During the month of April, the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and Oklahoma Farm Report are spotlighting the 18 Area Stars of Oklahoma FFA, who are among the highest achievers in the organization.
The stars come from the five areas in four categories- Star in Ag Placement, Star in Agriscience, Star in Agribusiness, and Star in Agricultural Production.
This week, we spotlight the five area stars in Agricultural Production in 2024.
One Star Finalist featured in the coming days from each of the categories will be named the State Star Award Winner during the 98th Oklahoma State FFA Convention, which will take place on May 7th and 8th in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
This week, our coverage of the 2024 Oklahoma FFA Star Award Finalists begins with Agricultural Production competitor Cooper Kline of the North Rock Creek FFA chapter representing the Central Area.
“My current SAE is swine production, in which I run a show pig operation called Kline Swine, a boar stud (operation) called Kline Swine Sires, as well as maintaining a show pig enterprise,” Kline said. “I run about 17 sows and a handful of boars from which I sell show pig prospects and semen across the country.”
At this year’s Oklahoma Youth Expo, Kline said he had the chance to watch some of the pigs he bred and raised compete in the show ring.
“On the boar side of things, I actually had a premium sale barrow at Houston, so that was very exciting,” Kline said.
While raising pigs is rewarding, Kline also talked about the challenges such as vaccinations and biosecurity, as pigs are susceptible to disease.
“I hope I get to do this until the day I die,” Kline said. “This is an industry I truly live for, and it has truly made me the person I am today. I plan to go to OSU next year, but within that, I am still going to be raising show pigs, and hopefully, whenever I get out, I can expand my operation.”
Your coverage of the 2024 Oklahoma FFA Convention is sponsored by Hilliary Communications- who deliver the latest cutting-edge communications services supporting tens of thousands of customers across 22 counties throughout Oklahoma, Texas and Iowa. The company offers internet, voice and HilliaryTV. Hilliary Communications continuously researches the marketplace for innovations and strives to improve underserved areas, offering services that exceed customer expectations. Click here to learn more about Hilliary Communications.
For more information about the 98th Oklahoma State FFA Convention, click here.
