We Caught up with Mr. Gavin Straka exhibitor of the Grand Champion Market Hog at the 2024 National Western. Learn more about Gavin below…

What was one difficult challenge you faced to get this win?
There’s always going to be challenges within each show season. For me, I focus on the end goal instead of getting caught up on the little things along the way. Therefore, the frigid temperatures at “Layover” were probably the most challenging for our group and the set of pigs.

What is one thing you dislike the most about showing pigs?
One thing I absolutely hate about showing pigs is where we’ve gone as an industry, and what we have prioritized along the way. With that being said, in order to win its best to hop on the band wagon of all the stupid things we have to do in order to have top notch presentation of our stock.

One thing you enjoy the most:
What makes things enjoyable about all these shows I’ve gone to over the years is having the opportunity to meet and make friends with other people throughout each barn. Wether it be the cattle, sheep, or goat barn- I’ve met 99% of my good buddies at a stock show.

Something new you tried:
This year was the first year we had a “Layover” for NWSS. We were hosted by the greatest people and had a great crew around. It was a top notch experience!

Besides being named Grand Champion, what was another memorable moment for you?
Every show is full of em. A stand out memory for me is when my older brother pummeled my dad after we were selected Grand. Unfortunately not very long after the drive, it blew up on The Showtimes media page.

Somebody you look up to:
I look up to a large group of people and have many mentors. Above all, my biggest mentor is my dad.

Favorite show product:
The list goes on and on forever. Keeping  ProDye on hand before a show can make you go from six or seventh to top three in a class.

What playlist do you have blaring in the barn?
My playlist is very versatile and has a wide variety of old school cool to the latest released songs