Although Zach and Katlyn Cain grew up showing pigs in Iowa at the same time, they didn’t meet until after they were done showing pigs. They even have the pictures to prove it.
“In 2018, Zach was working as a hired hand for another show pig breeder, Jim Gibson, and would bring Jim’s girls to many of the jackpots in Iowa. My sister, Ashley, was still showing on the circuit as well at the time,” Katlyn explains. “She is the one who coaxed me into talking to Zach at a show one weekend, which ended with him officially asking me on a date the next weekend.”
In 2020, Zach took a large leap of faith and focused on building his show pig sow herd full time, which he continues to do today. A year later, he proposed to Katlyn in the middle of a show pig sale in front of the auction block. On May 7, 2022, they were married at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
“Our favorite part of our story is the fact that we were able to take two of our biggest passions, pigs and people, and make a true partnership out of it,” Katlyn says. “Whether it’s sitting ringside and watching shows or sitting in the chip barn and messing with sale babies, we aren’t afraid to share our thoughts with each other and have a strong respect for those opinions.”
On the Road Again
She says their favorite time spent together usually includes driving to visit customers or shows and just talking pigs or bouncing ideas off each other.
“It’s very unique to have been able to find a partner that has shared goals in such a niche industry, and we try not to take that for granted,” she adds.
Today, their sow roster has grown to 40 crossbred and purebred females that they farrow twice a year to sell to junior exhibitors across the U.S.
“I appreciate everything Katlyn does for the farm,” Zach says. “She is the one in charge of farrowing, helps get sale babies ready, does all the uploads and write-ups for online sales and completes all the behind-the-scenes work for the farm that keeps it running. I can rely on her to pay attention to all the small details that make a big difference.”
When she’s not helping Zach on the farm, Katlyn works full-time with the National Pork Board on the Producer and State Engagement Team and judges livestock shows across the country.
Focus on the Good Days
“Most days it feels like our lifestyle is all pigs all the time, with little to no true routine,” she laughs. “For some couples, that lack of schedule and predictability can be daunting, but for us, that’s how we’ve built our lives together since day one. Having that mutual understanding and aligned priorities, we are very supportive of helping each other grow in our passions.”
Some days are harder than others, she adds, especially when a lot of your livelihood depends on factors outside of your control. But the good days remind her why they do what they do.
“I love Zach’s willingness to help other people,” Katlyn points out. “He may come off with a tough exterior, however, he truly has a heart of gold and is more than willing to help others. Whether that’s delivering feed to people’s houses, helping clip pigs before shows, driving pigs and kids to shows or even opening our show barn to kids who want to show but don’t have a place to house them, Zach will do anything for the kids.”
This is the first in our #porklovestories series.
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