Pushing On

Even with a worldwide pandemic affecting the industry, pork producers have worked diligently to make sure they are putting pork on the table for consumers across the country.

Roy Lee Lindsey, okPORK executive director, said the commitment pig farmers show on a daily basis has not wavered.

“It takes a lot of faith to breed a sow today and think in 10 months her pigs will be going to market.”

In the last few months, pig farmers have spent countless hours in conversation about the outcome of COVID-19, Lindsey said. They are planning for a number of different scenarios and are continuing to show the resilience farmers are known for around the world.

Moving Forward

This year marked the 14th annual Pre-Memorial Day Blood Drive partnership between the Oklahoma Pork Council and the Oklahoma Blood Institute. This two-day event is crucial for boosting the blood supply in Oklahoma, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With COVID-19 hitting Oklahoma in March, the blood supply levels have been increasingly low. Several okPORK events had been canceled but the Pre-Memorial Day Blood Drive would not be one of them. With no substitution for blood and multiple blood drive cancelations across the state it was imperative to have a successful turnout. 1,340 Oklahomans gathered around the state to donate blood. Thanks to a record-breaking blood drive, 4,020 lives were saved.

A Pork Meal to Support and Say Thank You

A cornerstone of okPORK’s mission has been supporting communities. As a staff, we take pride in using your checkoff dollars to give back to those in need all across our state. Early in the COVID-19 quarantine it became apparent many Oklahomans would need support. And those who weren’t out of work could use a boost of joy into their community and other groups need a big thank you for their hard work.

So, Lloyd Hawkins fired up the smoker and went to work feeding people who were hurting. To date he has had the opportunity to feed four separate groups.

okPORK Board, Investors and Staff Plan for the Future

“Plan the work. Work the plan.” This is the saying longtime okPORK office administrator, Donna Jackson, repeated many times over the years to keep us as a team motivated when things got tense or overwhelming.

We have generally worked on an okPORK strategic plan once every five years. On January 30 and 31 of this year, the okPORK staff gathered with the board, and investors to work on the next iteration of the strategic plan. The approach was a bit different in that instead of working on a plan that covers five years, we will now be reviewing the strategic plan every 18 to 24 months.

The Experience of A Lifetime

Eighteen months seems like a long time doesn’t it? But when you get to spend it with 24 of Oklahoma’s top agriculturalist who become your family it’s worth it. The Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program was not just a leadership class where you learn essential skills to become a better leader, it was a lifechanging adventure that allowed me to learn more about Oklahoma agriculture and meet some of the best friends I will ever have.

When I first began my journey with OALP, I did not know what to expect. I was the youngest of the bunch and had just a few years of the “real world” under my belt. But I was determined to make the best out of the program because I had heard so many wonderful things about it.

The program consisted of several seminars around the state, a trip to Washington D.C. and an international trip to beautiful Chile.

Oklahoma Pig Farmers and Prairie Fresh Pork Team Up to Donate 20,000 Pounds of Protein to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

On January 14, the Oklahoma Pork Council (okPORK), Prairie Fresh Pork and Oklahoma pig farmers teamed up to provide 20,000 pounds of protein to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. This donation is part of the annual Hams Across America program, which highlights the industry’s We CareSM ethical principles to contribute to a better way of life in local communities through pork product donations.

okPORK Gives Donation and Volunteers with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

On December 6th the Oklahoma Pork Council donated $10,000 to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma to support its Food for Kids Backpack Program. This brings the total of okPORK donations since this partnership began to more than $152,000. okPORK board members, staff and pig famers also volunteered in the USDA Protein Packaging Center.

This program provides chronically hungry children with backpacks filled with non-perishable, nutritious, shelf-stable food to sustain them over weekends and school holidays. This donation from okPORK will allow the Regional Food Bank to process and package more than 28,000 pork sticks. This program is based on successful collaborative relationships. The Regional Food Bank works with multiple organizations to solicit and steward animal donations that are harvested for the sticks. Many of these animal donations come Oklahoma 4-H and FFA members.

“We are so proud of the youth in 4-H and FFA across Oklahoma who work hard on their show projects and then donate them at the end of the show season to help other kids who are food insecure,” said Nikki Snider, okPORK director of marketing and communication. “So directing our yearly donation to the Food for Kids backpack program helps us show our appreciation to those kids and the Food Bank for their great work.”

Thanks to a matching challenge from APMEX.com, the Cresap Family Foundation and Chesapeake Energy Corporation, which matches every gift or donation received from Nov. 15 through Jan 15. dollar for dollar, okPORK’s $10,000 donation will have double the impact.

“Feeding the world, especially hungry Oklahomans, is important to Oklahoma pork producers, especially around the holidays,” said Roy Lee Lindsey, okPORK executive director. “Which is why we enjoy giving such a large donation to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. We know the money along with the matching funds will help feed hungry kids all around the state.”

Last year, more than 1 million protein sticks were generated through these partnerships. Oklahoma is consistently one of the hungriest states in the nation. Food is the most essential school supply, yet one in four children in Oklahoma has inconsistent access to food. That is why okPORK’s donation was so important.

Besides donating the $10,000 to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, more than 20 okPORK board members and Oklahoma pig farmers volunteered their time in the USDA protein packaging center to help measure and pack Canadian bacon to go to Oklahoma families in need. They sorted more than 2,080 pounds of meat, which would provide more than 1,730 meals for hungry Oklahomans.

“It was an honor to be able to assist the Oklahoma Pork Council by volunteering in the USDA Protein Packaging Center,” said Kynna Brooks, human resource generalist at The Maschhoffs. “It means a lot for us as pig farmers to be able to produce the product and then volunteer and share it with our neighbors in Oklahoma.”

Pork Industry Group Notes

This fall, okPORK kicked off the first ever Pork Industry Group at Oklahoma State University. This group of 13 students, all from the college of agriculture, will spend 8 weeks learning about the many career opportunities available to them in Oklahoma’s swine industry.

Most all of these students have shown swine and a few have ties to the commercial swine industry. All of them are passionate about getting a deeper look at pork’ s job opportunities.

We’ve asked them to take notes each time the class meets and we will log them here. Enjoy hearing about the Pork Industry Group in the students’ own words.