Broadcasting live from the Oklahoma Youth Expo, Farm Director KC Sheperd visited with State FFA Secretary Cooper Kline whose mother has been involved with the show for many years.
“I’ve been coming here since before I could walk,” Kline said. “The Oklahoma Youth Expo has been a really big part of my life. I have gotten to exhibit show animals here and I have gotten to watch people exhibit animals that I raised, whether that was in the sheep or the hog barn working alongside my family there. This place really has a lot of core memories within our family. It is something that is really near and dear to my heart and I’m really happy that I get to give back a little bit on the staff side this year.”
A North Rock Creek High School Graduate and Chandler resident, Kline currently attends Oklahoma State University. Many of his fellow students hailing from the Midwest or California or other areas of the United States are seeing OYE for the first time and according to Kline, they are astounded by the experience.
“Normally, you have one species in the barn at a time, and we have the world’s biggest junior livestock show, and we are doing it all at once and it is extremely functional,” he said. “They think it is truly an amazing time.”
Kline emphasized that OYE, along with FFA and 4-H, are programs to develop the work ethics, responsibility, and other skills to prepare them for success in life. He told how big of a part of his life FFA has been for himself and generations of his predecessors.
“It really wasn’t a question of if I would do it, just how involved I would be,” he shared. “That eighth-grade year, I fell in love! There was no stopping me once I got into those first few contests and a few of those leadership conferences. I started meeting people and making friends and realizing that this is something that I am truly passionate about.”
Even as he was an active member in school, Kline knew that he would one day want to give back to the program that had given him so much. “Getting to serve this year along with seven of my best friends has been absolutely incredible!” he admitted, encouraging other FFA members to jump on the opportunity to serve as a state officer when they get the chance. “Just going through the process changes you so much as a person, and you really get a better understanding of what we are doing within Oklahoma FFA and the people that are a part of it. I don’t think there is a better youth organization, but I might be a little biased.”
Beginning in seventh or eighth grade, Kline started his show pig production project with a few sows, deterring from his family’s preference for sheep. His project has grown to include 25 sows and a handful of boars that he sells semen from to producers across the United States along with the show prospects his pigs produce.
“It has been a really cool thing to see that project grow, and then help other members start their ESA projects, whether it be from a breeding standpoint or replacement gilt standpoint – just being able to play a small role in that is really a great opportunity.”
Kline intends to continue his FFA Star project for the rest of his life. “I truly love the industry with my whole heart,” he said. “If there is anything I can do to help improve it or to help that FFA or 4-H member take that next step in it, that’s what I want to do.”
Some of the Chester gilts that Kline raised placed, 6th, 8th, and 10th overall at the 2025 OYE letting him know that his breeding program is headed in the right direction.
The 98th State FFA Convention is to be held May 6-7, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, and Kline has been inundated with calls and texts from members expressing their excitement for the event.
“I know one thing I am really excited about,” Kline shared. “The very first time I went to the FFA Convention was my brother’s Senior year in 2018 and Dave Roever was the keynote speaker. We are getting him back this year! He has an amazing message, so I’ve been encouraging everyone to stay for that right before the Degree Ceremony!”
With the Wounded Warrior Project, Roever is a Vietnam veteran of solid character and a recipient of the Purple Heart. His gripping story of hope in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles has given him a unique perspective of life and paired with an impressive storytelling ability, his message is sure to impact those who hear it.
Listen to Sheperd’s OYE Morning Minute live on the Oklahoma Farm Report Facebook Page, as well as on the OYE Facebook page and the Kennedy Ventures Facebook page.
Click here for the full schedule for the 2025 OYE. The Oklahoma Farm Report team will be snapping pictures from start to finish- and you can see them as we add them to our Flickr album for 2025- available here. If you want to look back to the 2024 OYE- click here for our pictures from last year’s event.
Our coverage of the 2025 Oklahoma Youth Expo is sponsored by Hilliary Communications. More than 60 years ago, the Hilliary Family acquired a small telephone company in rural southwest Oklahoma. Now in its third generation, the company has grown from a single exchange with just 100 access lines covering 22 square miles to now serving more than 19,000 customers in 22 counties throughout Oklahoma & Texas. The company also offers IP television service and internet speeds up to 1 Gig. Click here to learn more about Hilliary Communications.
