Joanna Friend 2009 Beef Queen

Joanna Friend the 2009 West Virginia Beef Queen and the Beef Expo planning committee invites you to the 19th Annual West Virginia Beef Expo to be held at Jackson’s Mill April 19-11.

Friend was selected by a panel of judges as the 2009 Beef Queen during the recent WV Cattlemen’s Convention held in Morgantown. She is the daughter of Eugene and Laura Friend of Middlebourne. She is a senior at Tyler Consolidated High School, where she is an active FFA member participating in many judging contests. She is a nine-year 4-H member and has served her club as president and reporter, tribal chief at 4-H Camp and a member of the Pursley Church of Christ youth group. Miss Friend has also been playing fiddle for five years.

She will reign over the 19th WV Beef Expo April 9-11 and during the year she will represent West Virginia and the Beef Industry Council promoting beef at various events. Crowning of the queen will be Thursday, April 9.

This year’s Expo promises to be an excellent event for producers, suppliers, consumers, juniors, and others involved in the beef industry. 40-plus firms will have their products on display and be willing to discuss their applications on West Virginia Beef Farms. Over 200 head of Angus, Charolais, Gelbvieh, Limousin, Hereford, Red Angus and Simmental cattle will be on display and offered for sale on Saturday, April 11, starting at p:30 a.m.

Events scheduled for Friday, April 10, will be: the Stockman’s Judging Contest, a competition which tests overall knowledge about the beef industry; the Beef Ambassador Contest, a competition of a 5-8 minute talk; a youth Beef Cook-Off; photo contest and cattle shows. Everyone is invited to the all-breeds banquet Friday evening, featuring Bil Lepp. Tickets for the banquet are available from the West Virginia Cattlemen’s office by calling 304-472-4020 and need to be reserved by April 3.