DAIRY ST R May 10, 2014 Introducing Your County Dairy Princesses For 2014... Special Edition WINGER, Minn. – Mar- Jenna McWilliam has realized how much of an impact Prin- cess Kay makes in Minnesota, especially after receiving a photo of a young girl dressing up as her for Halloween this past year. “I adore children, and it was such a heartwarming mo- ment,” McWilliam said. “I used to look up to Princess Kay as a kid, and now I get to be that role model for other little kids. I realized I really am making an impact.” That moment has stuck with McWilliam, the daughter of Bruce and La Vonne McWil- liam of Winger, Minn., through her reign as the 60th Princess Kay of the Milky Way. “It has really stood out to me,” she said. McWilliam recalled the little girl’s costume, which consisted of a navy blue dress with polka dots just like hers, a crown and a sash that said Princess Kay. But what really drew McWilliam’s attention were the barn boots she wore with it. “She depicted Princess Kay perfectly,” she said. “Those barn boots represent the fact that dairy princesses have the title but work hard and have roots on the farm.” McWilliam was crowned as the 60th Princess Kay of the Milky Way last August, but the reality of it didn’t sink in until the first parade during the Minnesota State Fair. “People were scream- ing, ‘Princess Kay! Princess Kay!’,” McWilliam said. “I thought, ‘oh my goodness that is me’.” Serving as Princess Kay is something she never imagined for herself. “I wasn’t expecting to make it this far,” McWilliam said. “I am extremely grateful to the dairy farmers for the op- portunity to represent Minne- sota’s dairy industry.” During her reign, McWil- liam has encountered some very interesting questions from consumers. However, at the state fair one woman came up and asked her if people eat al- falfa and if cows eat meat. “No matter how random the questions are, they have started a conversation with me and it is an opportunity to re- spond with accuracy,” McWil- liam said. “I can share the true picture of dairy with them.” Since the state fair, Mc- William has led a busy life balancing school at North Da- kota State University and trav- eling the state for the numer- ous events including the Farm Bureau annual meeting where she met Senator Amy Klobu- char and Minnesota’s Com- missioner of Agriculture, Dave Frederickson. “I never would have ex- pected to meet such prestigious people,” McWilliam said. “We talked about issues regarding legislation and the farm bill. Seeing that side of the dairy industry was interesting and impactful for me.” Fuel Up to Play 60 is an- other promotion McWilliam has been busy working with. “Being able to run out of the tunnel at a Vikings game was great,” McWilliam said. “It was amazing to talk to the students and see how success- ful their programs are.” Classroom visits have also kept McWilliam busy. She has visited with students ranging from preschool to 10th grade at about 10 different schools. “I love interacting with all the different age groups,” Mc- William said. One of her most memo- rable visits was kicking off a Fuel Up to Play 60 program with a group of seventh grad- ers. “I autographed 200 note- books and even some milk car- tons,” McWilliam said. “It was great talking to those students. They were so excited about what I had to say.” These visits are geared to the students, but there was one where the adults were impact- ed as much as the students. There was a mom that wouldn’t allow her kids to drink chocolate milk because she thought it wasn’t good for them with the added sugar. “I reminded her it was only three percent more sugar but showed her the nutrition they would get from chocolate milk,” McWilliam said. “She told me her kids were going to drink chocolate milk now. I didn’t expect to make an im- pact on the adults, too. Just a simple message about the im- portance of dairy in the diet can make a difference.” Despite her busy schedule, Bruce and La Vonne, her sister, Marissa, and her grandmother have been able to travel with her to her numerous events. “They’ve had fun travel- ing with me. I’ve been able to spend more time with them,” McWilliam said. “They get to see a different side of me. It makes it really special.” McWilliam and her fam- ily are already gearing up for the busy summer ahead with breakfasts on the farm and numerous other June Dairy Month promotions. “I am so excited for the summer. I will be able to meet more people and visit with nu- merous dairy farmers across the state,” McWilliam said. “It is one of the perks of being Princess Kay.” Before summer starts, Mc- William will be welcoming 12 “No matter how random the questions are, they have started a conversation with me and it is an opportunity to respond with accuracy.” – PRINCESS KAY MARJENNA MCWILLIAM There’s nothing else like Princess Kay McWilliam reflects on her reign in the Milk Way BY MISSY MUSSMAN Staff writer DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTO MarJenna McWilliam promotes one of the Dairy Goodness Bar’s cheese treats during an inter- view with Channel 5 News at the Minnesota State Fair. Turn to MCWILLIAM | Page 2
Transcript
DAIRY ST RMay 10, 2014
Introducing Your County Dairy Princesses For 2014...
