Members of the 2025 Pork Industry Group completed their leadership experience by presenting workforce ideas to the Oklahoma Pork Council Board of Directors at the Pork Industry Group Banquet at Oklahoma State University (OSU) in Stillwater. The students, board members, and several special guests then enjoyed a celebratory pork dinner reflecting on the fun and educational program over the past semester.
The students shared creative suggestions for addressing the labor shortage within pork, especially as our industry seeks to recruit the next generation of agriculture enthusiasts. This year's innovative list of student ideas that could be implemented by the Oklahoma Pork Council or by our producers included: next generation social media "ambassadors" to produce authentic and engaging content exposing their peers to pork careers; a life-size, interactive board game for students to explore different pork production career paths; a robust pork industry scholarship program with guaranteed employment after graduation; and, hands-on "Swine in a Box" educational kits for Oklahoma teachers at various learning levels. Our board and staff are excited to use this imaginative feedback to continue evolving our "Workforce at All Levels" strategic intention efforts.
Pork Industry Group would not be possible without OSU's Dr. Scott Carter who volunteers his time and expertise as our faculty advisor. He is a critical resource as an ex-officio board member and industry expert for the Oklahoma Pork Council! The banquet provided an opportunity to thank Dr. Carter and our campus liaison Ethan Drake for behind-the-scenes support to run the weekly sessions alongside Oklahoma Pork staff the past few months.
As the night concluded, the Oklahoma Pork Council presented nine student scholarships to deserving next generation leaders. Members of the "Operation: Oink" team including Maysen Garrett, Carmen Kuiper, Brody Wallis, Kyra Cole, and Jacey Bordwine were awarded "Outstanding Group Project" for their "Personalize Pork" educational social media concept. Individual scholarships were awarded as well, including: Carmen Kuiper - Overall Outstanding Student; Giffin Henry - Speaker's Choice; Future Producer - Brody Wallis; and, Banquet All-Star - Rachel Swinford. Thanks to Dr. Jared Harshman of Huvepharma, Inc, and Tre and Stacie Smith for sponsoring some of the night's financial awards alongside the Oklahoma Pork Council to these impressive students!
Our team truly appreciates everyone involved in making Pork Industry Group so rewarding. We have cherished the opportunity to mentor these passionate young people, and we look forward to being a longterm resource as they continue their academic and career journeys. We are grateful for countless ways OSU's work complements that of Oklahoma's pork industry, and we look forward to another year of collaboration in 2026.