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STODDARD, Wis. – Two members of the dairy community sealed their fate as lifelong partners Oct. 15, but their connection reaches back to their time in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badger Dairy Club.
Zach Servais, an organic dairy farmer from Stoddard who milks 350 cows, walked into a dairy club event his freshman year of college not knowing he would soon find his soulmate. Meghan (Skiba) Servais was a junior in college at the time and grew up around her grandparents’ farm near Cambridge, Minnesota, where they milked 160 registered Jerseys.
A brief moment during a dairy club event set a spark between the two.
“I remember we were walking through a haunted trail as a club event, and we kind of chatted and introduced ourselves,” Zach said. “I didn’t think there was any chance a junior girl would like a freshman.”
To Zach’s surprise, the next May, he had himself a girlfriend. The two had continued to connect during various club events and found they shared a passion for dairy and a similar sense of humor.  
Their fateful moments at dairy club grew a bond that developed into a four-year relationship. They spent time through college together and followed each other when both of them started their own careers, but their first moments together hold significance.
“I remember the first thing I noticed about him was his smile,” Meghan said. “It made me smile too.”
While preparing for marriage, the two took classes with their church’s priest and were asked what the first thing they noticed about their partner was.
“She lights up a room with her smile,” Zach said. “She smiles with her whole face; her mouth, her dimples and her eyes all smile at you.”
Their engagement, fitting to their upbringings, involved dairy cows. Though Zach knew he wanted to marry Meghan after the first date, he waited until he was out of school and established to pop the question.
On May 1, 2021, the anniversary of when they started dating, the family was dressed in nice clothes, ready for church. A cousin showed up to the farm and needed eggs. Zach had planned Meghan would want to come with because he accidentally left the buckets by the calves.
“It didn’t take much convincing to get her over there,” Zach said. “She never turns down a chance to see the calves.”
In front of the one Jersey calf in the domes, Zach took a knee and asked Meghan to marry him. Luckily, the cousin grabbed photos of the special moment.
Zach farms with his family, and Meghan works for the Farm Service Agency in Sparta. Meghan is a support for Zach when he is farming, taking care of household projects and keeping him in line, Zach said. Meghan also helps with calves once a week and fills in where she can on the farm.
Both of them having grown up in farm families took to heart their parents’ marriages. They saw what it takes to be a supportive spouse and business partner when it comes to farming.
“I admire my parents’ mutual respect for each other and the way they have worked together for the last 20 years after taking over the farm,” Zach said.
Meghan agreed.
“My parents have always been so selfless in everything they do, volunteering with the 4-H program and getting us involved on my grandparents’ farm,” she said. “They sacrificed a lot to come through on the other side when times are tough.”
The day of their wedding, each moment, from the ceremony to the reception, was filled with family and camaraderie.
“It was literally the best day from the morning into the very last song,” Meghan said.
They estimated around 300 people attended their wedding, most of whom stayed until the last song. Thinking they had more time, when the last song was announced, the rambunctious crowd asked for just one more. The song of choice for the couple was “Hardwood Floors” by Charles Wesley Goodwin.
Zach spun Meghan around the dance floor, swing dancing to the song.
“That was special because we had just seen him a few weeks prior live,” Zach said. “We knew we wanted to dance to that song.”
The wedding guests surrounded Zach and Meghan during the last song, most not knowing the tune, and watched as the couple danced.
“By the end of the last song, there was wire from my dress on the ground,” Meghan said. “Now the running joke is we danced until my dress exploded; it was an amazing day.”
The couple complement one another in all they do. Meghan is more organized and introverted, and Zach is outgoing and determined. They often think the same things and laugh at the same jokes.
“One thing I’ve really noticed since we have been together has been how often we agree on things or were thinking the same thought,” Meghan said. “I think that will help us in the future.”
Zach agreed.
“Our relationship is so effortless,” he said. “We work together well, and I’m confident we will overcome all trials and tribulations together.”

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