Finishing Pork Month Strong with Special Events

How many cool opportunities can the Oklahoma Pork Council squeeze into the final days of National Pork Month? We did our best to find out over the past week or so of memorable activities in celebration of our people and our pigs.

On Thursday, Oklahoma Pork co-hosted another Made in Oklahoma (MIO) Coalition free community lunch and shopper sweepstakes at an Oklahoma City Homeland location where catering partner Head Country Barbecue helped us distribute free pulled pork sandwiches and send one lucky shopper home with free Oklahoma-grown groceries. Hopefully, every attendee enjoyed their delicious lunch courtesy of Oklahoma pig farmers, but the happiest pork customer of all was likely the "Shopper Sweepstakes" winner John and his son Elijah who earned more than $1,100 of free Made in Oklahoma groceries during a seven-minute speed-shopping experience around Homeland's Britton and May location. In a heartfelt act of generosity, John shared with our team that he plans to donate much of his grocery haul to his church and a local nonprofit.

Industry Leaders Connect with OSU Students

Oklahoma Pork's collegiate leadership program for agriculture students with an interest in swine-related careers is in full swing on OSU's campus in Stillwater. After a successful introduction to our state's pork industry and the Oklahoma Pork Council's role supporting our producers, we have now hosted two learning sessions featuring impressive guest speakers from across the state. During these Tuesday night meetings, we also highlight other agricultural role models for the students through presentations and featured Oklahoma Pork videos. 

Last week's second session focused on swine genetics and breeding, especially the support and planning it takes to efficiently manage large-scale pork production. Joe Popplewell with Tyson Foods walked students through the realistic calculations necessary to continuously produce high quality pork with evolving technology at a mind-blowing scale to young people - many of whom have only been familiar with the show pig industry. Rob Richard from DNA Swine Genetics focused more on authentic relationship-building and his company's unique approach to genetic sales in a competitive market. Both of these Oklahoma Pork icons also shared stories from their accomplished careers and exposed students to work experiences available within their organizations.

During this week's "Work in Pork - Endless Opportunities to Grow" session, students heard an authentic recruitment pitch for swine-related careers from Thomas Craig and Dr. Richard Coffey. Thomas shared his unique journey from Las Vegas college student with no agriculture experience to his latest role as Director of Sows for The HANOR Company thanks to years of "saying yes" to new chances while working hard to help people and pigs. Dr. Coffey provided an insightful look at education and outreach opportunities related to pork production, including extension, higher education, and administration roles that benefit pig farmers in countless ways. Both of these passionate leaders also gave very thoughtful advice for navigating life and career changes that students are sure to face in the coming years. 

Our 2025 Pork Industry Group members have been making the most of this eight-week experience by taking notes, asking questions, and growing their networks within pork production as they decide where to start their agricultural careers. Our team is excited to continue facilitating this program throughout the fall semester, and we are looking forward to several more learning sessions with guest speakers, an eventful industry trip to Northwest Oklahoma, and finally an awards banquet where the students will present creative ideas to members of our board. 

Creative Pork Month Promotions Continue

As October provides extra-special opportunities to celebrate our pigs and our people, the Oklahoma Pork Council's social media influencer partnerships continue to connect new audiences with our industry in engaging ways.

One of these fun National Pork Month collaborations is with Tulsa-based chef and content creator Elliott Wilson of Elliott's Table. A lover of barbecue and a frequent promoter of pork in his recipes, Elliott serves as a fantastic partner to expose consumers in Tulsa and beyond about quality pork products and timely fall Pork Month offerings. Over the past few weeks, he also served as one of the "Awesome Eats" judges at the Tulsa State Fair - encouraging folks to visit the fair where they could try unique foods and hopefully learn something new about agriculture. 

In his latest video collaborating with the Oklahoma Pork Council, Elliott cooked up a beautiful October cider braised pork roast with apples and onions. Click here to check out his easy-to-follow recipe and peruse some of Chef Elliott's other tasty content. More to come with him and others who can connect more people with the goodness of pork throughout Pork Month and more! 

