2023 Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Since the mid-60s, the Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest has hosted more than 2,000 backyard chefs on the Iowa State Fair Grand Concourse.The Cookout Contest is a celebration of Iowa-raised meats and the farmers who provide this high-quality product with animal care and environmental sustainability as their top priority.
Want to join this elite group of competitors?
There are two roads to the Grand Concourse:
1. Win a County Farm Bureau Cookout Contest. Competitors who are named Grand Champion of a County Farm Bureau Cookout Contest will get an automatic spot to compete at the state competition. Competitors do NOT have to be residents of the County Cookout Contest they are competing in.
View County Contest Dates
2. *NEW in 2023* Sign up to compete in a specialty category at the state competition. Due to limited qualifying cookout contest locations, we’re offering the chance to fill open slots at the state competition in the following categories: poultry, turkey, lamb and a youth competition (ages 13-18).
Sign up for the categories you would be interested in competing in by clicking the button below.
Sign up now
Participants will be notified by July 25.
Eligibility
Any Iowa resident 13 years or older is eligible to participate in the Cookout Contest. Farm Bureau membership is not required. Past Cookout Contest champions and Farm Bureau or affiliated company employees are not allowed to compete.Entry categories
Entry categories at the state level include pork, beef, poultry, turkey, lamb, youth competition. Additionally, anyone competing in a meat category may sign up to participate in the Showmanship competition.Prizes
| Category | Prize |
|---|---|
| Beef - sponsored by the Iowa Beef Industry Council | 1st place: $400 / 2nd place: $200 |
| Pork - sponsored by the Iowa Pork Producers Association | 1st place: $400 / 2nd place: $200 |
| Turkey - sponsored by the Iowa Turkey Federation | 1st place: $400 / 2nd place: $200 |
| Poultry - sponsored by the Iowa Poultry Association | 1st place: $400 / 2nd place: $200 |
| Lamb - sponsored by Growmark | 1st place: $400 / 2nd place: $200 |
| Youth - sponsored by the Iowa Propane Gas Association | 1st place: $300 + Gas grill / 2nd place: $150 |
| Showmanship - sponsored by Farm Bureau Financial Services | $200 |
| Grand Champion - sponsored by Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau Financial Services | $1,000 |
Additional Details:
Thank you to our sponsors
For additional information, contact Stacy Stevens (515 225-5463), or your county Farm Bureau office.