Two years ago, Izzy Freymuth was diagnosed with Alpha-gal syndrome, which is a food allergy to red meat and other products made from mammals.

But none of that destroyed her love for agriculture. She has been raising sheep since she was 9 years old and played a very active role in the Future Farmers of America program, serving as president of the Montgomery County High School and Area V chapters during the 2021-22 school year.

That certainly caught the attention of the judges at the Montgomery County Fair Queen contest on July 18. Freymuth was named the 2022 Fair Queen at the grandstands track of the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.

“It’s very exciting because I’m now the role model for so many younger people,” Freymuth said. “I had that role as FFA president, so this is just another year of being a role model and another year of volunteerism.”

Freymuth received her crown and sash from 2021 fair queen Faith Hardee. She also earned an award for best evening gown.

Freymuth beat out Alison Rhodes, El Reagan, Hannah Finley, Hannah Grosse, Macy Bader and Makenzie Woods for the queen honor.

“One of the judges asked me what made me better than the other girls,” Freymuth said. “That was a really tough question because all of us girls had a lot of passion for the fair. I loved getting to spend time with these girls the last few weeks.”

Reagan, who will be a junior at MCHS this fall, was named first runner-up and picked up awards for Miss Congeniality and top speech/talent. She performed a song called, “Famous In A Small Town.”

Grosse, a New Florence resident who attends Northwest Missouri State University, was selected second runner-up and earned an award for best interview.

Woods, who graduated from MCHS in May, earned People’s Choice and top season pass seller awards.

Freymuth, who also graduated from MCHS in May, found out she had Alpha-gal syndrome in the beginning of 2020. The condition is caused by a Lone Star tick bite, which transmits a sugar molecule called alpha-gal into the person’s body, triggering an immune system reaction that later produces allergic reactions to red meat such as beef, pork and lamb.

“It (Alpha-gal) was a really good conversation starter, especially when you have someone who is very into agriculture like I am,” Freymuth said.

During her two minute and 30 second speech at the Fair Queen contest that was titled, “Overcoming Life’s Obstacles,” Freymuth put out a table filled with products she has to avoid, such as shampoo, marshmallows, gelatin, calamine lotion and Pop Tarts.

“The allergy was really hard for me because I live on a beef cattle farm and I raise sheep and show pigs throughout the summer,” Freymuth said.

Freymuth said because of her condition, she supports not only red meat, but also veggie burgers and soy products.

“This allergy has made me a better consumer and producer,” Freymuth said. “Most of all, it has made me a better advocate for agriculture because I don’t just push beef and pork on people like I used to. I educate them on both sides of the food industry and let them make their well-informed decisions as a consumer.”

Freymuth, who will attend the University of Missouri-Columbia this fall and major in agricultural education, has some advice for young girls who want to compete in the Fair Queen contest.

“I would tell her to just do it,” Freymuth said. “Just step out of your comfort zone and go for it. Something that I learned over the last year is you don’t grow unless you’re uncomfortable. You can’t grow unless you’re doing things outside of your comfort zone.”

After being chosen Fair Queen, Freymuth had many duties, such as participating in the parade on July 19 and taking pictures with most of the exhibitors at the Junior Livestock Auction on July 21. She also participated in the hog show on July 20 and won her division.

Freymuth said she enjoys coming to the fair every year. She will come back next year to crown the 2023 queen.

“I’m going to miss it a lot because I love the whole fair,” Freymuth said. “I love the whole week. It’s going to be hard, but I’ll soon have another sibling in the barn. So I’ll get to experience it more for him.”