Impactful First-Ever Youth Pork Advocates Day

In an exciting milestone for the Oklahoma Pork Council, one of our newest creative ideas for empowering pig-loving young people became reality last week. On Friday, August 8, we held our first-ever "Youth Pork Advocates" Day in Oklahoma City for almost 40 passionate 9th through 12th grade students. 

Using grant dollars from the National Pork Board, our staff dreamed up a jam-packed day to expose this inaugural class of high-school students who show pigs (or otherwise feel a connection to Oklahoma Pork) to the career opportunities available in the broader pork industry.

The students were asked to come prepared with their personal one-minute introductions outlining their involvement in agriculture and passion for the pork industry. Throughout the day, they refined those messages and gained confidence to ultimately share their authentic agriculture stories into the microphone for everyone to hear. Each participant was then given a special pig pin to wear or keep as a future reminder of their duty to advocate for the industry. Four fantastic break-out sessions kept students learning and laughing all day long thanks to passionate planning by Oklahoma Pork's summer interns Ethan Drake and Chyann Emerson.

Our hope is that each participant left knowing more about pork production, feeling proud to be an outspoken advocate for our industry, and planning a personal way they can promote the industry within their home communities. As we completed the day, several students immediately asked for another opportunity to get together and for more chances to connect with Oklahoma Pork.

Show Pig Producers Wrestle FAD Preparedness

On Tuesday, Oklahoma Pork teamed up with the National Pork Board (NPB) to host a second-round African Swine Fever (ASF) tabletop exercise specifically created to engage our state's show pig producers after a successful similar event in fall 2023. The exclusive drill brought together national and state experts to share coaching and receive helpful feedback from around 40 Oklahomans involved with youth livestock exhibitions.

Dr. Suzanne Genova, who represents niche production like show pigs on the Oklahoma Pork Council's Board of Directors, was instrumental in bringing the right people together for this day of deep learning that took tough conversations from the 2023 drill to the next level. Attendees also benefited from expertise shared by partners like NPB veterinarians Dr. Patrick Webb and Dr. Dustin Oedekoven, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) veterinarian Dr. Anna Forseth, State Veterinarian Dr. Rod Hall, Assistant State Veterinarian Dr. Alicia Gorczyca-Southerland, and other animal health experts. In a picture-perfect display of "One Pork" collaboration between Oklahoma's commercial industry and show pig community, we were also thrilled to have involvement from additional board members Joe Locke from Tyson Foods and Brett Ramsey from Blue & Gold Sausage Co.

Two fun ways the Oklahoma Pork Council included next generation pork leaders into this herd health learning environment were inviting several students from the Jones FFA Chapter to help set-up the massive tabletop "town" in preparation for the drill, and then hosting the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry (ODAFF) Agriculture Youth Council (AYC) students for an abbreviated version of the drill on Monday afternoon.

Overall, the experience was filled with thought-provoking interactions between animal health leaders and Oklahoma's important show pig segment related to ASF and other threats to U.S. pork. In the case of a Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) outbreak like ASF, it will be critical that Oklahoma pork producers of all sizes be knowledgeable and intentional as we work together with state and federal regulators to move toward eradication.

Thank you to Oklahoma Pork's Matti Carlile for her leadership on FAD Preparedness to plan this event with the National Pork Board!

Celebrating Our Fantastic Summer Interns

For the past three months, two incredible college students have served Oklahoma's pork industry with great attitudes and great ideas as part of the Oklahoma Pork Council staff. After going through a highly competitive selection process, both Chyann Emerson and Ethan Drake stood out from the crowd as the right fit for our team as Oklahoma Pork's 2025 summer interns.

Chyann Emerson is now an agribusiness and agricultural communications senior at Oklahoma State University (OSU). Growing up in Tuttle, Oklahoma, Chyann enjoyed showing pigs as part of her highly successful FFA involvement. After high school, Chyann judged livestock at Redlands Community College where she earned associate degrees in animal science and communications. Now as she finishes her degree at OSU, Chyann is a member of the livestock judging team, she served as the youth livestock coordinator intern, and she participated in Pork Industry Group last fall.

Throughout this summer, Chyann handled many fun projects as our communications intern. She worked with Shay Stegmann to make materials for Pork Congress, launch our recent summer swag store, and assist with several photo and video shoots. Alongside Ethan and our full-time staff, she was also an incredible asset planning workshops for students and other Pork Council programming all summer long. Chyann brought her down-to-business attitude and heart for service into this role every day, and we are proud to always have her as part of our pork talent pipeline. 

