For Jarrod and Shari Bakker, the pork industry has always been and will always be part of their love story. They met at the Iowa State Fair (ISU) after their senior year of high school while participating in the Premier Exhibitor Contest. Although it doesn’t matter who won, Shari beat Jarrod if you want to keep track. After that, they both headed off to Iowa State University for their freshman year.
“We re-met during fall of 2002 in a mutual friends’ dorm room and became good friends,” Shari says. “Jarrod had started working at the ISU teaching farm and after a couple of months, helped me get a job at the farm. We were just good friends for a couple of years, traveled to hog shows and started dating our junior year of college.”
They were lockstep as they competed on the livestock judging team, graduated from Iowa State University and began their adult life. Shari took a job as the Team Purebred Jr Coordinator.
“Jarrod proposed at the state fairgrounds during World Pork Expo the summer after we graduated college,” she says. “We planned our Aug. 2, 2008, wedding date around field work and pig shows and spent our honeymoon at the Iowa State Fair. As we both matured, we became more involved in the National Pork Board and the Iowa Purebred Swine Council, and we founded the Iowa Swine Jackpot Series (along with my family).”
It’s Not Just a Paycheck
The swine industry fueled not only their professional goals but also helped them grow as a couple.
“Anyone who raises hogs, whether finishing pigs or show pigs, with their spouse knows the toll the stressors can take on relationships,” Shari says. “We’ve gone through contract changes, fluctuating markets and herd health challenges, and each time, the basis of our mutual passion has pushed us through the challenges.”
Shari credits Jarrod’s eternal optimism for helping them get through the tough times in life.
“We always joke about us being a yin and a yang,” she says. “No matter the situation, Jarrod has a positive outlook and pushes us to continue moving forward.”
Jarrod appreciates Shari’s willingness to always put her family first.
“Her ability to organize the mass chaos of raising a family is second to none,” he adds. “I love how proud she is of what we’ve built in both our family and farm life.”
At its most basic level, raising hogs has been a challenging, rewarding, lifelong learning experience for them as adults. But it’s also been a great learning tool for their three kids Caeden, Cooper and Olivia.
“While we may never want to picture baby pigs together again, the stories we have to tell about our time in the barn together will always be my favorite,” she laughs. “We could not be prouder to raise our kids in the barn. The excitement of our kids traveling to shows, the hustle they’ve learned to put into every part of their lives (whether it’s school, sports or livestock) and the confidence they have to go out and make new friends and talk to other breeders means so much to us.”
Keep reading our #porklovestories series: Garrett and Marisa See: Show Ring Sweethearts
