Announcing All-Star Interns to Team Pork

Investing in the next generation of agricultural leaders remains a top priority at the Oklahoma Pork Council. We are thrilled to welcome two outstanding college students to our team this summer. Both impressed us during last fall’s collegiate leadership experience and stood out in a highly competitive internship process that began with more than 50 applicants. 

Halle Pullen is an agricultural communications junior at Oklahoma State University from Stratford, Oklahoma. She grew up working in her family’s peach orchard and attending weekly farmers markets, where her passion for connecting producers and consumers first took root. Halle also exhibited show pigs through FFA, a love for animal agriculture that she has carried into her undergraduate studies. At OSU, she has developed skills in photography and videography through internships with American Farmers and Ranchers Cooperative and Legacy Livestock Imaging. 

Rachel Swinford is an Agricultural Business (Pre-Law) student at Oklahoma State University. She began showing pigs at a young age and continues to raise them today, experiences that shaped her appreciation for animal agriculture and producer stewardship. Rachel’s academic focus has fueled a strong interest in representing and advancing the agricultural industry. She has further cultivated this passion through opportunities such as Ag Voices of the Future in Washington, D.C., and the Personal Improvement and Growth through Swine program in partnership with Showpig.com and the National Pork Board. 

Our team is counting down the days until Halle and Rachel join us for a summer of service to Oklahoma pork producers!

National Pork Policy Producer Leaders in Oklahoma

This week, Oklahoma had the honor of hosting the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) Board of Directors. We kicked off NPPC’s visit to Oklahoma with a warm welcome by revisiting one of our signature events, Bacon & Bourbon, at VAST on the 49th floor of the Devon Tower. With views of Oklahoma stretching as far as the eye could see, there was no better setting to bring together pig people, delicious pork, and great drinks. These national industry leaders also spent time learning about Oklahoma’s pork industry, connecting with our board members, and exploring key issues affecting agriculture ranging from workforce opportunities to foreign animal disease preparedness.

Specifically on Tuesday afternoon with the Cattlemen’s Congress in the background, the NPPC Board enjoyed top-notch educational discussions at the new OG&E Coliseum on the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. Speakers included Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur, Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture JanLee Rowlett, show pig breeder and 2025-2026 Oklahoma FFA State President Cooper Kline, State Representative John Pfeiffer, and poultry producer and State Board of Agriculture member Brent Bolen. This group of highly influential Oklahomans discussed a wide range of topics impacting Oklahoma agriculture. 

The board also heard from Jeff Pennington of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife and Scott Alls of USDA on feral swine challenges. This was followed by a session on proactive efforts to prevent and prepare for New World Screwworm with State Veterinarian Dr. Rod Hall, Deputy State Veterinarian Dr. Alicia Gorczyca-Southerland, and Dr. Jonathan Cammack from Oklahoma State University’s Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. 

Bringing national leadership to our state matters. We thank NPPC CEO Bryan Humphreys and NPPC COO Cody McKinley for Oklahoma’s opportunity to host NPPC’s January Board Meeting.

Let a Year Celebrating Pork Producers Begin!

Proud Oklahomans have certainly been raising pigs for generations. But when we study the history of modern pig farming in the state and the Oklahoma Pork Council's unique role serving our producers - we consider this year, 2026, to be the 35th "birthday" of our organization and our current industry. 

So to commemorate this milestone, we plan to happily celebrate Oklahoma pork producers all year long. Throughout 2025, our board and staff began dreaming up fun ways to reflect on our past and prepare for the future. Now as we begin 2026, we ask for your help to share lessons, stories, and friendships from the past three-and-a-half decades of Oklahoma Pork. Whether your favorite memory of Oklahoma's pork industry involves one show pig many years ago or passionately caring for thousands of pigs today - we would love to hear your perspective. 

As part of the 35th anniversary fun, we will incorporate some memorable reflections into several of our signature events throughout the year. We also have a few brand new ideas up our sleeve to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and passion that carried Oklahoma's pork industry from 1991 to today. So take a moment to think back over your own unique pork story, and let us know if you have any photos, stories, or ideas to make this year extra-special looking back and blazing forward!

New Year, Same Grateful Staff Here to Serve

Happy New Year! It's no secret within Oklahoma's agriculture community that the Oklahoma Pork Council staff is comprised of people who truly love our jobs. But with our "Dream Team" only having four full-time members, we used to believe our great culture flew under the radar to those outside agriculture.

For a third time in a row, that assumption has been corrected as the Oklahoma Pork Council has recently been named one of our state's "Great Companies to Work For" by Oklahoma Magazine. Only six organizations were chosen in the food-related category, so we are proud to be recognized for our work and our culture!

We look forward to working with our incredible board of directors and pork producers across Oklahoma in 2026!

Final Give-A-Ham Impact for 2025 Announced

Although we have all turned our sights to 2026, we want to take a moment to properly celebrate the incredible generosity Oklahoma's pork community displayed during the 2025 holiday season. After searching social media and checking in with so many of our faithful friends, we are ready to announce impressive totals for the 2025 Give-A-Ham campaign. Our board and staff extend deep thanks to each person who donated hams, pork products, time, or funds during our most recent giving adventure throughout the month of December.

