Oklahoma Pork's Matti Carlile visited with local students from Lindsay High School to educate several FFA members about the critical importance of strong biosecurity measures for their show pigs. As our organization's lead on Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) Preparedness, Matti has become a go-to expert teaching young people how to keep their show animals healthy before and after their time in the ring.

As county shows fill the spring calendar, Oklahoma Pork continues to help young exhibitors understand their important role in the broader pork industry. Every pork producer has the responsibility to ensure the health of our state’s pig herd, and we are grateful for this chance to share practical knowledge within the Lindsay community. Matti led an engaging presentation to Lindsay's high school animal science class on easy-to-follow biosecurity precautions the students can implement with their own animals. A fun and educational cleaning versus disinfecting activity using “Glo Germ” and black lights helped to really demonstrate the importance of intentional disinfecting to prevent the spread of germs among their animals.

To no surprise if you come to our events, Matti also shared great Oklahoma Pork prizes for student responses on biosecurity takeaways from her presentation, including teaching students about the U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan (U.S. SHIP) and jobs available within commercial swine production. A huge shout out to Lindsay agricultural education instructor Shyann McWhirter who serves as a continual supporter of the Oklahoma Pork Council and invited Matti to spend time with her students.

With the 2025 livestock show season now in full swing, Oklahoma Pork will host a variety of educational efforts to help inform more students about the importance of consistent biosecurity practices. Our annual peer-to-peer video series on simple but effective steps to take before, during, and after the Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE) will debut over the next three weeks, and our team is currently planning for a fun workshop for students during OYE as well.