Speaking of Pork Month, there is still time to request our limited edition Oklahoma Pork Council Pork Month dress socks by guessing how many "pigs are in the jar" on our website. Oklahoma Pork has earned quite the reputation for fun socks letting our members and supporters "ride for the brand" in a memorable way. So be sure to let us know you would like a pair of these specialty socks on our Pork Month Giveaway form here, and hopefully you'll be representing pig farmers in style very soon!

Award Spotlight: Made in Oklahoma Coalition

For our last award spotlight celebrating accolades from the 2025 Oklahoma Pork Congress, we want to highlight the latest recipient of Oklahoma Pork's Ambassador Award. Created in 2006 by the Oklahoma Pork Council Board of Directors, the award recognizes individuals who do not work directly in swine production, but who have made a significant impact on our state’s pork industry as a loyal promoter of what our farmers do.

Founded more than 20 years ago, the Made in Oklahoma (MIO) Coalition serves as a collective voice for more than 100 Oklahoma-grown food and beverage companies. This non-profit organization is supported by both public and private dollars in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry (ODAFF). The MIO Coalition seeks to strengthen and diversify Oklahoma’s food supply chain by assisting locally owned businesses of all sizes with marketing and promotion on various levels. 

Member companies of the MIO Coalition employ more than 50,000 Oklahomans, including many proud partners of the Oklahoma Pork Council. Leaders within the MIO Coalition have been active collaborators for several Oklahoma Pork Council outreach priorities in recent years, including: our annual Give-A-Ham Challenge; grocery store Shopper Sweepstakes across the state; and, additional community outreach efforts like emergency response feeding events after natural disasters. 

Much of the MIO Coalition’s work complements efforts done by Oklahoma pork producers, and their proud advocacy of Oklahoma agriculture benefits us all! So, one more shout out to our friends throughout the MIO Coalition as we celebrate their continual partnership with the Oklahoma Pork Council. To learn more about the Made in Oklahoma Coalition (and many of their familiar members to pork production), click here!

2025 Pork Careers Program Begins at OSU

Last Tuesday night, Oklahoma Pork's annual collegiate leadership program for agriculture students with an interest in swine-related careers officially kicked off in Stillwater. Pork Industry Group - a key component in our organization's Workforce At All Levels strategic intention - allows young people actively looking for internships and careers within agriculture the opportunity to learn more about Oklahoma's commercial pork industry and expand their networks of agricultural professionals in the state.

After more than 50 students applied to participate, 20 impressive Oklahoma State University (OSU) students representing a variety of backgrounds, academic majors, and career goals have been accepted into this year's program. Dr. Scott Carter, OSU professor and Oklahoma Pork ex-officio board member, helps lead the program alongside Oklahoma Pork staff. Former Oklahoma Pork intern Ethan Drake also assists while serving as our OSU campus liaison for the semester.

The 2025 Pork Industry Group membership includes:

• Ava Voth from Enid, OK - Animal Science Pre-Vet Senior

• Bailey Langemeier from Mead, NE - Animal Science Senior

• Blakelee Pugh from Gore, OK - Animal Science Senior

• Brody Wallis from Allen, OK - Agricultural Education Senior

• Carmen Kuiper from Hico, TX - Animal Science & Ag. Business Junior

• Drew Geiman from North Liberty, IA - Agribusiness Pre-law Junior

• Garrett Case from Skiatook, OK - Agricultural Education Junior

• Gracelynn Rodriguez from Marietta, OK - Agricultural Education Junior

• Griffin Henry from Mckinney, TX - Animal Science Junior

• Halle Pullen from Stratford, OK - Agricultural Communications Junior

• Jacey Bordwine from Dibble, OK - Animal Science & Ag. Communications Junior

• Jaden Kindt from Burkburnett, TX - Animal Science & Ag. Business Pre-Law Senior

