Goose, Team Ryder and Cattlemen Raise $47,500

All funds raised go to the Ronald McDonald House Charity

Team Ryder and Goose had their moment in the sun Saturday at the Iowa State Fair so to speak, lining up with Governor Kim Reynolds and 23 other teams to compete in the 47th Annual Governor’s Charity Steer Show.

24 teams total from around the state lined up and circled the ring, competing for Judge’s Grand Champion, Showmanship, People’s Choice, and Community Hero distinctions. Team Ryder fans donned light blue t-shirts and took up a whole section of the bleachers, as well as seats on the floor. By a quick count it looked like around one hundred souls came to cheer and support Team Ryder and the Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association. 

There were celebrities aplenty in the livestock pavilion on Saturday, with Team Ryder joined by Governor Reynolds, Lt. Governor Adam Gregg, Simon Conway WHO radio personality, Lindsey Burrell WHO 13 Anchor, 2022 Fair Queen Mary Ann Fox, 2023 Miss Rodeo Iowa Micah Barnes, Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig and Mary Schwager, Iowa Farm Bureau Executive Director, to name a few. 

Goose was very well behaved and kept calmed by constant attention from Zach and Nadine, who took turns scratching him with light strokes on the belly and brisket with a showing stick. Meanwhile Secretary Naig and Governor Reynolds steers weren’t as well behaved, needing lots of wrangling and circling which etched concern on their faces. 

But even so, Naig’s poise was enough to overcome the challenge and win his Benton County team the Showmanship Award. The Judge’s Choice award went to Batman and Blake Bolden, Community Hero went to Rebecca Kopelman, and Will Vlasek with steer Goose. People’s Choice was awarded to Mary Ann Fox 2022 fair queen amidst tough competition from the Iowa Junior Hereford Association, who by some accounts may have won with at least an equal level of enthusiasm. 

Andrew Benning, Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association President, told us that Goose brought in $47,500 at the auction, beating last year’s total of $37,348 by more than $10,000, putting Goose in second place. $20,000 of the total was donated by the Barlema Trust, with the other $27,500 raised by Nadine Klaffke and the Cattlemen. 

The Governor's Charity Steer Show raised over $400,000 dollars last year in 2022. Continuing the upward streak, this year’s Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show exceeded the previous year’s fundraising total donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa, rasing $501,000. Including this year’s donations, the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show has raised almost $5.5 million since the event’s inception in 1983.

All money raised benefits the three independent Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa, located in Des Moines, Iowa City, and Sioux City. These three houses have served over 55,000 families from all 50 states and 62 foreign countries. Families from all 99 counties in Iowa have benefited from the Ronald McDonald Houses of Iowa.

This event, hosted by the Office of the Governor of Iowa, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, and Iowa Beef Industry Council, is another example of the care the beef cattle industry has for our state, rural communities, and those in need. The youth exhibitors, their families, sponsors, celebrities, and buyers should be proud of their effort given to this year’s event. Their impact through volunteering, donations, and dedication created yet another successful show and

fundraising outcome.