First-Time Swine Exhibitors Shine at Oklahoma Pork Partners Derby

A unique collaboration among Oklahoma State University, the Oklahoma Pork Council, the Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE), and other advocates for 4-H and FFA youth provided a special opportunity for 8th-12th grade students interested in pork production. In its inaugural year, the Oklahoma Pork Partners Derby had 45 students from 32 Oklahoma counties participate in the program. These students received hands-on assistance over 5 months to properly care for their Oklahoma State University-raised barrows leading up to the Derby show.

On Monday, Derby participants had an exciting morning at OYE with their pigs including the official weigh-in, ultrasound scans (loin eye area, backfat, percent lean) and a written knowledge test. Later in that day, the students showcased their swine projects in the show ring.

Alex Brooks, a member of Tipton’s Children Home, emerged as the 2024 Oklahoma Pork Partners Derby live placings champion. The top five overall winners across all competition categories were announced at last night's OYE Scholarship Presentation including Sloane McIntire, Hunter Duke, Stephen Wickerd, Kensli Shaffer and Alex Brooks.

As an important leader of the Oklahoma Pork Partners Derby, Oklahoma Pork's Matti Carlile is incredibly proud to be a part of bringing such a special learning opportunity to youth interested in pigs but who might not otherwise have the means to do so. These students could be our future workforce, after all. Several of this year's participants have already asked what's next in their pork industry journey. We're considering a visit to an Oklahoma commercial sow farm so they can see firsthand the potential of working in pork.

Promoting Pork from Oklahoma Farms

Pruett’s Food, in collaboration with Made in Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Pork Council, is encouraging Oklahoma City metro consumers to choose Prairie Fresh pork for their meals. Pruett’s is a southeastern chain grocery store with many locations in Oklahoma.

This strategic collaboration includes promoting pork through Pruett's in-store digital signage and outdoor digital billboards. The digital billboard in the photo above faces east and west on the heavily traveled NW Expressway, which this message is visible for approximately 7-8 seconds. Last year, the Seaboard Foods team thoughtfully developed and deployed this Made in Oklahoma Prairie Fresh pork campaign.

“This is a great way to draw consumer attention in a primary pork-producing state and promote a fantastic domestic and international marketing company such as Seaboard Foods,” shared Barbara Charlet, Made in Oklahoma Retail advocate.

The Oklahoma Pork team will be at several grocery stores around the Oklahoma City metro serving pork and sharing the story of Oklahoma farms and pork during next month's Made in Oklahoma Month.

Excellence Award Nominations due March 15

Time is running out to honor excellence in the pork industry! The deadline for the 2024 Oklahoma Pork Council Excellence Awards nominations is just around the corner, on Friday, March 15. If you know an outstanding pork producer who demonstrates exceptional commitment or innovation in Foreign Animal Disease Preparedness, Workforce At All Levels, Image Enhancement or Freedom to Operate, now is the moment to act.

The award is open to individuals across all areas of pork production who bring passion and dedication to their everyday work. Nominees are not required to be members of the Oklahoma Pork Council or to work in a specific sector of production. We are looking to honor up to four producers who stand out for their contributions to the industry.

Don't miss this opportunity to nominate a deserving individual from your team or community. Click here to access the online application form and submit your nomination before the March 15 deadline. Let's celebrate those who go above and beyond in the pork production industry

Youth Biosecurity Best Practices Campaign Launches for the Oklahoma Youth Expo

The Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE) will begin on March 12, where thousands of 4-H and FFA students will compete at the world’s largest junior livestock show. As young exhibitors prepare to present their pigs at OYE, the Oklahoma Pork Council is spotlighting biosecurity on our social media channels.

Brett Ramsey and Dr. Suzanne Genova, esteemed board members of the Oklahoma Pork Council, along with Oklahoma Department of Agriculture veterinarians and the Oklahoma Pork team, will be on-site to advocate for stringent biosecurity practices and ensure the health of the swine is closely monitored throughout the event.

To further underscore the critical role of biosecurity, three outstanding young exhibitors have been chosen to be featured in a special video series. These videos are designed to educate on the essential biosecurity measures needed before, during and after the show. We invite you to stay tuned to our social media channels for the premiere of these videos over the coming two weeks.

Oklahoma Pork continues to seek opportunities to educate swine showing families about their critical role in our state’s herd health. A healthy swine herd starts with raising healthy pigs at home, and raising a healthy pig starts with biosecurity. Click here to read more about show pig biosecurity and how other swine exhibitors are managing biosecurity.

Oklahoma Well Represented at Pork Forum

Oklahoma's 2024 National Pork Industry Forum voting delegates included: Joe Locke, Travis Vaughan, Angie Johnson, Cathy Vaughan, Pati Law and Tre Smith. Delegates are pictured here in Chicago, Illinois, with Kylee Deniz and Matti Carlile from the Oklahoma Pork Council.

The Oklahoma Pork Council's voting delegates have spent the last three days representing our state at the 2024 National Pork Industry Forum in Chicago, Illinois. Because 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 attending the event were Angie Johnson, Joe Locke, and Tre Smith. Our National Pork Producers Council delegates for 2024 included Cathy Vaughan, Travis Vaughan, Joe Locke, Tre Smith, and Pati Law.

Our delegates also voted on candidates for national positions. From an Oklahoma perspective, the most exciting news is that Oklahoma Pork Vice President, Cathy Vaughan of Smithfield Foods, was a top-ranked National Pork Board candidate. The final slate of nine ranked National Pork Board candidates will now be submitted to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for approval. We are so proud of Cathy for stepping into this national role on behalf of Oklahoma!