• Kyra Cole from Orlando, FL - Animal Science Junior

• Lacy Brinegar from Springville, IN - Agricultural Education Senior

• Laela Begley from Elgin, OK - Agricultural Education Freshman

• Maebrey Wallace from Allen, OK - Agricultural Communications Junior

• Maysen Garrett from Crescent, OK - Agricultural Education Junior

• Neilee Guinn from Porter, OK - Agricultural Leadership Pre-Law Senior

• Rachel Swinford from Morrison, OK - Agribusiness Pre-Law Junior

• Ty McCorkle from Morrison, OK - Agricultural Education Senior

This week's first session included an overview of Oklahoma's unique pork industry, information about the Oklahoma Pork Council, and expectation setting for the remaining seven sessions throughout the fall semester. We also enjoyed pizza together, shared Oklahoma Pork swag and prizes, and bonded as strong supporters of production agriculture. Our team kept saying this was our "chattiest" first session in memory, so there's no doubt our semester mentoring these students is going to be a lot of fun!

Pork Industry Group is one of our staff and board's favorite experiences we lead throughout the year, and somehow this year marks our fifth round coordinating this special experience together. We are incredibly proud of the students chosen for this competitive program, and we look forward to connecting these next generation leaders with opportunities throughout our industry. 

Sunny Day with Friends on the Golf Course

We can't think of a better way to end a great week than a perfect fall day of fun with fellow pork producers. On this beautiful October Friday, dozens of members and friends have enjoyed camaraderie at the annual “Oklahoma Pork Open" Golf Tournament in Hennessey. Twenty teams representing a diverse cross-section of our state's pork industry just finished their runs through 18 holes over the past several hours.

Highlights of our special golf day include perfect fall weather, a delicious pork lunch catered by Head Country BBQ, epic Oklahoma Pork prizes including awesome "wrestling style" championship belts, and countless laughs with friends across the industry.

Award winners from the 2025 Oklahoma Pork Open include:

• Overall First Place Team - Huvepharma 

• Overall Second Place Team - Chef Jeff Catering

• Overall Third Place Team - DNA Genetics

• Closest to the Pin Award - Brett Ramsey

• Longest Drive Male Award - Taylor Hanson

• Longest Drive Female Award - Dr. Brooke Kitting

• Longest Putt Award - Tommy Casey

Our annual golf tournament would not be possible without the generous support of more than 30 organizations that sponsored the event.

Special thanks to event-planning pro Matti Carlile of Oklahoma Pork for her weeks of detailed preparation to make the golf tournament a success. An additional shout-out to longtime Oklahoma Pork champion and golf guru Rob Richard for his wisdom and coaching throughout the tournament. Check out Oklahoma Pork's Facebook account over the next few days to see award photos and more from the 2025 tournament!

Award Spotlight: House Speaker Kyle Hilbert

Although many state legislators are proud of Oklahoma's agriculture sector, there are only a select few who work to truly champion our industry alongside producers and wholeheartedly defend what we do to feed the world. For our policy team at the Oklahoma Pork Council, we are incredibly grateful to have one of those leaders advocating for pork producers as State Speaker of the House. 

Because of this years-long positive relationship with Speaker Hilbert and his impressive work in support of swine production during the most recent legislative session, Oklahoma Pork's board voted earlier this year to honor him with our "Outstanding Legislator Award" at the Oklahoma Pork Congress. 

In January 2025, State Representative Kyle Hilbert was elected by his peers to serve as the youngest Speaker of the House in Oklahoma history. During his eight-year legislative tenure prior to becoming Speaker, Representative Hilbert authored more than 40 bills that were signed into law. His district covers portions of Creek and Tulsa counties, including his childhood hometown of Depew, and, the community of Bristow, where he now resides with his wife and young family. Growing up in Depew, Representative Hilbert was active in FFA, including showing pigs and serving as a State FFA Officer. He earned both a Bachelor’s in Agribusiness and a Master’s in Business Administration from Oklahoma State University. 

