring break investing in the next generation. As the gilt show finishes up and a few days of downtime occur in the pig barns before the barrow show next week - we are incredibly thankful for their tireless example serving an industry well. To enjoy some of our fun coverage of the Oklahoma Youth Expo, check out our social pages for another full week!

Oklahomans Engage at Pork Forum

Oklahoma's voting delegates have spent the last three days representing our state at the 2025 National Pork Industry Forum in Orlando, Florida. Pork Forum serves as the annual business meeting for members of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the National Pork Board (NPB).

Since Pork Forum includes business for both national organizations, each state has two sets of voting delegates - one set for Pork Checkoff-related business through the Pork Act and one set for public policy-related business through NPPC. This year's Oklahoma Pork Act delegates are Joe Locke, Tom Layne, and Hannah Trujillo. Our NPPC delegates for 2025 include Roy Cansler, Cristina Carmona, Travis Vaughan, Joe Locke, and Hannah Trujillo. These six delegates (two of which are serving in dual roles) represented our state's pork industry by voting on a variety of policy resolutions and the election of candidates to both the National Pork Board and the National Pork Producers Council Board of Directors. Additionally, Oklahoma Pork's executive director Kylee Deniz did a phenomenal job explaining the issues facing Oklahoma’s pork industry.

Thank you to our six delegates who spent their week considering proposals and candidates to move the U.S. pork industry forward.

New Student Biosecurity Series Launches

The Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE) begins soon when thousands of 4-H and FFA students will convene in Oklahoma City to compete at the world's largest junior livestock show. For families in the swine barns, reminders about the importance of strong biosecurity will be seen and heard across a variety of platforms thanks to the Oklahoma Pork Council. 

Throughout both the gilt show (March 12-14) and the barrow show (March 18-20), the Oklahoma Pork Council will share videos, graphics and public announcements to educate swine exhibitors and their parents about everyone's responsibility within a global pork industry. Oklahoma Pork has again selected three next generation leaders to serve as spokespeople for protecting Oklahoma's pig herd throughout livestock show movements before, during and after OYE.

Embedded above is Elgin FFA senior Laela Begley's before-the-show biosecurity message to her peers about implementing a strong animal health plan at home and working with a veterinarian. Oklahoma Pork continues seeking opportunities to educate swine showing families about their critical role in our state's herd health, and we are excited about this video series as one part of our informative outreach this show season. Click here to see a few of Oklahoma's simple but effective biosecurity messages for OYE, and watch for the upcoming during-the-show and after-the-show segments as they get released on Oklahoma Pork's social media over the next week.