The future of the pork industry is already hard at work. 🐖
In this Pork Industry News feature, Rachel Fishback highlights the next generation of pork industry leaders competing in the 5th Annual FFA Swine Facility Management Contest, hosted by the Missouri Pork Association in partnership with the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.

This hands-on contest brings real-world pork production and swine facility management into focus, challenging FFA students with the same skills used in today’s swine industry careers — including animal care, facility management, ventilation, feed and water systems, record keeping, and daily barn management.

A total of 20 FFA teams competed in this year’s event.
🥇 First Place: North Shelby FFA — Trevor Douglass, Quintin Wiedeman, Lindy Schwanke, and Trinity Dreckshage
🥈 Second Place: California FFA
🥉 Third Place: Brookfield FFA
🏅 Fourth Place: Eldon FFA
🏅 Fifth Place: Marshall FFA

Top teams and the top four individual competitors will be recognized at the 2026 Missouri FFA Convention next spring in Columbia, Missouri. Scholarships were awarded to outstanding individual competitors upon enrollment in a technical school, community college, or four-year university.

🏆 Individual Awards:
• 1st Place: Lindy Schwanke — North Shelby FFA
• 2nd & 3rd Place: Preston McMillian and Hayden Oliver — California FFA
• 4th Place: Braxton Schweizer — Brookfield FFA

During the contest, teams visited the University of Missouri Swine Research Farm, completed a written exam, evaluated a working swine facility, and rotated through six hands-on stations assessing real on-farm procedures. The competition emphasizes industry standards such as We Care, PQA+, and TQA, reinforcing responsible, sustainable pork production and preparing students for careers in pork production, animal science, and agricultural technology.

The Missouri Pork Association continues to invest in the future of the swine industry through education, research, promotion, and youth programs that support pork producers and develop tomorrow’s leaders.

🎥 I’m Rachel Fishback with Pork Industry News, bringing you the stories shaping the future of the pork industry.

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