On behalf of our entire industry, we celebrate an authentic friend to agriculture - Oklahoma Speaker Kyle Hilbert. Click here or the embedded link above to watch Speaker Hilbert's heartfelt award video that debuted during the 2025 Pork Congress!

Sparking Interest in Veterinary Careers

If you have spent much time with the Oklahoma Pork Council, you know recruiting the next generation of pork producers ranks toward the very top of our priority list. During the past few weeks, our organization enjoyed two fun-filled opportunities to start that recruiting early for a critical role within our industry: veterinary medicine. 

Over the past three years, the Oklahoma Pork Council has refined our role assisting with the Oklahoma State Fair and Tulsa State Fair "ExpOSUre: Livestock Docs" workshops led by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF), the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine (OSU-CVM), and the Oklahoma Veterinary Medicine Association (OVMA). "ExpOSUre" aims to connect mostly elementary and middle school students attending the fairs with several hands-on activities to spark their interest in animal health careers like veterinary medicine.

For the Oklahoma Pork Council, the ExpOSUre workshops have also served as the perfect platforms to engage with a broad audience of children about important topics like swine biosecurity, commercial production careers, and our organization's role serving Oklahoma's pork producers. Between the Oklahoma City workshop earlier this month and the one held today at the Tulsa State Fair, this Oklahoma Pork education pitch has been heard by almost 100 young people with a passion for livestock - many of whom have not otherwise connected with Oklahoma Pork.

Industry Award Spotlight: Jeremy Dickinson

When deemed appropriate by our board of directors, the Oklahoma Pork Council presents a career achievement recognition known as the Golden Pig Award. This accolade is reserved for leaders who exhibit a longstanding example of character, knowledge, and dedication within pork production. For 2025, two producers who recently finished their distinguished pork production careers were presented the Golden Pig Award at last month's Oklahoma Pork Congress.

Raised in Colcord, Oklahoma, Jeremy Dickinson’s passion for production agriculture was ignited through a multi-generational family connection to farming. He began his pork industry career more than 25 years ago, with an emphasis on animal performance and animal welfare.

During his tenure at Tyson Foods, Jeremy played a key role in enhancing pork production through innovation, efficiency, and people-focused leadership. Recently retiring from his most recent role as Tyson’s Vice President of Live Hogs, Jeremy has dedicated his professional life to advancing the swine industry while navigating complex operational challenges. He is known for having a heart for doing good work alongside great people, with a decades-long commitment to his family and community. 

Although Jeremy has moved into a new chapter of life, he remains committed to continued progress within pork production and supporting the next generation of agricultural leaders. The Oklahoma Pork Council thanks Jeremy Dickinson for many years of hard work and leadership in Oklahoma's swine industry. We will continue to highlight our 2025 award winners for the next few weeks, but click here to check out the full list if you were not able to join us at August's Oklahoma Pork Congress!

Reserve Your Bacon and Bourbon Tickets Today

Tickets are on sale now for one of Oklahoma Pork's most beloved events of the year! Join us Friday, November 7, 2025, at VAST - the restaurant atop Oklahoma City's Devon Energy Tower - for an elevated evening of pork-focused fine dining paired with high quality bourbons.

Dinner service begins at 7 pm, but sunset cocktails will be available for purchase beginning at 6 pm. Whether you are looking for a fancy date night in support of pork producers or a very special employee appreciation opportunity - click here to buy your tickets online before they sell out. If you are interested in purchasing a full table for eight guests, click here to send us a note.

Whether it's the great company, the delicious food, or the specialty bourbons that draw you in - there is plenty to enjoy among friends old and new. Don't wait to purchase your tickets - we expect this crowd-favorite event to be fully booked long before the first glass of bourbon gets poured!