This week, Smithfield Foods and the Oklahoma Pork Council visited with local students from Laverne High School to educate FFA members about the critical importance of strong biosecurity measures for their show pigs. Oklahoma Pork’s board member Cathy Vaughan from Smithfield Foods came up with the fantastic idea for this first-of-its-kind student workshop to teach proper care of show pigs free from disease.

With local and county shows next on the spring calendar, Oklahoma Pork seeks opportunities to help young exhibitors understand their important roles in the broader pork industry. Every pork producer has the responsibility to ensure the health of our state’s pig herd, and we are very grateful for this chance to bring commercial industry knowledge to show pig families in a fantastic pork community.

In addition to coaching from Cathy, Laverne students had the interactive opportunity to learn from Smithfield Foods teammates Dick Cardon, Dr. Monica Strawn and Jaye Daily. Oklahoma Pork’s Matti Carlile also led an engaging presentation on easy-to-follow biosecurity precautions the students can implement before, during and after livestock shows. A fun and educational cleaning versus disinfecting activity using “Glo Germ” and black lights helped to really show FFA members the importance of intentional disinfecting to prevent the spread of germs among their animals. Oklahoma Pork would also like to thank Smithfield Foods representatives Travis Vaughan, Thomas Mann, Luis Alvarez and Dr. Emily Frye for helping to make this event a success.

Attendees enjoyed a free pulled pork dinner and special Oklahoma Pork swag for their participation. Overall, the workshop was a fantastic collaboration thanks to Cathy’s leadership and insightful teachings from the Smithfield Foods and Oklahoma Pork biosecurity experts.

For 2024, Oklahoma Pork will carry on educational efforts to help inform more students about biosecurity practices. For a refresher, click here to watch one of Oklahoma Pork's fun youth biosecurity videos that Laverne FFA members benefitted from during the workshop.