2025 Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show Raises $569K for RMHC

The 43rd annual Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show continues to make an impact, raising $569,000 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa. Including this year’s donations, the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer has surpassed $6 million in donations since its 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 many foreign countries. Families from all 99 counties in Iowa have benefited from the Ronald McDonald Houses of Iowa.

This event is held annually on August 9 and hosted by the Office of the Governor of Iowa, the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, and the Iowa Beef Industry Council.

“The Governor’s Charity Steer Show has become such an important tradition at the Iowa State Fair. I’m incredibly grateful to the young showmen who worked so hard to be part of this event and support the Ronald McDonald Charities,” said Governor Kim Reynolds. “I also want to thank the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, the Iowa Beef Industry Council, Iowa’s cattle producers, and the sponsors for their strong commitment to the show each year. What a difference it’s made for so many deserving families.”

A notable first for the Governor’s Charity Steer Show was the participation of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins as a celebrity showman. Sec. Rollins is the first sitting U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to participate. Along with Governor Kim Reynolds, we thank Sec. Rollins for joining us in this worthy cause.

Not only was the Livestock Pavilion packed for the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show, but many tuned in online. This event has become a beloved and anticipated Iowa State Fair tradition. It is no surprise, as it brings together what is great about our state.

The 43rd Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show was held in the Livestock Pavilion at the Iowa State Fair. Winners in four categories were recognized in the show ring: Community Hero, Grand Champion Showman, People’s Choice, and Judge’s Grand Champion. This year’s event hosted 25 sponsored steers, shown by their youth exhibitor and a local celebrity.

The Community Hero Award recognizes the youth exhibitor who goes above and beyond collecting non-monetary donations and creating awareness for the event. This year’s winner of the Community Hero Award was Merritt Moss from Hull. Iowa. Merritt collected over three carloads of nonperishable items for the Ronald McDonald House Charities and had a phenomenal online presence to promote the Governor’s Charity Steer Show and Iowa’s cattle industry. Merritt was sponsored by the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Siouxland. He was accompanied by Dan, the Iowa Dairy Farmer, as this team’s celebrity.

The showmanship contest was judged by Lexi Marek Beeler and Macy Marek Sieren. Their focus was on the partnership between the celebrity, the youth exhibitor, and the steer. They commented that it was not an easy decision, but in the end, Dr. Dan Grooms and Matt Elbert, along with Trice, the steer, took the title of Grand Champion Showman. This team had fun and jazzed up Trice with a little Iowa State University cardinal and gold. Matt is from Rock Rapids, Iowa. Their sponsors were the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association and the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

A fan favorite, the People’s Choice Award, gives the audience and team supporters a voice in the competition as they help select the winner of this event. This year, Brad Hook helped judge this award, and as he worked the ring, he had the crowd roaring for their favorites. With a lot of teams in the running, Tucker Freimuth and Ralph Lents, the president of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, along with Burt Reynolds, the steer, edged out the competition. Tucker, who is from Lytton, Iowa, and his team were sponsored by the Iowa Corn Promotion Board.

Finally, the most prestigious award of the show, the Judge’s Grand Champion, was selected. Kirk Steirwalt from Leedey, Oklahoma, had the hardest task of working through and judging the stellar lineup of steers and showmen. With back-to-back wins for sponsor, the Iowa Bankers Association, Brenna Thie from Mediapolis, Iowa, and her steer, Jimmy, along with celebrity, Jeff Angelo, an iHeart and WHO Radio personality, received the honor.

Following the show, a live auction was conducted to raise funds through the sale of each steer and additional value-added items donated by industry supporters and celebrities. These funds were added to the donations received by each youth participant, resulting in a $569,000 going to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa.