The American Association of Swine Veterinarians is helping introduce more students to careers in the pork industry through a wide range of pre-veterinary and classroom educational resources focused on pig farming, swine health, and animal care.
The organization recently shared resources designed for pre-veterinary students, teachers, and classrooms ranging from elementary school through high school. The materials help students learn what a swine veterinarian does, what careers are available in the pork industry, and how pigs are raised on modern farms.
According to AASV, the path to becoming a swine veterinarian includes high school coursework, undergraduate college studies, and veterinary school. Career opportunities after veterinary school can include private practice, research, academia, public health, pork production management, and allied agriculture industries.
The educational resources feature career profiles and videos from swine veterinarians and pork industry professionals, including:
- Dr. Cara Haden with We Care Iowa
- Dr. Tara Donovan with VetsOnCall
- Dr. Turner discussing pig health and food safety
- Dr. Seth Krantz and family veterinary partnerships
- Rebecca Robbins, a Seaboard veterinarian featured by the Oklahoma Pork Council
- Dr. Bill Hollis discussing swine practice and food animal medicine
- Dr. Mary Battrell with Smithfield Foods discussing animal care
The program also highlights the importance of careers in pork production. According to the Pork Checkoff, the U.S. pork industry supports nearly 550,000 jobs across the country.
Students interested in agriculture careers can also explore internship opportunities, pork production careers, and educational videos that include virtual field trips to Ohio pig farms and career exploration content from state pork organizations.
For teachers, AASV provides classroom-ready curriculum and educational resources from organizations across the country, including:
- Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation lesson plans about pigs and pork production
- Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom materials teaching pig life cycles, pig breeds, and math applications in animal agriculture
- Destination Pork curriculum from the U.S. Pork Center of Excellence
- Educational materials from Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom
- Resources from the Illinois Pork Producers Association
- Classroom stories, activities, and videos from the Wisconsin Pork Producers Association
AASV also offers a speaker bank featuring volunteer swine veterinarians available to speak at classrooms, conferences, and educational events about swine health and pork production.
As labor shortages and workforce development continue to be important conversations in the pork industry, programs like these aim to help students learn about careers in swine production, veterinary medicine, animal care, and agriculture leadership at an early age.
See their programs available at AASV.