One partnership our team at the Oklahoma Pork Council truly enjoys is working with the Oklahoma Agriculture in the Classroom organization. Housed within the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF), the Ag. in the Classroom staff pour their hearts into educational curriculum, projects, and tours to empower teachers and increase agricultural literacy in our schools.
As part of our ongoing collaboration, Oklahoma Pork's Matti Carlile serves on the Ag. in the Classroom Advisory Committee and leads Oklahoma Pork's Ag. in the Classroom grant process each spring and fall. Matti makes sure the pork industry is well represented in many of their initiatives, including promotion of her and Shay Stegmann's accurate children's book about modern pig farming called "It Takes A Team!"
Based on this continued work together, this week's Ag. in the Classroom Summer Conference brought a fun surprise for Matti and the rest of our Oklahoma Pork staff as our organization was named Ag. in the Classroom's 2025 "Oklahoma Ag. Advocate." During the award presentation, our staff enjoyed seeing how many of the several hundred teachers in the audience have been past recipients of Oklahoma Pork sponsored Ag. in the Classroom grants over the years. What a visual reminder of how our members' checkoff dollars are sent back into local communities making an impact for pork industry support.
In addition to the awards ceremony during the conference lunch, Matti and one of Oklahoma Pork's summer interns Chyann Emerson spent the full day hosting a booth for participating teachers to connect with the Oklahoma Pork Council. Copies of Matti and Shay's children's book, information about Oklahoma's pork industry, and periodic drawings for Oklahoma Pork Council swag were all a hit among this diverse group of elementary through high school teachers from across the state.
Thank you to our friends at ODAFF and Ag. in the Classroom for recognizing all Oklahoma Pork's board, staff, and members do to advocate for agriculture through sharing this award. We are very proud of our role within Oklahoma's agriculture community, and we are very proud to work for pig farmers who help feed the world. Teachers, especially those eager to learn more themselves and promote agriculture in their own classrooms, represent a huge group of potential spokespeople for pork and farming.