The end of a reign may be near.

A resolution is being considered by the Iowa Pork Producers Association to merge the pork queen program with the Pork Youth Ambassadors program.

The resolution was introduced during the association’s January meeting. Approximately 80 percent of the members of the association were in favor of keeping both programs, but no decision was made.

The issue was tabled until the 2006 meeting, said Jen Holtkamp, communications director for the Iowa Pork Producers Association. The delegates at the meeting directed a task force to study the issue and recommend a direction for next year’s meeting.

According to the association’s Web site, Iowa has had a pork queen for 45 years; the ambassador program is five years old.

“They have the same goals but separate directions,” said 2004 Iowa Pork Queen Courtney Knupp, sophomore in agricultural business.

In combining the two programs, there would still be many youth ambassadors, but two lead ambassadors would be added and open to any gender. Changes in compensation, like whether or not the scholarship would still be offered, are unknown.

“Both programs are really beneficial to IPPA. In my opinion, eliminating one for the other is eliminating a way for youth to be involved,” Knupp said. “It would hinder, not help, youth promotion in the pork industry.”

“I think it’s kind of a good change to have two good spokesmen to represent the industry,” said Emily Clark, president of ISU Collegiate FFA.

The main concern in the merger is visibility.

“The crown and banner really draw a lot of attention. That’s important,” Knupp said.

“Queens do tend to draw more attention,” Holtkamp said.

Little feedback has been received by the IPPA, she said.

To be Iowa’s pork queen, a competitor must have been her county’s queen the previous year, Knupp said. The competition for county queen consists of a speech, interview and presentation, but the state competition is more rigorous. Over the course of two days, each competitor must complete a personal interview, give a three- to five-minute speech, participate in a mock media situation with an agriculture radio broadcaster and take a test with six sections about various areas of the pork industry, she said.

The 2005 winners, Queen Cassidy Greiman, freshman in agricultural engineering, and Princess Brooke Albertsen of Toledo, were named Feb. 2. There were 17 competitors. The pork queen and princess do public relations work promoting pork around the state, like parades, grilling events and presentations at elementary schools. The main goal is to create a larger demand for pork, Holtkamp said.

Although many people compete to be Iowa’s pork queen and two are chosen to be the royalty, there are many Pork Youth Ambassadors, Knupp said. The state pork queen is of college age, and the ambassador program is open to students in junior high and high school, she said.

According to the association’s Web site, both the royalty and the ambassadors are compensated for their work. Ambassadors receive points for certain activities, like attending a speech or giving a presentation. Point brackets dictate what the ambassador receives.

The pork queen receives a $2,000 college scholarship, and the princess receives a scholarship for $1,000.