Special Edition
WINGER, Minn. – Mar-Jenna McWilliam has realized how much of an impact Prin-cess Kay makes in Minnesota, especially after receiving a photo of a young girl dressing up as her for Halloween this past year. “I adore children, and it was such a heartwarming mo-ment,” McWilliam said. “I used to look up to Princess Kay as a kid, and now I get to be that role model for other little kids. I realized I really am making an impact.” That moment has stuck with McWilliam, the daughter of Bruce and La Vonne McWil-liam of Winger, Minn., through her reign as the 60th Princess Kay of the Milky Way. “It has really stood out to me,” she said. McWilliam recalled the little girl’s costume, which consisted of a navy blue dress with polka dots just like hers, a crown and a sash that said Princess Kay. But what really drew McWilliam’s attention were the barn boots she wore with it. “She depicted Princess Kay perfectly,” she said. “Those barn boots represent the fact that dairy princesses have the title but work hard and have roots on the farm.” McWilliam was crowned as the 60th Princess Kay of the Milky Way last August, but the reality of it didn’t sink in until the first parade during the Minnesota State Fair. “People were scream-ing, ‘Princess Kay! Princess Kay!’,” McWilliam said. “I thought, ‘oh my goodness that is me’.” Serving as Princess Kay is something she never imagined
for herself. “I wasn’t expecting to make it this far,” McWilliam said. “I am extremely grateful to the dairy farmers for the op-portunity to represent Minne-sota’s dairy industry.” During her reign, McWil-liam has encountered some very interesting questions from consumers. However, at the state fair one woman came up and asked her if people eat al-falfa and if cows eat meat. “No matter how random the questions are, they have started a conversation with me and it is an opportunity to re-spond with accuracy,” McWil-liam said. “I can share the true picture of dairy with them.” Since the state fair, Mc-William has led a busy life balancing school at North Da-kota State University and trav-eling the state for the numer-ous events including the Farm Bureau annual meeting where she met Senator Amy Klobu-char and Minnesota’s Com-missioner of Agriculture, Dave Frederickson. “I never would have ex-pected to meet such prestigious people,” McWilliam said. “We
talked about issues regarding legislation and the farm bill. Seeing that side of the dairy industry was interesting and impactful for me.” Fuel Up to Play 60 is an-
other promotion McWilliam has been busy working with. “Being able to run out of the tunnel at a Vikings game was great,” McWilliam said. “It was amazing to talk to the students and see how success-ful their programs are.” Classroom visits have also kept McWilliam busy. She has
visited with students ranging from preschool to 10th grade at about 10 different schools. “I love interacting with all the different age groups,” Mc-William said.
