In January of 2024, Bru, who grew up on a farm in rural Gladbrook and graduated from GMG last May, was crowned the 2024 Iowa Pork Queen during Iowa Pork Congress held in Des Moines. She beat out seven other finalists for the role which over the past year has seen her travel as far afield as the Florida State Fair to as close to home as a local elementary school classroom.

“Throughout this past year, I have enjoyed serving as the 2024 Iowa Pork Queen,” Bru said in an email-based interview that took place this past January mere days before she relinquished her crown to the 2025 Iowa Pork Queen, Amanda Ostrem.

“During my year in this role, I have done as much as I possibly could. From attending county fair swine shows and elementary classroom visits to bratwurst judging and two different state fairs … I tried my best to do it all. I wanted to reach the most amount of people during my reign as Iowa Pork Queen, and I am happy to believe that I accomplished this goal.”

Before her statewide win in Jan. 2024, Bru, the daughter of Ryan and Laura Bru, was already juggling multiple roles and titles including Tama County Pork Queen, GMG FFA president, Tama County 4-H Youth Council member, Wolfcreek Whirlwinds 4-H Club president, and even Miss Tama County United States Agriculture at one point. And while only some of those required a tiara, all certainly required dedication to promoting Iowa agriculture.

2024 Iowa Pork Queen Lilly Bru, center, pictured alongside her parents Laura and Ryan Bru while attending the 2025 Iowa Pork Congress in January. Bru’s parents live and farm in rural Gladbrook.

When asked why she decided in the fall of 2023 to toss her tiara into the ring for the 2024 Iowa Pork Youth Leadership Team (a team that includes the Iowa Pork Queen), Bru said her motivation was sparked by her work locally with the Tama County Pork Producers.

“I was motivated to apply for this role with Iowa Pork because of my strong support of my county pork producers. The Tama County Pork Producers have truly taken me under their wing and helped me see the large opportunities that the Iowa pork industry offers. I wanted to run for the role of Iowa Pork Queen to show others what the pork industry had shown me thus far.”

During her reign, Bru said her favorite part was attending both the Iowa and Florida state fairs.

“I started my year off by heading to Tampa to attend its state fair to educate citizens there about the pork industry, something that isn’t present in the state of Florida. Talking to individuals and advocating for the agriculture that supports me was very surreal as it allowed me to reach people with absolutely no agriculture background.”

While at the Iowa State Fair last summer, Bru said she lent a hand to “a little bit of everything” including swine shows, the Iowa Pork Producers tent, the animal learning center, and Bacon Buddies – a program that provides individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities the opportunity to take a pig into the show ring.

“I loved spending time – 35 hours to be exact – sitting by the farrowing display in the animal learning center and talking to kids about piglets,” Bru said. “Finding different ways to reach out to people at these state fairs really helped me exceed my goals of teaching people about the swine industry.”

When asked about her busiest time as Iowa Pork Queen, Bru said the end of June through the middle of August — prime time for county fairs in Iowa — stretched her thin as she spent time attending fairs, town festivals, and county ag learning days across the state.

These days, Bru continues to keep busy even without a tiara to juggle anymore. As an agribusiness student at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) — with plans to attend Iowa State University and major in agricultural studies/agricultural education — she has added several new ag-oriented roles to her list including Iowa Pork Collegiate Team member, DMACC Ag Club member, Iowa Swine Jackpot Series Junior Board member, and the prestigious Mark Pearson FFA Leadership Scholar.

To those considering a future run at the Iowa Pork Youth Leadership Team, Bru doesn’t hesitate in her endorsement of the experience.

“I highly encourage any individual between the ages of 18-21 who is interested in advocating for the swine industry to apply for the Iowa Pork Youth Team. This is the most influential experience that I have ever gone through and would recommend it to anyone interested. … Serving as the Iowa Pork Queen is something that I will take with me for the rest of my life, wherever it takes me. .. Now that my time serving in this role has ended, I know that I had a great experience. From things like the amazing networking, increased self-confidence, and many memories, serving as the Iowa Pork Queen is something that I will miss and cherish.”

To learn more about applying for the 2026 Iowa Pork Youth Leadership Team, refer to the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) website (iowapork.org); specifically, navigate to the following webpage this coming October for more information: https://www.iowapork.org/community/youth/youth-leadership-team/youth-leadership-team-contest.