Fifteen young women and men are competing for three positions on the 2020 Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) Youth Leadership Team. The competition will be held during Iowa Pork Congress Jan. 22 and 23.

The Youth Leadership Team is designed for those who are passionate about the pork industry. Contestants are seniors in high school or college students up to age 20 at the time of the event. Candidates will be judged on their knowledge about pork and pig production as shown in a speech presentation, personal interview, media interview, experience, and a test about the topics.

The female contestant with the highest score will automatically be crowned Iowa Pork Queen, and receives a $4,000 scholarship, plaque, crown and sash. Two other applicants will become Premier Pork Youth Ambassadors; each receives a $4,000 scholarship and plaque. All three will assist with state pork promotional and educational activities throughout 2020.

Contestants, their hometowns and counties are:

Youth Applicant	Hometown	County
Abby Bean	Marathon	Buena Vista County
Alexis Berte	Algona	Kossuth County
Samantha Black	Nevada	Story County
Brooke Boyle	Danbury	Woodbury County
Kylee Brown	Earlham	Madison County
Ellie Cook	Hubbard	Hardin County
Paige Dagel	Sanborn	O’Brien County
Madison Fishback	Washington	Washington County
Caleb Hogan	Monticello	Jones County
Ashley Kahler	Cambridge	Story County
Eric Keller	Gladbrook	Tama County
Christian Koch	Pierson	Plymouth County
Macy Loecke	Manchester	Delaware County
Zachary Riedemann	Calumet	O’Brien County
Dalton Weeks	Milo	Warren County