Another special opportunity the Oklahoma Pork Council enjoyed during this week's State FFA Convention was celebrating three outstanding students who breed and raise hogs for their Swine Production Entrepreneurship Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects. This award recognizes students who best use management practices to produce and market their own swine.
Ridge Garrett of the Guthrie FFA Chapter earned first-place honors in the 2026 Oklahoma FFA Swine Production Entrepreneurship Proficiency Award area sponsored by the Oklahoma Pork Council. Grant Gosney of the Aline-Cleo FFA Chapter and Landon Chartier of the Mulhall-Orlando FFA Chapter earned second- and third-place honors, respectively.
Demonstrating how much pork production can truly be a family business - Ridge is the younger brother of Pork Industry Group alumna Maysen Garrett who was serving at Oklahoma Pork's booth this week. Ridge's SAE project focuses on raising, breeding and exhibiting show pigs while building a productive breeding herd. His daily responsibilities consist of managing the feeding, health care, facilities, and breeding and financial records of his herd. He evaluates the structure, performance and productivity of his show gilts and retains the top females for his breeding herd to strengthen his genetics.
“One of my most satisfying accomplishments as a young breeder is selling pigs to other FFA members and watching those exhibitors succeed in the show ring,” Ridge shared when reflecting on his swine project. “Seeing animals I raised help another student gain confidence, earn awards, and enjoy success makes the work rewarding beyond profit.”
Oklahoma Pork is proud to see students gain hands-on skills breeding and raising quality pigs. We hope all three of these FFA members consider future work opportunities in commercial pork production, and we will continue to actively recruit talented students with a passion for raising quality pigs to our industry. Click here to read the full press release on the 2026 Swine Production SAE award.