Lastly, remember the custom #TeamPork stereo Oklahoma Pork donated to NPPC's PorkPAC auction? We are excited to report the stereo, valued at $2,750, was auctioned off and sold for $10,000! The stereo was the highest-selling auction item and contributed to the evening's impressive fundraising effort.

Help Recruit Oklahoma Pork Sponsors for 2024

At the Oklahoma Pork Council, we believe in the effectiveness of collaboration and the impact it can create. Our board and staff have big goals for 2024, and we need your help to bring industry partners into our sponsorship network to help these goals become a reality for our members and industry.

If you work for a company providing services to Oklahoma’s pork producers, our team would be honored if your business could help support the programming and advocacy we do each day on behalf of our producers. We have a vision to make real progress within all four of our organization's strategic intentions: Workforce at All Levels, Foreign Animal Disease Preparedness, Image Enhancement, and Freedom to Operate. Financial support such as corporate sponsorships and membership dues go a long way in helping this work be achieved.

Our team works to be resourceful in bringing new partners during a challenging financial season for many producers. In our redesigned 2024 Sponsorship Guide, Oklahoma Pork Council is excited to offer a variety of unique partnerships allowing your business to show support for Oklahoma pig farmers and Oklahoma Pork.

Learn more about Oklahoma Pork sponsorship opportunities here!

One Pork: Cathy and Kensli's Shared Love of Pigs

The Oklahoma Pork Council continues to educate show pig exhibitors about the critical importance of strong biosecurity measures. Our team seeks opportunities to remind swine breeders, exhibitors, and their parents about everyone’s responsibility within the global pork industry.

One fun example of bridging this gap is the relationship between Cathy Vaughan of Smithfield Foods and Laverne sophomore Kensli Shaffer. Following the success of previous student biosecurity videos, Oklahoma Pork sat down with Kensli and Cathy, who serves as a mentor and friend to Kensli even beyond the pork industry, to get both their perspectives on a shared love of pigs.

Embedded above you can watch Kensli and Cathy discussing the importance of biosecurity on both a show pig and commercial level. “Biosecurity to me means keeping my pigs safe and everybody around me safe at shows,” Kensli shared. Cathy then discussed how biosecurity on a commercial level has many different moving parts.

Kensli is one of this year’s students participating in the first-ever Oklahoma Pork Partners Derby. As our members may recall, the derby is designed to offer opportunities for 8th-12th grade participants who have not previously exhibited swine projects with the goal of connecting the Oklahoma show pig and commercial industry. It is clear to see Kensli has fully embraced her new role as swine exhibitor, and we hope she (along with many of the other derby participants) use this opportunity to find their place in pork!

Team Pork Additions for the Upcoming Summer

As the Oklahoma Pork Council continues to build strong relationships with next generation agricultural leaders, we are excited to announce two fantastic college students will join our staff for summer 2024. Both young people took full advantage of our OSU leadership experience Pork Industry Group last fall, and they also shined throughout the highly competitive internship selection process this winter which included more than 100 interested students from across the country.

Presley Pullen is an agricultural communications and animal science sophomore at Oklahoma State University (OSU). Growing up in Stratford, Oklahoma, Presley enjoyed showing pigs and helping with her family's peach orchard. Now in college, she is active in a wide variety of meaningful activities including Swine Club, Agriculture Ambassadors, Chi Omega, and more. She also currently works at the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine (OSU-CVM). In 2023, Presley completed her service as an Oklahoma State FFA Officer and participated in Pork Industry Group.

Gus Ward is an agricultural business junior at OSU with a pre-law concentration. He was raised on a cattle operation in Indianola, Oklahoma, where he still assists his family today. Gus's exposure to the pork industry began as a show pig exhibitor through FFA, and he continues to be active in a variety of livestock and community organizations. In 2023, Gus graduated from Eastern Oklahoma State College (EOSC) with associate degrees in animal science and agriculture economics. At EOSC, he was active in livestock judging, student government and more. Since transferring to OSU, Gus has taken on several impressive roles including Pork Industry Group and working at Stillwater Milling Co.

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

Share Perspective With Our Pork Forum Delegates

Angie Johnson (Tyson Contract Grower), Tre Smith (Seaboard Foods), Joe Locke (Tyson Foods), Travis Vaughan (Smithfield Foods), Cathy Vaughan (Smithfield Foods), and Pati Law (Prestage Farms) will represent Oklahoma on important policy and leadership decisions at the National Pork Industry Forum in March.

National Pork Industry Forum is just a few short weeks away when hundreds of pork producers from across the nation will gather in Chicago, Illinois, from March 5 to March 7. Pork Forum serves as the annual business meeting for members of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the National Pork Board (NPB) with a chance for state pork leaders to discuss a variety of topics affecting the future of our industry.

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:

• Angie Johnson

• Tre Smith

• Joe Locke.

Our NPPC delegates for 2024 include:

• Travis Vaughan

• Cathy Vaughan

• Pati Law

• Joe Locke

• Tre Smith

Oklahoma has an added reason to be proud this year as Cathy Vaughan campaigns for a position on the National Pork Board. Last year, Cathy earned a spot on the NPB Nominating Committee, and now our state is cheering her on to victory as she seeks Oklahoma's second-ever representative on the National Pork Board. Learn more about Cathy here!

Bridging the Biosecurity Gap for Show Pig Families

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.