2026 Iowa State Fair Queen Belle Werner, center, is congratulated by fellow county fair queens following her coronation in Des Moines earlier this month. PHOTO COURTESY OF IOWA STATE FAIR

DES MOINES — By the time Toledo’s Belle Werner was crowned the 2026 Iowa State Fair Queen, she had already put together a State Fair week to remember.

Werner, the daughter of Eric and Michele Werner, was crowned Iowa State Fair Queen on Saturday, Aug. 15, capping a week that included a record-setting performance in the FFA farm crop competition.

Before receiving the crown, Werner earned the title of 2026 Sweepstakes Champion in FFA Farm Crops after accumulating 238 points across her entries, the highest single-person point total in Iowa State Fair history for an individual exhibiting in FFA classes.

The sweepstakes award is determined by points earned throughout the FFA farm crop classes, with eight points awarded for a first-place finish and progressively fewer points through eighth place.

Werner entered 33 exhibits in the FFA divisions of the State Fair’s Horticulture Building with Twenty-nine of those entries receiving ribbons.

Among her top finishes were Reserve Grand Champion Small Grains for popcorn and Grand Champion Forages, Grasses, and Legumes for winter wheat.

Earning the sweepstakes honor before the queen competition took some of the pressure off, Werner said when commenting to the News-Chronicle.

“It meant a lot because I started off the week getting awarded the sweepstakes award,” Werner said. “I remember feeling very satisfied that all the work that I put into my fair projects paid off.”

Werner said bluntly that the agricultural recognition alone would have made the trip to Des Moines worthwhile, regardless of what happened later in the queen competition.

“Even if I didn’t get queen or any recognition, I’m so happy that I earned the sweepstakes,” Werner said. “It meant a lot to be awarded both, and I’m definitely grateful for all the blessings that God has given me.”

Keeping with Belle’s nature, success stretched far beyond the FFA competition. She also received blue ribbons in 4-H baking for both her cherry kolaches and lemon poppyseed cookies.

With one of the most impressive collections of honors, Werner’s many years of involvement in agriculture, FFA, and 4-H paid off with recognition of both Tama and Benton counties.

Outside of the awards, ribbons and eventual crown, Werner said one of her favorite moments of the fair came outside the competition arena.

She had the opportunity to ride with a six-horse hitch featuring Clydesdales from the Gladbrook area, an experience that connected her State Fair week with memories from the Tama County Fair.

“It felt like a full-circle moment because I watched Emma Bauer show her Clydesdales at the Tama County Fair, and then to be able to ride them at the State Fair was definitely very full circle,” Werner said. “That was one of my top moments that really just hit home for me.”

Now wearing the Iowa State Fair Queen crown, Werner will spend the coming year serving as an ambassador for the fair and representing Iowa agriculture and the county fair programs that helped bring her to the State Fair stage.