Quade and Max will continue Floyd County tradition being part of Charity Steer Show at the Iowa State Fair

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

For 18 years, a Floyd County young man or woman and a steer that he or she has raised have been part of the annual Governor’s Charity Steer Show at the Iowa State Fair.

It’s an elite group, with just 25 steers invited each year for the fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa. The event has raised more than $4.5 million since it began in 1983 under Gov. Terry Branstad.

Taylor Quade of Charles City and her steer, Max, are continuing that tradition this summer.

Quade said she was notified she had been selected by Matt Hoeft, a member of Floyd County Cattlemen and the “Friends of Floyd County” who has been helping select the county’s annual entry since 2006.

The selection was made a little earlier than usual this year, something Quade said she appreciates because it allowed her to get a head start on the fundraising that’s part of the position, so she didn’t have to worry about it so much while she was participating in the Floyd County Fair, showing cows and pigs.

Quade said she has been showing animals at the county fair since she started showing bucket/bottle calves as a member of the Clover Kids 4-H group in third grade.

“I started showing the larger animals in the 5th grade,” she said.

She’s earned her share of ribbons and other awards for ag-related activities over the years, and back in May at the Charles City High School FFA awards banquet she was recognized as the FFA member of the year and the Ag Business Chapter Star, among other honors.

She is also taking over as president of the local FFA chapter, as part of the chapters’ first all-female leadership team in its history.

Matt Hoeft has said in the past that he looks for an animal that will represent the county well, but what’s most important is the person holding the halter.

“I’ve always looked at the kids and the family first, that put in a lot of hard work, and deserve this,” Hoeft said.

Quade said one of the things she’s looking forward to when she’s down in Des Moines is spending a day with the families at the Ronald McDonald House.

While she’s never been to one of the houses, she said she knows a little about it because her family is friends with Matt Hoeft’s family. The Hoefts have first-hand experience with what Ronald McDonald Houses can do for families dealing with sick children, because they spent time at one many years ago when their son, who was 14 months old at the time, was undergoing surgery.

“We get to visit and do volunteering,” Quade said. “I’m excited we get to spend a whole day doing that, so that will be great.”

Quade said she had been planning to go to the State Fair anyway, to show some pigs. She’ll still do that, she said, but will take fewer animals because some of her time will now be taken up with the governor’s event and at the Ronald McDonald House.

One advantage of being part of the State Fair event is “I get to keep my steer a little bit longer,” she said.

“I like him a lot. He’s really nice,” she said, while also acknowledging what raising a steer for beef ultimately means, and saying it will be hard to say goodbye.

Instead of being auctioned at the end of the county fair, Max will be auctioned off as part of the Governor’s Charity Steer Show on Saturday, Aug. 12, with the money raised at the auction going toward the Ronald McDonald Houses.

The money Quade is fundraising will go toward bidding to buy Max at the charity show auction. Although it has usually been the case that the Friends of Floyd County group has been able to purchase the Floyd County entry in the show, even if it doesn’t the money raised will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa.

While being an award-winner isn’t necessarily part of a steer being picked to represent Floyd County at the charity show – and Quade and Max were selected before the Floyd County Fair had even begun – Max has already started proving his bona fides, having been selected as the reserve champion market steer overall at the Floyd County Fair Beef Show last week.

Each steer at the Governor’s Charity Steer Show is shown by a “celebrity” – state office holders, business leaders, sports celebrities, media personalities, ag organization leaders, etc.– who is helped out by the youth who raised the steer.

For the past several years the Iowa secretary of agriculture – at first Bill Northey, and more recently Mike Naig – has showed the Floyd County steer.

Quade said she doesn’t yet know who will be showing Max this year, but she has heard that someone else had already gotten a commitment from Naig.

“Matt (Hoeft) had a few people in mind and I told him that whoever he thinks would be best will work out, because I don’t really know anybody who’s that famous, I guess,” Quade said. “I don’t really care, just as long as it’s somebody who likes cows.”