Senior Farm and Ranch Director Ron Hays emceed the 2024 Diamond Hats Gala, and while there, he caught up with the winner of the Oklahoma Ag Woman of the Year Award, Kylee Deniz, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Pork Council. The Diamond Hats Gala is to raise money to benefit 4-H and FFA members through scholarship opportunities, mentoring programs, and contributions to their projects.
“To think of the women who have won this award in the past makes it more special, and to receive an award from agriculturists is hard to put into words,” Deniz said.
Deniz, an OSU graduate, has been a leader in the Oklahoma Pork Council for three and a half years, after serving many years on the National Pork Board. Having been a youth showing a pig before, she has focused her sights on elevating ag youth in the state.
She said, “I had a great experience through 4-H and FFA, and I met so many people. Because of that path, I am here in Oklahoma and getting to serve Oklahoma’s pork producers in this role. Youth are important to me, our board of directors, and our staff as well.”
Deniz, a sixth-generation ag enthusiast, has a long history with the Oklahoma Youth Expo which is also a large benefactor of the funds raised by the gala. She previously served as a showmanship judge, and now serves on the Swine Committee. The Diamond Hats, which she is a member of, makes purchases in the OYE Premium Sale, and hosts motivational events under the moniker This One’s For The Girls.
“The kids talk about OYE being Spring Break Hawaii, and it is that for me, too, as an adult being part of my full-time role,” Deniz said.
In addition to Oklahoma’s youth, Deniz has two young children of her own to consider when making decisions that will affect future generations in agriculture.
Part of her work through the Pork Council is pushing back against those who would do harm to animal agriculture. She said, “The one thing that I love about agriculture is that things have been hard and things will get hard, but rather than looking at those things as challenges, we see them as opportunities. It is a great opportunity for the Pork Council to work to protect our producers’ freedom to operate.
“Think of the Barnyard Coalition in Oklahoma. It is really quite special. It starts at the top with some of those folks that are appointed, but it is individuals that work at the different commodity groups, too, that make this state such a great place to live, work, and be a part of agriculture.”
