The Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show reached new heights, raising $375,265.92 at the 39th annual show. All proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa, with houses in Des Moines, Iowa City and Sioux City. The local charities provide a “home away from home” for families of sick children.
Since 1983, the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show has raised over $4.5 million for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa. The Office of the Governor of Iowa; Kim Reynolds, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and Iowa Beef Industry Council would like to thank past and present donors for their support. This event demonstrates the “Cattlemen Care” and “Iowa Nice” mantra, which is synonymous with Iowa.
This year’s show, held at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, showcased 24 Iowa steer exhibitors. Ben Kelly, of Dallas Center, picked the Grand Champion Steer and Mike Sorensen, of Greenfield, selected the Grand Champion Showman. The Grand Champion Steer was shown by Jeff Angelo and exhibited by Lane Elmquist. The Grand Champion Steer was sponsored by the Iowa Bankers Association and purchased by Friends & Family of Lane Elmquist and the Audubon Community. Grand Champion Showman honors went to Celebrity Showman Teagan Schaefer, of TaterTough. Schaefer led steer Hero, who was raised by Carlee Cremeens and sponsored by the Iowa Hereford Breeders Association.
This year’s People’s Choice Award went to celebrity Eric Hanson and exhibitor Molly Chapman. The Community Hero award was a new honor in 2021 and encouraged youth exhibitors to promote a sense of community through donated non-perishable goods and pop tabs, and social media engagement to raise awareness of the event. Youth exhibitor Kami Schrunk received the first Community Hero Award for exemplary leadership and promotion of the cause. Social media played an important role in exposing the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show to more than 266,000 people nationwide.
Thank you to all who participated in the collective efforts of this year’s event and made it a huge success! Cattle producers and local donors continue to pay it forward by donating and supporting local exhibitors. None of this would be possible without the leadership of Gov. Kim Reynolds and her support of the agricultural community and Ronald McDonald House Charities in Iowa. We look forward to celebrating our 40th anniversary at the Iowa State Fair in August of 2022.
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