Ethan Drake heads back to school as an agriculture education senior at OSU. He grew up working on several farms and local businesses near his hometown Mountain Grove, Missouri. Ethan's involvement with the pork industry began as a show pig exhibitor in FFA, and he continues to be active in a variety of livestock and community organizations. Ethan earned associate degrees in animal science and agriculture education from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. At NEO, he was active in livestock judging and more. Since transferring to OSU, Ethan has been involved in Pork Industry Group and worked at Noble County Meats

Over the past three months, Ethan served as Oklahoma Pork's education and outreach intern. He managed donation requests to support many events across the state while helping to plan several signature events throughout the summer. He has been a hands-on helper, always ready to assist our team with projects while making his passion for mentoring young people known at every turn. Ethan will remain involved with Oklahoma Pork this fall while assisting with our collegiate leadership program Pork Industry Group. 

Cheers to these two fantastic young people who learned and served in impressive ways over the past few months. We look forward to helping them succeed in their future plans, and continuing to connect with them both as proud ambassadors for Oklahoma's pork industry. 

Connecting with FFA Communicators

Oklahoma Pork's Kylee Deniz represented pork production well by teaching more than 100 Oklahoma high school students how to better tell agriculture's story through their roles as FFA chapter reporters across the state. Our friends at the Oklahoma Farm Bureau sponsored the one-day conference to help these student leaders bolster their communications skills and interact with professional communicators. 

Kylee spoke to the group of student leaders about how their passions and values come together to help create their personal brands. Kylee shared her own story, including her lifelong connection to the pork industry and the values she is proud to bring into her role leading the Oklahoma Pork Council.

Our team loves opportunities like this to promote pork and help shape the next generation of agricultural leaders. 

Big Three Workshop Combines Learning and Fun

When tasked with designing a pork-focused workshop for 8 to 18 year-olds attending the "Big Three Field Days" at Oklahoma State University, our Oklahoma Pork Council interns embodied the phrase "go big, or go home." Instead of simply creating one educational workshop, Chyann Emerson and Ethan Drake decided to plan four totally separate activities for students to complete while laughing and learning about Oklahoma's pork industry.

Using Oklahoma Pork's four strategic intentions as guideposts for each of the four stations, Chyann and Ethan kept around 150 young people locked-in for 90 minutes of pork-focused fun. This feat is extra impressive when you consider the students already had completed a jam-packed morning evaluating pigs during "Swine Day" of the three-day livestock judging event. 

The sports-themed "Join Team Pork" workshop commenced with a great introduction of our starting line-up of staff members and talented college volunteers for the day. With help from Oklahoma Pork's Kylee Deniz, Ethan made a strong case for recruiting these young livestock enthusiasts to pork production in the future. The students then rotated through through four activities designed to get them moving while thinking about potential futures in pork. 

Overall, Ethan and Chyann's workshop was a huge success. The event served as a celebration of Oklahoma's pork industry, and undoubtedly taught every participant much more than they knew about pork production and Oklahoma Pork's role to serve our farmers. Thank you to our incredible interns for planning such a special experience and to all the staff and volunteer support it took to succeed. We are all immensely proud to be on "Team Pork" and recruit the next generation to join us.

Spending the Day on a Tyson Farm

Story by Communications Intern Chyann Emerson

One of the many unique aspects of this internship includes getting the opportunity to job shadow professionals within the agriculture industry that interest us. My first job shadow of the summer was earlier this week with Hannah Trujillo, Senior Farm Supervisor at Tyson Foods.

Our day began like any “normal” day on the modern pig farm, which included showering into the “clean side,” placing any items I brought through a UV sanitation box, and changing into designated clothing which never leaves the clean side of the farm; all essential biosecurity measures. 

Once on the clean side, Hannah showed me her day-to-day responsibilities. She shared the ins and outs of managing a team, completing office work, and analyzing countless sets of data. Hannah explained that she works with an incredible team of eight individuals who go above and beyond every day. While each day looks different for Hannah and her team, they stay on a routine schedule. 

Coming from a strictly show pig background, I was extremely grateful for how Hannah and her team could explain commercial pig terminology in a way that made sense to me. She was an incredible resource in helping me truly appreciate all that goes into commercial pig production. I was so impressed by how the team runs such a high-quality operation with so many moving parts while always looking for ways to improve and push the industry forward.

Oklahoma Pork Named "Ag Advocate" Winner

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.

Pork Act Elections Notice: Represent Oklahoma in Kansas City Next March

The National Pork Board (NPB) and the Oklahoma Pork Council make the following election announcement in advance of the 2025 Oklahoma Pork Congress: 

The election of pork producer delegate candidates for the 2026 National Pork Producers (Pork Act) Delegate Body will take place at 3:00 p.m., Friday, August 1, 2025, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Pork Congress Annual Meeting at the Sheraton Hotel - 1 North Broadway Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK, 73102. If the Pork Congress Annual Meeting adjourns a few minutes earlier or later, Pork Act elections will occur 15 minutes after Annual Meeting adjournment. All Oklahoma pork producers are invited to attend. 

