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!