member of the Hominy Ridge 4-H club where I serve as treasurer and the Baxter FFA where I serve as vice president. I am a member of the Baxter Student Council, the National Honor Society and the Environmental Service Learning group. My future plans are to attend Iowa State University and major in Ag Studies or Agronomy. I exhibited the Champion Market Steer at the 2021 Iowa State Fair. My steers name was Duke. He was bred and raised by Garwood Cattle Company and sold to us by Wade Rodgers and Jesse Hoobler. I was fortunate enough to be selected as Grand Champion Steer at the 2020 Special Edition Iowa State Fair as well. Winning the Iowa State Fair steer show back to back is something that I never thought would be possible. This win was extra special because I was able to get the entire State Fair experience and spend time in the Hall of Champions with my steer and fellow market champion exhibitors. Although last year we were just lucky to get to show, due to the pandemic, it wasn’t quite the same. To make the 2021 Iowa State Fair even more unforgettable, my steer broke the all species record in the Sale of Champions. The sale took place on Saturday, August 21st. I thought it would be cool to break the record, but I had no idea what was going to happen. Duke sold for $100,000 with support from Hy-Vee Food Stores, Iowa State Fair Market Beef Supporters, and local
support from my and surrounding communities, family and friends. The Iowa State Fair will always be my favorite show! I love our fairgrounds and I love being surrounded by friends and family. This year some friends from my school came to watch the show. This meant a lot to me because they were able to see why I enjoy showing steers so much. Sometimes I think it’s hard for people to understand
I exhibited the third overall steer at the 2021 Iowa State Fair. My steers name was DJ. My favorite part of the steer show was the grand drive. I love being in the pavilion at the Iowa State Fair and being in there with my brother and both of our steers was such a cool experience. My steer came from Wade Rodgers. My favorite steer show is the Iowa State Fair because I get to spend the week with my friends and family. I enjoy hanging out with friends that I only get to see a few times a year. The Kansas City Royal, Iowa Beef Expo, and the Iowa Junior Beef Breeds jackpot shows are always a blast but nothing beats the GREAT Iowa State Fair. My steer DJ will always be a special one to me. It took him until August to decide he was ready to be a show steer. He had a mind of his own and when he decided he was done being messed with, he was done! He also was known for spooking at random things and you really never knew what to expect with him. Once we put him in the cooler and I was spending multiple hours a day with him, was when we were finally able to bond. He showed absolutely perfectly at the fair and I was so proud of how far we had come. Dalton and Klaire: We’re still not sure that our success from the Iowa State Fair has sunk it. We do know that we did not achieve this on our own. We have the absolute best team and support system that anyone could ever ask for. We wouldn’t have been able to have any of
the successes that we have had without Wade Rodgers. He believes in our family year after year and provides us with top notch show steers. He has taught us so much about this industry and what it takes to show competitive steers. We will forever be grateful for his guidance and support! We hope to someday pass down what we have learned to the next generation of showmen. Along with Wade comes his family and crew; Kaylene, Ryhlee, Shay, Layton, Dustin Smith, Eric Rea, Ryan Mesch and Dalton Kennedy THANK YOU! You guys are the absolute best! This year several 4-H friends helped us fit for the steer show. This is another part of the Iowa State Fair that we enjoy. We all help each other! This industry has allowed us to make friends from all over the state and working together to get our cattle fit and presented to the best of our abilities is something special. We really enjoy helping our friends prepare their animals and we are extremely thankful for their help. Through showing livestock we have truly made friendships that we will cherish for a lifetime. Lastly, we would like to thank The Showtimes! The belt buckles that you presented us with were some of the neatest buckles we have ever seen! Your constant support of photos, videos, buckles, banners and other prizes does not go unnoticed and we are thankful for your family and all that they do! •
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why we would rather show cattle than hang out with friends, go to the lake or go on summer vacations. We made the decision several years ago as a family that we were going to show steers...so far, we have no regrets! Klaire: I am 13 and an eighth grader. When I’m not showing or working with my steers I enjoy showing lambs and riding my horse. I also like playing basketball, softball and dance. I am a member of the Hominy Ridge 4-H Club.
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