Meet the 2025 Missouri State Fair queen who will champion agriculture
by Sara Schafer | sschafer@ruralmissouri.coop
Bailey Schneider couldn’t stop shaking. Cheers echoed across Sedalia’s Mathewson Exhibition Center as retiring queen, Claire Walker, placed a sparkling crown on her head. “It was just pure shock,” says Bailey, the 2025 Missouri State Fair queen. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think this could happen.”
That moment was the culmination of a lifelong tie to agriculture. Growing up in Warrenton as the oldest of three, Bailey spent her childhood helping on her grandfather’s cattle and row crop farm and raising show pigs and sweet corn with her dad.
Bailey’s achievement is part of a tradition dating back to 1958, when the first queen was crowned. Since then, the contest has empowered young Missourians through a competition centered on talent, leadership and agriculture. The queen receives a $2,000 scholarship to continue her education.
As a student at the University of Missouri, Bailey used the competition to represent her favorite industry — agriculture. “I based my speech around the state fair theme, which was ‘Step On In,’ ” she says. “I talked about stepping into different roles for advocacy. We all have platforms we can use to share our passion.”
Once crowned, Bailey began 11 whirlwind days at the fair. From parades to handing out awards, she soaked up every minute. “They warned us that if you get queen you are thrown into action,” she says. “And that is honestly an understatement.”
Crowns are a bit of a family tradition for Bailey. Three of her cousins — Ashley Bauer (2013), Hannah Keene (2014) and Chloe Mumford (2019) — have all held the same title, making her the fourth Missouri State Fair Queen in her family in just over a decade.
Bailey and her parents, Jeff and Jennifer, are members of Cuivre River Electric Cooperative. In 2023, Bailey was a Missouri Youth Tour delegate, an experience she says helped her have confidence to pursue opportunities such as the queen competition.
“Youth Tour shaped who I am now,” she says. “I’m a big ag person, and sometimes I limit myself to that bubble. Youth Tour allowed me to expand that. I made many awesome connections with other delegates. I live with one of them, and I run into others at Mizzou and the state fair. The experience really helped me grow.”
At Mizzou, Bailey is studying agriculture education with an emphasis in communications and leadership and a minor in agriculture business. She is active within the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and the Newman Center. She also volunteers with several other causes. Bailey plans to pursue a career in agricultural policy. “Whether that be lobbying or working for an ag commodity group, I just want to be a voice for the farmers,” she says.
Bailey may not be shaking anymore, but the joy of being crowned queen still shines. From cruising over the fairgrounds in the Touchstone Energy Balloon to visiting with up-and-coming musicians to cheering on contestants at the No Limits Pig Show, she enjoyed every minute. “I love connecting, serving others and meeting new people,” she says.