Any producer, age 18 or older, who is a resident of Oklahoma and has paid all assessments due may be considered as a delegate candidate and/or participate in the election. All eligible producers are encouraged to bring with them a sales receipt proving that hogs were sold in their name and the checkoff deducted. Nominations will be accepted from the floor. 

For more information, call 405-232-3781.

Oklahoma Pork Visits Savage Genetics

Story Written by Chyann Emerson

Almost four weeks into this internship, and we have already been exposed to so many valuable opportunities to connect within pork producers, gain knowledge, and strengthen our ability to better serve the pork industry. One of the most exciting experiences included joining Kylee on a unique show pig farm visit on Monday.

Together, Kylee, Ethan, and I traveled to Newcastle to tour Savage Genetics alongside members of the National Swine Registry (NSR) team. Savage Genetics is a show pig operation owned by three Oklahoma pig producers: Todd Kennedy, Donnie Persall, and Jim Ellison.

These three entrepreneurs have transformed a handful of show pigs bought a few years ago into a thriving operation with multiple business avenues, including the sale of primarily Hampshire and Duroc show pigs, semen collection, and now an innovative entry into the food space with their own line of pork sticks and pork jerky.

During the visit, we learned about the strict biosecurity protocols in place at the facility. These included wearing plastic boot covers, maintaining designated “clean” and “dirty” zones, and isolating incoming pigs. We also explored the breeding side of the operation, learning how they use their boars on their own Savage Genetics’ sows, collect semen, and maintain herd health through simple yet effective practices like ensuring access to fresh air and water.

To top it off, we had the opportunity to connect with NSR staff, discussing current show pig trends, breed numbers, and upcoming events in the industry. We also viewed the Hampshire gilt Savage Genetics will be donating to the NSR, where all proceeds from the sale of this gilt will support building the next generation of swine leaders.

Jim shared each part of their business started with them having an idea, fixing a problem, or honestly just having fun. It was insightful to hear all the ideas, and even more importantly the passion this group had for continuing to work, serve, and push the envelope in terms of sustainability and innovation for our industry. 

Full Week of Learning and Fun in Minnesota

Story Written by Ethan Drake

After a ten-hour drive straight north through four states, Chyann and I arrived last Sunday in Mankato, Minnesota. The Minnesota Pork Board hosted an outstanding Young Leaders in Agriculture Conference (YLAC) for the tenth year in a row, and we were excited to be part of it! It was a week full of both professional and personal growth. We spent three days submerged in discussions with other pork interns from across the states, and hearing from a diverse range of speakers and panelists. After the conclusion of the conference, we spent another two days in leadership training with a smaller group of interns.

Surrounded by over 100 other pork interns from across the country, we kicked off YLAC hearing from inspirational speakers Hunter Pinke and Mitch Matthews. Hunter challenged us to “have no more bad days.” This statement is something many of us would say is not really possible, it's a different story when a man who is fully paralyzed from the waist down challenges you to this. He admitted there are tough days that are full of growth, however, he chooses not to have any more bad days. When I asked Hunter what he does to fill up his cup since he spends so much time with others, I was extremely excited to hear him talk about his faith. He was followed up by Mitch who encouraged us to give ourselves “permission to dream big.” We spent time writing down all the dreams we could think of, posting them on the walls in different categories, and encouraging others to pursue their dreams. Mitch also encouraged us to spend 15 minutes daily pursuing our dream whether that was working on them, researching them, or even just praying about them.

We also spent time networking with industry professionals discussing how to have a good work-life balance, capitalizing on time with your audience, and being interested not interesting. Chyann really enjoyed discussing mental health issues and what steps Minnesota is taking to improve mental health outcomes in their state.

After YLAC concluded, our two-day leadership training with nationally respected expert Spike Craven of Integrity Communications began. Recording and critiquing ourselves presenting was a humbling experience to say the least. However we thoroughly enjoyed going through this process with other interns from Kentucky, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, and the National Pork Board. Two days full of laughs and learning left us with skills we will forever use. The networking relationships that were built here I will forever value.

While I could not be more grateful for the professional development that happened on this trip, we had some fun too. From hiking down to an incredible waterfall, eating ice cream with new friends, or trying to get a bison’s attention by bellering like a bull, these are some memories I'm sure we won't soon forget.

I would like to give a special thanks to Jill Resler, Minnesota Pork’s CEO. She went above and beyond to ensure we had an outstanding conference, encouraged us through our training with Integrity Communications, and took personal time to spend at dinner with us. It was a night full of storytelling and the hardest I have laughed in a long time! What an incredible week.