Passionate about pork

Nodaway Valley junior Chloe Rardin is pleased to be representing the pork industry in Adair County as the Adair County Pork Queen.

Rardin succeeds Makinley Edwards, who passed her crown on over the summer.

“I love promoting the pork industry, so I thought why not,” said Rardin, the daughter of Josh and Lisa Rardin of rural Greenfield. “[My sister] Sofie has shown pigs, so I’ve grown up around pork a lot and I have a lot of friends who are in the pork industry, so it’s that environment that I’ve been in that got me interested.”

It doesn’t matter what species, Rardin enjoys showing livestock. She showed swine at the Adair County Fair last year and plans to do so again this year. At the 2024 fair, a few highlights were that Rardin exhibited the reserve champion prospect registered purebred market pig. In the beef show, she showed hte reserve champion commercial heifer, the reserve champion seedstock cow-calf pen heifer calf and the champion Simmental Heifer.

“Pigs are a lot different than cows, which is very interesting to me,” Rardin said. “I like showing different animals, learning more about how to show them, the different cuts of meat and the process that goes along with it.”

Rardin said there’s a lot of lessons a youngster can get from taking care of animals.

“Learning how to feed them, what to feed them to make them grow, and getting to know your pig’s personality [is important],” Rardin said. “On the show side of it, it’s still being responsible, being driven, showing them, washing them, working with them to get better.”

Rardin sees her role as one that will be supportive of the Adair County Pork Producers as they promote pork in the county and across the state. Just this Saturday, she was participating in a food drive her 4-H club was doing at the local grocery store, then she was going to attend a pork grilling event the local pork producers were doing.

The Iowa Pork Producers’ mission is to promote pork products, educate consumers and pork producers about human nutrition, animal care and serve as a leading voice for a socially responsible and globally competitive pork industry.

Rardin hasn’t just jumped head first into the pork industry, she’s heavily involved in her entire high school experience as treasurer of the Nodaway Valley FFA chapter, president of the Adair County Hot Shots 4-H Club, treasurer of the student council and secretary of her class.

Additionally, she’s a Fellowship of Christian Athletes member, on the Adair County 4-H Youth Council, plays softball, runs track and is on her school’s dance team.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to be the Adair County Pork Queen,” Rardin concluded.