Franklin County Beef Queen to participate in Governor’s Charity Steer Show

Franklin County Beef Queen Abby Peterson of Webster City will represent the area next month during the 44th annual Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show at the Iowa State Fair.

Peterson, who has been involved in 4-H and showing cattle since the fourth grade, will participate with her steer, Milo. She says taking part in the Governor’s Charity Steer Show is a unique opportunity to showcase Iowa’s beef industry while helping raise money for an important cause.

“One day we’ll go to the Ronald McDonald House and help out there,” Peterson says. “We’ll do gardening, just really anything they need. And then the governor usually meets us for lunch that day and we all talk. And then leading up to the event, we’ll fundraise to be able to buy this steer basically at the end. And then judging on the day of the show, the celebrity and me will probably go to lunch and we’ll all, as a family, get to know each other. Then we’ll fit the steel like we regularly would and we’ll wash them and make them all pretty and then the celebrity will come in and walk them around, you know, show them how you would usually show a cow. It’s just like a really fun experience.”

The Governor’s Charity Steer Show was founded in 1983 through a partnership between then-Gov. Terry Branstad, the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and the Iowa Beef Industry Council. Since then, the event has raised more than $6 million for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa, which provide lodging and support for families with children receiving medical care.

Peterson says her years in 4-H have helped shape her through the responsibilities and life lessons that come with raising and showing cattle.

“4-H has really helped me branch out and meet new people, especially since I’m not from Hampton,” Peterson says. “I used to feel like kind of like an outsider a little bit, but by joining 4-H I’ve been able to meet so many people who are a part of the community and not only that, but it’s helped me with like branching out and getting into new situations that you otherwise probably wouldn’t be in.” The Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show will begin at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, August 15, at the Livestock Pavilion on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines.