Fair quality: Floyd County teen’s steer part of governor’s charity show

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Next week at the Iowa State Fair, Rudd teenager Jayden Jorgensen will be helping the Iowa secretary of agriculture show Jorgensen’s steer in the Governor’s Charity Steer Show.

That’s after Jorgensen gets done showing her horse and pigs in other shows at the Des Moines state fairgrounds.

Jorgensen, 16, who is going to be a junior at Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock this school year, is involved in 4-H and FFA. In addition to her state-caliber horse, swine and steer, this year she also showed lambs and dogs at the county fair.

Her steer, Hershey, took second in his class at the Floyd County Fair, and first place in the class of steers originating locally.

The Governor’s Charity Steer Show isn’t always looking for the animals that won the absolute top prize at their county events, said Matt Hoeft of Charles City, a member of Floyd County Cattlemen and the guy who’s been helping find local steers for the charity show for a number of years.

People at the Floyd County Fair can fill out an application to have a steer in the charity show, Hoeft said.

“We’re looking for high school-age kids who will be available during the time, and we pick the families that will represent us well. Then we pick the best steer from that group,” he said. “This year was a tough year to pick. We had quite a few who applied.”

The Governor’s Charity Steer Show raises funds to support the Ronald McDonald Houses of Iowa, which supply housing for families with members who are being treated at hospitals in Des Moines, Iowa City and Sioux City.

Hoeft said he has family members who have been guests at a Ronald McDonald House.

Since the first show in 1983, the Governor’s Charity Steer Show has raised more than $2.7 million for the organization. In that time the Ronald McDonald Houses of Iowa have served more than 34,000 Iowa families and another 8,000 families from the other 49 states and from 60 foreign countries.

“I think it’s a good charity,” Hoeft said.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey has shown a Floyd County steer each year he has been in office, since 2007, making this his 11th year in the charity show, Hoeft said.

Jorgensen’s involvement in the show will be to keep Hershey clean and fed while at the State Fair, she said. She will also act as Northey’s herdsman, “making sure Hershey does what he’s supposed to” in the show ring.

Jorgensen bought Hershey last fall and has been working with him all summer to get him ready for showing — “walking him, washing him, getting him broken in,” she said.

She said she enjoys working with cattle.

“I like their personality,” she said about the calves she has raised. “They all have a different personality, just like humans. They become like your best friend.”

She acknowledged that can make the auction part of showing steers hard, knowing their eventual fate.

Jorgensen, who says she has been going to the Iowa State Fair “as long as I can remember,” said she is excited about the week coming up.

Because of the number of animals she is taking and the different days for shows, several trips will be needed to coordinate the events.

She and a cousin, Hilary Mitchell, who taught her to ride, are taking her horse down Monday. Her parents will bring her pigs down for the swine show, and the family friend from whom the Jorgensens purchased Hershey as a feeder calf will bring Hershey down Wednesday, Aug. 9, for the Saturday, Aug. 12, governor’s show.

In addition, Jorgensen and her family will spend a day helping at the Des Moines Ronald McDonald House.

Jorgensen said she expects a big group of supporters at the Governor’s Charity Steer Show, including her parents, Jim and Deb Jorgensen, her older brothers, Nick and Justin, and other friends and county residents.

“We usually try to get a pretty good crowd for the governor’s show,” she said, since part of the judging is based on crowd appeal.

This will be her first and last time having a steer in the Governor’s Charity Steer Show, she said.

“You can only do it once.”