Even though we know not everyone publicly shares their Give-A-Ham involvement on social media, we can confidently declare more than 830 hams, 40,750 pounds of protein, $25,750 of financial gifts, and 630 volunteer hours were donated as part of Oklahoma's latest Give-A-Ham Challenge. Those record-setting totals mean thousands of Oklahomans enjoyed delicious pork meals in the past month because of our industry's heart for giving, and we have no doubt many additional donations took place in communities across Oklahoma.

Every "Giving Season" the challenge looks a little different, and for 2025 we were especially proud of the broad reach Give-A-Ham achieved impacting all areas of the state. So many wonderful folks joined us to offer 3,000 delicious free pork lunches in Enid, Okemah, Woodward, Bristow, Tecumseh, Lawton, and Leedey during December. Additionally, Seaboard Foods' eye-popping 40,000 pound pork donation to the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma is believed to be the largest single product gift in the campaign's history. Another new element to this year's challenge was a generous $7,000 financial gift from our friends at the National Pork Industry Foundation to support local communities through the campaign. Pairing these highlights with special events like 100+ 4-H and FFA students volunteering at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the individual giving that occurred thanks to challenges being accepted by many of our members and supporters - we can say without question that the 2025 Give-A-Ham Challenge touched lives across Oklahoma.

Another extraordinary high point of our 2025 Give-A-Ham Challenge brought national attention to the campaign during the final days before Christmas. Thanks to strong partnership with Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur, we were thrilled to see U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins accept the Give-A-Ham Challenge with a heartfelt shout out to Oklahoma pork producers and production agriculture as a whole. What a compliment to our industry and to the phenomenal momentum this giving campaign has built in recent years! 

Certainly less of a priority than feeding people across the state, but the Oklahoma Pork Council also recognizes an important part of our role is to publicly brag on our members who skip every opportunity to brag on themselves. So a secondary success of our annual giving campaign includes positive coverage across media types, including TV coverage, printed publications, social media shares, and more. Every chance to remind Oklahomans that pig farmers are great neighbors is a huge win in our book. Here's to a hugely successful giving season last year and even more generosity and industry pride as we begin 2026!

Tell Oklahoma Pork About Your Farm's History

In 2026, the Oklahoma Pork Council will proudly celebrate 35 years serving our state's swine industry. One special element to our organization's history is how many leaders and friends of Oklahoma Pork have remained passionately involved with pork production throughout many of those years. Those folks, alongside many of us who have joined the fun along the way, have countless lessons and laughs that deserve to be remembered. 

Our board and staff have already been dreaming on fun ways to celebrate the past and look to the future throughout 2026 when marking this special anniversary, but we need your help! Whether your favorite memory of Oklahoma's pork industry involves one show pig decades ago or proudly caring for thousands of pigs today - we would love to hear your perspective.

Starting with Pork Month right now and continuing throughout the coming months into the new year, we are collecting stories, photos, and coaching from our members and friends to commemorate all that has happened for Oklahoma pork production since 1991. Take a few moments to reflect on your own pork journey and the farms and friends who helped get you where you are today. Then, please feel free to send us a note, give us a call, or share those memories however you prefer as we begin the official celebrations of "35 Years of Oklahoma Pork" in 2026! Cheers to an impressive past and a bright future helping to feed the world!

Social Challenge Posts Continue to Snowball

As Oklahoma's Give-A-Ham strategy has expanded to focus more on community involvement and high-impact donations, we continue to appreciate the faithful pork producers and supporters who step up to make "ham-to-ham" social posts that increase pork on plates across the state this holiday season.

Over the past two weeks, encouraging challenges initiated by our board and staff have truly branched out in a phenomenal way to loop in dozens of Oklahomans and some of our favorite friends living outside our state. Here are just a few more fun Give-A-Ham posts we loved seeing over the past week: Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell, Kass Newell from the Oklahoma Youth Expo, Tre and Stacie Smith, Oklahoma Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, Ron Hays and the Oklahoma Agriculture Leadership Program, Oklahoma CareerTech Director Brent Haken, Holly Carroll and Megan Knight from the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Federation, and so many others! Also, if you're looking for a smile (and a reminder how much fun work can be), check out the always funny Blue and Gold Sausage Co. crew's Give-A-Ham video here!

Enjoy these leaders' engaging challenge posts to then get inspired to give yourself in the next week. There is still time to participate before the campaign wraps up on Christmas Eve. Click here to get all the details from our Give-A-Ham page where you can even easily cover the cost of one ham to donate if giving directly in your own community may not be possible this holiday season!

More Free Meals From Farmers Bring Joy

The journey to 3,000 free pork meals in different regions of the state before Christmas is nearing an end as Oklahoma Pork added Tecumseh and Lawton to our heartfelt Give-A-Ham tour this week. Both of the latest stops upheld the trend of incredible local support and deeply grateful community members. What a blessing it is for us to serve farmers who prioritize giving and consistently make such a delicious, nutritious product for the world to enjoy. 

On Tuesday of this week, we joined great friends from Gilbert Insurance and Kennedy Ventures to share 300 delicious pulled pork lunches with Tecumseh residents alongside our steady partners Newman's Firehouse BBQ and Ozarka Water. A little wind did not deter community leaders, former Pork Industry Group students, and additional friends from rolling up their sleeves to help spread cheer on behalf of Oklahoma's pork producers. Then in Lawton on Wednesday, we had fun again serving alongside our friends from Newman's and Ozarka once again to distribute another 300 delicious meals. In Lawton, it was also special to have State Representative Daniel Pae join us to share lunches and our coziest Oklahoma Pork swag to the folks who excitedly received their tasty meals. 

Next Monday marks our last official stop on the 2026 Give-A-Ham Free Community Lunch Tour, when we will trek west to Leedey where 300 hot meals will be shared from 11 a.m. until sold out. If you are in the area, we would love for you to stop by. Don't forget these festive community events represent just one part of the Give-A-Ham excitement. Through our ongoing social media challenges and the action of invested industry leaders like you -there are countless other ways to promote pork while serving your community in the next week.

Visit the Oklahoma Pork Council Give-A-Ham page here to see more details and to let us know how you plan to give back this holiday season. You can also keep up with the challenge via Oklahoma Pork's social media pages to view details and recaps for each event, and tag us in your own plans to spread cheer before Christmas Eve!

100+ Passionate Students Join Give-A-Ham Fun

Now a popular highlight during our annual month of giving, more than 100 fantastic 4-H, FFA, and OSU youth joined the Oklahoma Pork Council to participate in the Give-A-Ham Challenge with a hands-on volunteer shift filled with memorable Christmas costumes, big energy, and holiday cheer. Whether they came by bus from the panhandle or popped in from just down the road, these eager next generation leaders joined us last Friday to volunteer at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma (RFBO) and celebrate pork producers' special $10,000 donation to the Pork for Packs Program.

Our energetic crew of volunteers worked with frozen bulk potatoes for RFBO's Backpacks Program - which is affiliated with our industry's Pork for Packs initiative. Pork for Packs utilizes donated hogs from Oklahoma 4-H and FFA members to create protein sticks for elementary students at risk of hunger. The pork sticks are distributed within the Backpacks Program to meet a real need by supplementing protein on weekends and holidays when school feeding programs are unavailable. Between the Regional Food Bank and the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, the program serves almost 600 schools in all 77 Oklahoma counties, providing backpacks of kid-friendly, non-perishable food to more than 35,000 chronically hungry children each week. 

Some of the many hard-working volunteers who joined the fun included the full staff from Blue & Gold Sausage Co, a majority of the Oklahoma State FFA Officers, several OSU Pork Industry Group alums, and pig-loving 4-H and FFA members from many communities. Over the course of our afternoon of high efficiency potato-packing, we were proud to prepare a total of 10,700 meals through thousands of ready-to-cook chopped potato servings for hungry neighbors.

While these excited young people came together to serve, the Oklahoma Pork Council also took the opportunity to celebrate our board donating $10,000 this December to help cover processing costs of Pork for Packs donated animals in 2026. We are proud to continue celebrating the generosity of pig farmers and a strong partnership with our state food banks! Do you wish you could have joined our meaningful day at RFBO? Click here to see a variety of great ways to support their mission this holiday season!

Ham-to-Ham Challenges Keep Pork in Spotlight

When the national Give-A-Ham Challenge began several years ago, it was really centered on social media posts individually tapping folks to support pork production by donating a single ham within their own communities. As Oklahoma Pork has continued to evolve our efforts in this campaign each December, we have spent much of our energy on feeding as many people as possible with free community meals and large-scale donations as highlighted in both stories above.

But as our Oklahoma Give-A-Ham focus has expanded, we are still thrilled to have phenomenal champions within agriculture and beyond participate in the "ham-to-ham" social posts that get hundreds of people involved in giving while shining a much deserved light on our industry during the holiday season.

After Oklahoma Pork's board president Tom Layne kicked off the 2025 challenge alongside Governor Kevin Stitt two weeks ago, we have already seen social media erupt with dozens of smiling faces proudly displaying their pork items to donate and tagging others to keep the fun going.

Just a few of the many special Give-A-Ham posts we have enjoyed seeing so far (in addition to our phenomenal board leaders who all participate in special ways) include: Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur, Oklahoma Speaker of the House Kyle Hilbert, OSU leaders Dean Jayson Lusk and Department Head Richard Coffey, Greg Livingston from Farm Credit of Western Oklahoma, brand new Oklahoma Veterinary Medicine Association Executive Director Rosemarie Strong, and so many others. 

Check out these leaders' engaging challenge posts to then get inspired to give yourself. There is still time plenty of time to participate before the campaign wraps up on Christmas Eve. Click here to get all the details from our Give-A-Ham page where you can even easily cover the cost of one ham to donate if giving directly in your own community may not be possible this holiday season!