One of her most memo-rable visits was kicking off a Fuel Up to Play 60 program with a group of seventh grad-ers. “I autographed 200 note-books and even some milk car-tons,” McWilliam said. “It was great talking to those students. They were so excited about what I had to say.” These visits are geared to the students, but there was one where the adults were impact-ed as much as the students. There was a mom that wouldn’t allow her kids to drink chocolate milk because she thought it wasn’t good for them with the added sugar. “I reminded her it was only three percent more sugar but showed her the nutrition they would get from chocolate milk,” McWilliam said. “She told me her kids were going to drink chocolate milk now. I didn’t expect to make an im-pact on the adults, too. Just a simple message about the im-
portance of dairy in the diet can make a difference.” Despite her busy schedule, Bruce and La Vonne, her sister, Marissa, and her grandmother have been able to travel with her to her numerous events. “They’ve had fun travel-ing with me. I’ve been able to spend more time with them,” McWilliam said. “They get to see a different side of me. It makes it really special.” McWilliam and her fam-ily are already gearing up for the busy summer ahead with breakfasts on the farm and numerous other June Dairy Month promotions. “I am so excited for the summer. I will be able to meet more people and visit with nu-merous dairy farmers across the state,” McWilliam said. “It is one of the perks of being Princess Kay.” Before summer starts, Mc-William will be welcoming 12
“No matter how random the questions are, they have started a conversation with me and it is an opportunity to respond with accuracy.”– PRINCESS KAY MARJENNA MCWILLIAM
There’s nothing else like Princess KayMcWilliam reflects on her reign in the Milk Way
BY MISSY MUSSMANStaff writer
DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTOMarJenna McWilliam promotes one of the Dairy Goodness Bar’s cheese treats during an inter-view with Channel 5 News at the Minnesota State Fair.
Turn to MCWILLIAM | Page 2
new young women as the 2014 Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalists. “Giving these young women this experience is such an hon-or,” McWilliam said. “There is vitality with the Princess Kay program. The future is bright.” She does have some advice for the incoming candidates.
“I want them to have faith in themselves,” McWil-liam said. “No one else can fill these roles but us, because we are all knowledgeable and passionate about dairy. No matter if they leave as a final-ist or not, they all have a role and make an impact.” This year has been busy, but McWilliam tried to
imagine what her life would have been without Princess Kay and realized she wouldn’t be who she is today without the opportu-nity. “No other experience would have helped me grow as much as I have this year,” McWilliam said. Looking back on her reign so far, McWilliam has been proud to represent the dairy farmers of Minnesota. “Being Princess Kay has been an honor and I wouldn’t have been able to be here without the dairy farmers,” McWilliam said. “I have always loved to talk about cows and this has given me an outlet for that. This program is so unique. There is nothing else like Princess Kay.”
Continued from MCWILLIAM | Page 1
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014
“There is vitality with the Princess Kay program. The future is bright.” – MARJENNA MCWILLIAM
PHOTO SUBMITTEDMarJenna McWilliam (center) and dairy producers, Stacy and Pete Ripka pose for a photo during the Fuel Up to Play 60 event during the Minnesota Vikings game. McWilliam shared the impor-tance of refueling with milk after 60 minutes of physical activity with the students in attendance.
DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTOLinda Christensen (right) works one MarJenna McWilliam’s butterhead on the opening day of the Minnesota State Fair.
PHOTO SUBMITTEDMarJenna McWilliam pauses to take a photo with four little girls during a threshing event this past fall in Winger, Minn.
PHOTO SUBMITTEDMarJenna McWilliam reads a book to a group of third graders during one of her school visits this year.
DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTOMarJenna McWilliam speaks to the members of the Gopher Dairy Club during their annual ban-quet on February 23 at the Ramada Inn in St. Paul, Minn.
