Life Lessons Beyond the Barn: Hands-on leadership drives success at OSU Swine Research and Education Center

Life Lessons Beyond the Barn: Hands-on leadership drives success at OSU Swine Research and Education Center

Friday, December 19, 2025

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Growing up in Hobart, Oklahoma, Jim Coakley had many career options in mind. Playing in the National Football League, taking over the family farm or becoming an agricultural educator were all on the table.

Coakley said he quickly learned playing in the NFL was not an option.

"I figured out pretty quick I was too slow, too short, and not strong enough," Coakley said.

However, his involvement in the swine industry soon replaced his NFL dream. His passion for pork production started the day he was old enough to feed his pigs on his family farm.

"I love taking care of the pigs," Coakley said. "I love watching them eat and gain weight and learning the ins and outs of the pork industry."

Coakley said he was involved in nearly every aspect of agriculture, but it did not take long for him to realize his true gift - teaching.

Coakley was recognized as a Zoetis Champion of Care in September 2025. This program honors individuals in the pork industry with a passion for agriculture, a commitment to animal health, a focus on building relationships and an investment in the future of the industry, according to the company's website.

"I come from a long line of educators," Coakley said. "My mom, sister and both brothers were all educators."

Coakley was inspired by his high school agricultural education teacher, Kent Orrell, and his brother, Jon David Coakley, to pursue agricultural education, he said.

After earning a bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State University in 1997, he began his career at Bethel Acres Public Schools. Following this opportunity, Coakley said he transitioned to Anadarko Public Schools briefly before moving home to teach in Hobart for the next 20 years.

Coakley said he planned to retire from teaching, but when the opportunity to manage the OSU Swine Research and Education Center arose, he made a career switch.

Coakley's mentor, teacher and friend, Kim Brock, encouraged him to accept the challenge, he said.

"I fell in love with the farm," Coakley said.

When the position of the OSU swine farm manager opened, Coakley was eager to embark on his role, he said. He was heavily involved in the show pig industry while growing up and teaching, but it was at OSU where his passion for production truly took hold, Coakley added.

He was hesitant to transition from teaching to swine farm manager, Coakley said, as he worried he might miss working with the students in his classroom every day. However, he is able to do daily chores with OSU students and teach labs, which helps foster that student connection, he said.

"The transition from what I thought was the perfect job in regard to teaching ag to this has truly been day and night," Coakley said.

The approach Coakley takes when teaching are the same principles he uses on the farm, said Scott Carter, OSU Swine Research and Education Center facility supervisor. This made the transition from the classroom to managing the swine farm smooth, Carter said.

"That passion is always there," said Carter, who is also an animal and food sciences associate professor. "Whether it's teaching a lab, working with the student workers, or helping me out with research, it's an intense passion."

Coakley meets every student at their level and determines how to explain a topic in terms the student will understand, said Mallory Fuhrig, animal and food sciences graduate research assistant. This quality makes him invaluable to OSU and the program, she added.

"You never feel judged. You never feel criticized. He is everyone's biggest supporter," Fuhrig said.

One of the most rewarding and inspiring parts of working at the swine farm is the passion and legacy of those who came before him, Coakley said.

Brock built a legacy of highly competitive purebred livestock at the swine farm and is proud of Coakley's accomplishments throughout the years, Coakley said.

"The neat thing about the OSU Swine Research and Education Center is the volume of alumni who are so passionate about what was going on here and what is continuing to go on here," Coakley said.

The farm's success comes from the student workers, whom Coakley describes as the piston to the engine. They gain hands-on experience working in a facility and are exposed to not only the show industry, but also the commercial side of pork production, Coakley added.

Coakley's work with the students helps them learn a solid work ethic, how to show up day in and day out and how to treat others with respect, Carter said.

The student workers also build connections with alumni and get to interact with 4-H and FFA students across the state looking for show pigs and breeding prospects, Coakley said.

"It's their ability to supplement Jim to keep the farm going and move it forward," Carter said. "He puts them in a position where they can take ownership of the pigs and the farm and take pride in representing the farm, the department and the university, across the nation."

Coakley corresponds with faculty to work closely on how to benefit the farm. He teaches labs, but also oversees the breeding, farrowing and finishing of the pigs. Coakley directs daily operations and ensures every task gets completed.

"My role here is to guide, guard and direct," Coakley said. "I want to guide students on a path, guard them in what decisions they make, and direct them in different avenues that may be better choices than what they had thought was the best one at that point."

Coakley's way of managing the swine farm and the life lessons he teaches students are monumental, Fuhrig said. The lessons Fuhrig has learned from him will stick with her in every phase of life, she added.

The student workers at the swine farm are "hungry to learn," Coakley said, adding his teaching methods have evolved in response to students' energy and interest in the industry.

"I will always hope that I have helped to nurture and foster the work ethic, the ability to stay till the job's done, not be afraid of a little bit of dirt or a little bit of hard work, and have the tenacity to complete something," Coakley said.

He wants his students to perform at a high level and manage the pressure of everyday life, Coakley said. The students' ability to apply the skills learned at the swine farm to a variety of jobs is his greatest reward, he said.

"There is a lot of work that goes into the day-to-day operations out here, and none of it would be possible without the people that I work with every day," Coakley said.

Coakley is deserving of the Zoetis Champion of Care honor because of the lives he touched across the country and those he helped get to where they are now, Carter said.

"Everything he does has a purpose that is based on science, not opinions," Carter said. "He shows up at the farm, thinking this is what we're going to do today to make the pigs better, the students' lives better, and the potential futures better."

Fuhrig described Coakley as someone who always shows up. Rain or shine, Coakley is her first phone call when something goes wrong, she said.

"I wish there were enough words, or I could do him justice for just the person he is and what he does," Fuhrig said. "Because he is just a difference maker, all around the board."

Story by Morgan Maloney | Cowboy Journal