Elli Blackford grew up in Osceola, Iowa, showing and raising cattle with her family. She has always loved being involved in the livestock industry. Elli is a born and raised Cyclone and always knew she would attend Iowa State University. Her devotion to Iowa State started at a young age, tailgating Iowa State Football games with her loved ones.
You might know Elli from her prominent role as the 2024 Iowa State Fair Queen. She was inspired as a young girl to pursue becoming the Iowa State Fair Queen from her involvement at her local county fair. Attending the Iowa State Fair was always a tradition for Elli’s family; she remembers looking up to the Iowa State Fair Queen every year. She would later come to be the Clarke County Fair Queen, becoming a role model to little girls just like her.
After being crowned, Elli enjoyed attending all the other county fairs in the state. She adored the opportunity to see communities come together and the uniqueness of Iowa. Elli believes agriculture is the basis of Iowa’s culture, which was highlighted by the pride exhibited by each county’s fair.
Elli spent her freshman year at Iowa State balancing queen duties and life as an animal science major. She stayed actively engaged in on-campus activities such as Block and Bridle and Sigma Alpha. She currently stands as Block and Bridle’s social co-chair and publicity co-chair. She is also an animal science peer-mentor. Elli was able to develop as a person through this experience and enhance her soft skills while still taking classes. She loved using what she was learning in class to connect to real producers at county fairs, getting to be more than just a smile. She attributes her success throughout the year to the support she had from her professors. They helped her balance her classes and mental wellness while being queen.
Though it is hard for her to pick a favorite animal science course, she is enjoying domestic animal reproduction. The class is challenging but extremely interesting. A close contender is swine science, which is giving her an expansive scope of the swine industry.
Elli’s advice to new students is to “Get involved! It’s easy to get intimidated by the clubs, but it makes it easy to find people you connect with and what you’re passionate about.” Elli’s dedication, perseverance, and enthusiasm show us the importance of pursuing our goals and passions.