Rodeo Queens take the stage during Black Hills Stock Show

RAPID CITY, S.D. – The title of rodeo queen is not taken lightly.

“You are an ambassador. You serve more than just yourself,” Miss Rodeo America 2020 and 2021, Jordan Tierney explained. “You serve a community of people that need you to be a voice for them.”

Each of the women in attendance work to reach people in their state and the nation through goals and missions closest to them.

Miss Rodeo South Dakota, Adrianne Schaunaman, takes an inclusive approach and uses her platform to educate people on the roles agriculture plays in their lives.

“Education can happen to the smallest kid, explaining to a kindergartener in a classroom what’s calf-roping,” Schaunaman said. “But also have that conversation with our nation’s leaders, our government leaders, our local leaders that this policy you may want to pass affects me personally.”

For Miss Rodeo Missouri, Alexa Daly, her mission is to teach children about where their food comes from through her program Agriculture to Concrete.

Daly did not come from an ag background and aims to bring her program to kids in large cities like in St. Louis.

“It’s really cool to be able to work with organizations to be able to bring the agriculture community that’s in the major cities to the suburban areas,” Daly said. “Where everyone can get a chance to learn where agriculture comes from.”

Miss Rodeo Colorado, Ashley Baller, took a more cultural approach with her platform. Much of the American Western lifestyle is rooted in Hispanic influence. As Colorado’s first predominantly Latina rodeo queen, she seeks to bridge English and Spanish-speaking communities.

“You look at the spur and the saddle, and just the different ways the culture has impacted the way we live our lives,” Baller explained. “I mean, how we interact with our horses is huge. And so I’m really excited to be able to bring that passion that I have and share it with others.”