The Cade Rea Story

A wave of chills surges through his body as his heart pounds in his ears. Locked in on the scene before him, he holds his breath as he sees the judge set down the microphone. After a couple of moments that seem to feel like an eternity, he watches judge Mark Hoge take a big step to the right and select the champion Crossbred barrow.

A fit of screams and celebration erupt, and his eyes fill with tears. Braeton Kimble just watched the boy he regards as a younger brother win the Oklahoma Youth Expo and achieve a lifelong dream.

“It was a unique pig paired with a unique kid, and it was a combination that ended up playing out great in the end,” Kimble said.

While this win is certainly like no other, the kid behind it all is not either, Kimble boasted with a smile. Winning the OYE Market Barrow Show takes dedication and hard work, Kimble said, and no one does that more than Hydro native, Cade Rea.

While winning OYE was certainly “the biggest win of our lives,” Kimble said Rea’s work began far before that March day in 2022.

Rea began showing pigs several years ago, and his time in the livestock industry has made an impact in the way few do. For Rea, it’s not just all about school and showing pigs, he said. His days consist of a full 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. schedule before most high school students begin their days.

Long before the sun peaks above the horizon, Rea has woken up, eaten breakfast, fed pigs, worked in the barn, and headed to work before a full day of classes, his second job, and tending to his showpigs late into the evening.

“I didn’t have an endless checkbook to write checks from growing up, so I learned to work with it,” Rea said. “I believe if you spend time putting in the work with what you have, you never know the good that could happen in your favor.”

Cade driving his Crossbred Barrow in the Grand Drive at the 2022 Oklahoma Youth Expo.

In addition to being the perspective Rea viewed the world through, this same belief is what drew Kimble to Rea the first time they met.

Flash back to an evening during the 2020 OYE, Kimble and one of his friends were looking through barrows in the barn that belonged to some families he was helping feed for, who were, at the time, out to dinner. Kimble said he got a Berkshire barrow out of its pen, and verbally concluded that it would take some work to get it where it needed to be for the day of show.

Previously unseen by Kimble, a young man steps into his line of sight and said, “What can I do to make him better?”

After realizing he and his friend were not alone, Kimble pieced together the Berkshire barrow was the boy’s pig. That is the moment where Rea and Kimble first met.

For the remainder of that evening, Rea spent time helping Kimble and further establishing their new friendship.

“I just remember being so struck that he was there and eager to learn,” Kimble said. “I remember later that week still thinking about Cade and deciding I was going to do everything I could to get some good pigs into his hands.”

The following summer, the duo stayed in contact. Kimble ended up buying a set of pigs for Rea to exhibit that fall. In October 2020, Rea had the Reserve Champion Duroc barrow at the Tulsa State Fair, a win that ignited a spark of passion and involvement in both of their hearts, Kimble said.

When Rea’s senior show season arrived, Kimble said the two of them were ready to do all that they could to go out with a bang. So, they gathered the money Rea had set back from work and purchased a Crossbred barrow that was raised by one of Kimble’s best friends from high school, Nathan Davis.

“It seemed natural to get that barrow from Nathan,” Rea said. “He was very present throughout the process of feeding and showing it, always checking in and asking how the barrow was progressing.”

Every show, every night in the barn, and every learning experience had led up the 2022 OYE, Rea said.

“From the first time I met him to the moment we were preparing for his final show, Cade’s work ethic and devotion always impressed me,” Kimble said. “At the time of OYE, Cade was working two different jobs, going to school, taking care of his pigs, and completely self-sustaining himself in that endeavor.

“The money he made at the grocery store or working odd jobs for different people around town was used for pigs. He worked hard and did it all on his own. He worked toward his goal. I am so proud of him for that,” Kimble said.

When OYE finally began, Rea had two pigs to show, and he said he was ready to give it his all for his last show.

The day Rea and Kimble both anticipated the most was March 17th, the day Rea got to show his Crossbred barrow.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Kimble said. “I know we were both tired getting up, but when it finally sunk in that it was Crossbred day at OYE, it was game on.”

As the calls for class 9 boomed from the overhead speakers in barn 6, the nerves and excitement started to sink in, Kimble said.

“I remember telling Cade as we were getting ready to go in that it would be a tough class, but if he worked on ‘hitting’ the judge right, there was a chance things could fall into place,” Kimble said.

As Kimble watched Rea navigate through the sift ring, he told him to take deep breaths and stick to what he knew to do. Rea, laughing, looked back at him and said, “We’ve done everything we can do up to this point. It is what it is now.”

Next thing they knew, Rea was up the Hill and in the prestigious big ring. Rea placed first in his class and advanced to the middleweight division drive.

“After I had won the middle division, I had hopes for what would happen in the breed drive,” Rea said. “The heat of the show is always difficult to win, so we were eagerly anticipating what was to come.”

When Rea went back in the ring to show for champion Crossbred, Kimble said it was fun watching the victory that transpired.

“Once we won the Crossbreds, it was like a dream,” Rea said.

Later that evening, Rea got to experience the infamous OYE Grand Drive from a whole new perspective. He finally achieved his goal of riding in the limo and getting to step into the spotlight in front of the packed house in Jim Norick Arena as Thunderstruck boomed through the speakers.

When it came time to show for Grand Champion Barrow, Kimble said it was one of the most emotional and special moments of their lives. They went out one last time, and Rea gave it his all, Kimble said.

“It was hands-down the coolest thing that has ever happened watching Cade win OYE,” Kimble said. “I still get chills when I think back to that day because it was such a huge and meaningful victory for all of us – it’s a core memory we all say we will never forget.”

After the tears subsided, hugs were given, and the magnitude of the win finally sunk in, Rea said the impact of that experience still remains strong.

Perhaps the most notable impact is through his higher education opportunities, Rea said.

“Not many people know this, but two days after OYE ended, I was supposed to enlist into the Marines. I wasn’t quite sure about college financially, but I knew if I joined the Marines, I could get help paying for it.

“I was set on going to college no matter what it took, so it was a good option for me. However, with the publicity from winning OYE and everything that came from that victory, I ended up getting a livestock judging scholarship at Redlands Community College,” Rea said.

Cade and Braeton at the 2022 Sale of Champions.

Today, Rea is pursuing an agricultural education degree at Redlands and is a member of the Cougar’s Livestock Judging Team. In the future, Rea said he plans to teach ag and invest in students with hopes they can get out of the agriculture industry everything he received.

“I am grateful for every experience I have had and all of the people I have met along the way throughout my time in the Junior Livestock Program and FFA,” Rea said. “I have learned many lessons and developed a true passion I hope to carry with me for the rest of my life.”

– Written by Emile Mittelstaedt