Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn is defending his running mate, Derek Wulf, following financial problems that included a Sioux County court judgment over unpaid livestock invoices.
In an interview with Sioux County Radio, Lahn was asked what he knew about Wulf’s financial difficulties when he selected him as his candidate for lieutenant governor.
Lahn said he has addressed the matter in previous interviews and acknowledged that aspects of the situation could have been handled better. He framed Wulf’s difficulties as part of broader financial pressures facing agriculture.
“I think that what we’re looking at here is a larger issue within the constructs of what’s going on in agriculture, where you have people selling products below the cost of production often,” Lahn said.
Lahn also attributed Wulf’s difficulties to the loss of a line of credit.
“When you look at his specific situation, you have a bank that was overextended on its federal legal lending limit, pulls his line of credit having not ever missed a payment or been late on a payment. And then had this cascade happen, which would happen to just about any farmer that was in that situation,” Lahn said.
Sioux County Judgment Paid in Full
Court records previously reviewed by Sioux County Radio show Four County Pig Placement, Incorporated, a Sioux Center feeder-pig brokerage, filed a civil case against Wulf in February.
The petition alleged Wulf, doing business as Shallow Creek Land and Livestock, received 2,189 feeder pigs in October 2025 and failed to pay two invoices totaling $182,244.70.
After no answer or formal appearance was filed on Wulf’s behalf, the court entered a default judgment on April 16 for that amount, plus court costs and interest.
A debtor-examination hearing took place July 13 in Orange City after the judgment remained unpaid. Neither Wulf nor an attorney appeared on his behalf. During the hearing, the brokerage’s attorney told the court that a wire payment was pending.
A satisfaction and release filed the following day showed the judgment had been paid in full.
Wulf later said his farm had secured refinancing, describing the challenges facing his operation as part of the reason he joined the Republican ticket.
The Sioux County judgment was not the only financial dispute involving Wulf’s operation. KCRG reported September 4 that a judge placed his farm business under the control of a management firm after missed refinancing deadlines in a case brought by WCF Financial. The bank alleged defaults on multiple loans.
In a response provided to KCRG at the time, Lahn’s campaign disputed the portrayal of Wulf’s finances, saying cases had been settled, debts paid, and refinancing was nearing completion. The campaign has also denied allegations of fraud or theft.
Lahn Outlines Agricultural Proposals
Asked what he would do to help struggling farmers, Lahn pointed to increasing competition in agricultural markets. He proposed additional funding for the attorney general’s office to pursue antitrust cases.
“My plan for that immediately is to increase the attorney General’s budget to go directly towards antitrust litigation within the department earmarked for that, so we can start to bring more competition in the marketplace,” Lahn said.
Lahn also outlined a goal of having Iowa farms supply 80 percent of the food served in the state’s public schools. He said he wants changes to federal school-food purchasing rules and greater access to economic development incentives for family farms.
Lahn and Wulf face Democrat Rob Sand and his running mate Dave Muhlbauer in the November 3 election.
