Iowa Pork Queen visits County Fair

Recent C-G-D graduate Phoebe Sanders of Clarion just happened to have Gracie Greiner for a roommate at Iowa State, and Greiner just happened to be the Iowa Pork Queen for this year. So Sanders invited Greiner to attend the Wright County District Junior Fair and help out at the swine show. Greiner was happy to oblige, and also happy to grant me an interview.

“My family and I have been involved in agriculture my entire life,” said Greiner. “My dad raised pigs the conventional way for 10 years, and when I was younger I always remember going to the farm riding in the feed truck and running around there with my brothers. Dad then switched jobs and sold swine pharmaceuticals, but I convinced him to keep a couple of our show pigs.” Her family near Washington (in the southeastern part of the state) now has a small show pig operation, where they breed and farrow pigs for showing at both the county and state level.

Greiner has always loved to be a leader in everything she does, so jumped at the chance to run for the state pork title. “The Iowa Pork Queen position was something that interested me because of the opportunities I would have to educate others about the industry,” she said. “I feel that even though we do live in such a rural state, we need to educate consumers as much as we can and advocate for the swine industry any chance we get.”

For the full story, see the August 1st edition of the Monitor