Queen on campus, has down-to-earth spirit
by Katie Maupin, posted Sept. 20, 2007
One of MU’s students served as royalty this past summer. Katie Allen, a senior agricultural journalism student in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, reigned as the 2007 Missouri State Fair Queen.
The Missouri State Fair was her first pageant, so the celebrity treatment was a change for Allen, who usually can be found in the livestock barns during the fair.
“When I won it was kind of surreal to me,” Allen said. “I’m not a pageant girl. I’m just not used to that kind of thing, so I just smiled and waved.”
Smiling and waving isn’t all Allen did. She attended many events throughout the fair, including the Sale of Champions, various livestock shows and concerts. She got to work with the Missouri State Fair commissioners including Katie Smith, the first woman to serve as the Missouri director of agriculture, who is also an MU agricultural journalism alumna.
The newfound fame has not gone to Allen’s head, however. The roots of this Marceline native run deep. She is the oldest of a family of six children ranging from a 15-month-old sister to college-age siblings. Allen enjoyed growing up in a large family.
“It’s really great! I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Allen said. “There is never a dull moment.”
Allen credits her family, especially her dad, with getting her started in the agriculture industry, and her whole family has shown hogs, cattle and sheep, too. Her mother, Brenda Allen, spoke of why it was important to do so.
“It got the whole family involved whether they were 4-H age or not,” she said. “Living on a farm, 4-H was just something that was family oriented.”
The 4-H organization nationally promotes youth citizenship, leadership and personal growth.
Allen’s MU family has encouraged her as well. Her advice to new CAFNR students is to not be afraid to get involved, and if you do get involved, make sure you are active and participate.
“I’ve been so involved in clubs and organizations and things outside of class,” Allen said. “They have helped me get more involved in the agriculture industry as a whole.”
Two of the clubs that have had an impact on her success are the Mizzou Collegiate Cattle Women and the MU Livestock Judging Team. David “Chip” Kemp, the judging team’s coach, described Allen as driven.
“I have been fortunate enough to watch Katie in and out of the classroom for a number of years, and I have certainly recognized that when she sets her mind to a goal she does it to the best of her ability,” he said.
Kemp said Allen is a “very nice combination of professionalism and class, but she has a good time and folks enjoy being around her.”
Darla Eggers, the executive director of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Foundation, said Allen is a talented and focused leader as well as a kind and thoughtful young woman. Eggers said Allen makes an excellent representative for the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association by serving as the Missouri State Beef Queen because she is incredibly articulate.
“The fact that she is so knowledgeable and able to speak makes her a good representative for our industry,” Eggers said.
Allen is not really sure what her future holds, but says that she is strongly considering studying agricultural communications in graduate school. She enjoys every aspect of agricultural journalism, and hopes to find a job where she can use all the skills she has acquired over the years.
