Helping students consider their place in pork is one of our crew's favorite activities. The 20 outstanding students participating in Pork Industry Group this semester are making that job extra fun. As the weeks fly by incredibly fast this fall, we are proud of the two most recent sessions introducing the 2025 Pork Industry Group members to more of our favorite pork professionals.

This week brought our fifth session, which educated students on contract versus corporate hog farming, technology and data used within our industry, the realities of biosecurity and disease mitigation, and more during our "Women in Pork" panel featuring four fantastic speakers with vastly different roles serving our industry. Stacie Smith from Seaboard Foods, Angie Johnson from Ran-Mar Farms and First United Bank, Dottie King from King Pork, and Hannah Trujillo from Tyson Foods all did a fantastic job explaining their careers and sharing relatable advice with these next generation leaders. If you know any of these panelists, you will also not be surprised to hear this was likely our session with the most laughs thus far as many funny stories and memorable comments were shared.

During last week's fourth session, called "Animal Health Near and Far" four of the best veterinarians surrounding pork production also gave compelling answers to questions about animal health, Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) threats, efforts to unite producers of all sizes on herd health, and other trending topics. Dr. Donna Drebes from Seaboard Foods, Dr. Alicia Gorczyca-Southerland from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry (ODAFF), Dr. Jon Tangen from The HANOR Company, and Dr. Suzanne Genova from Red Dirt Veterinary Services all shared the incredible responsibilities they carry each week as veterinarians and how their roles differ from what many of us picture as a "typical" DVM. The session was filled with great information not only for any student interested in veterinary medicine, but also all of us who regularly work with animal health experts in our agricultural careers.