Parents: Fred and Joan FleckTown: Rice Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am currently attending Saint Cloud Technical and Community College for childcare. I’m living in St. Cloud, and I have been a manager at McDonald’s for the past year. The 240-acre farm I work on is owned by my parents. They also rent another 100 acres and milk around 60 cows. My three siblings and I help my parents with chores on the farm. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I think the best part of growing up on a farm was the quality time I spent working on the farm with my family every morning and night. I also loved learning a good work ethic and how to work with oth-ers. I loved making new memories with my family and even my friends. The experiences, from growing up on a farm, have helped me get to where I am today. I would like to thank my amazing parents for being the best role models for me. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a dairy princess is really important for me because it’s a great way to promote the dairy industry. It is also important because unlike everyone else who is a princess, when I was younger, I never imagined I would ever be a princess. That was until one day my neighbor asked me to be a princess with her and I said yes only because I wanted to see what the program was about. It so happens that I made one of the best decisions of my life because I have made new friendships, made many memories I will never forget. This year my little sister is a princess just like me, and I couldn’t be happier. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on the importance of people getting their three servings of dairy each day. I would choose to talk about that because not everyone gets the three servings of dairy a day that they need. It is really important to remind the people who actually get the right amount they need a day to keep doing it because they will have a healthy body. For the people that don’t get the three servings a day they need, it would be my job to promote that healthy lifestyle by getting the rotary club involved since they are leaders in life and possibly have more of a power to persuade people to live a better life style. I would like to talk to people about how milk provides the nine essential nutrients your body needs, especially protein. I would also talk about how milk keeps your bones and teeth strong and healthy. It’s benefits are endless.
Parents: Roy and Tina Seppelt, the late Sharee SeppeltTown: Rice Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I was raised on a 200-dairy cow operation in Rice, Minn., with my nine siblings. Be-cause I have been around agriculture all my life, I find pride in my family’s daily work efforts. In high school, I enjoyed advocat-ing the dairy industry in FFA during speaking con-tests as well as commu-nity events. From these experiences, I discovered my career goal to be a lifelong agricultural voice and am currently majoring in communication studies to accomplish this dream. What has been the best part of growing up
Parents: Loran and Heidi SellnerTown: Sleepy Eye Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary’s High School in Sleepy Eye. This fall, I will be attending Ridge-water College in Hutchin-son, majoring in early childhood development. I live on a fifth generation dairy farm where we milk 175 Holsteins and raise our calves from new born to six months before they go to a heifer raiser. The yearlings then come home to our farm after they are confirmed pregnant. We also run 400 acres of crop land. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about liv-ing on a dairy farm is seeing the progress being made. This includes new facilities, to better health/produc-tion in milk and seeing the cows grow from babies to having a calf of their own. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because not only do I get to represent my family, but I also get to represent the many other hard working farm families as well. I enjoy educating oth-ers, especially children at day-care, school visits, and at the county fair. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? My key message would be about why the dairy industry is important to our state. This message is shown through the many employment opportuni-ties in this growing industry, the many dairy prod-ucts provided and how the food industries are making these products healthier.
Parents: John and Patty RosenhammerTown: Sleepy Eye Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a senior at Saint Mary’s High School in Sleepy Eye. I play several sports and keep extremely busy with school, 4-H, FFA and dairy promotion events year-round. I am also a soldier in the Minnesota National Guard. I milk cows and feed calves on our family dairy farm, where we milk 180 Hol-steins in a double- 12 parlor. My future plans consist of attending South Dakota State University to obtain a four-year de-gree in general agriculture or agricultural business. I hope to return to my hometown and maintain involve-ment in the dairy industry by helping plan events and promotions for future county dairy princesses and ambassadors and continuing to promote the industry whenever the opportunity arises. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up and working on a dairy farm, specifically a family operated one, is the overall influence it has had on my life. I love being able to say that the work my family and I complete day after day helps to feed America. Growing up in such an environment has also given me a deeper sense of appreciation for the incredible labor that farmers before us have put into the land. In addition, I have attained knowledge of the importance of organization, patience, responsibil-ity and work ethic. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is ex-tremely important to me because I am passionate about dairy. I want to promote it and help the public become more knowledgeable about it. Dairy farmers today face several unfair criticisms that come from consumers that are simply misguided. It is our job as farmers to correct such misconceptions and help those who do not understand the necessity of dairy products. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The key message I often try to focus on when giving presentations includes the overwhelming nutritional value of dairy products. I emphasize the numerous essential nutrients that are found in many dairy products, including calcium, potassium, pro-
Benton County
Kristy Fleck, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:
Pierz Co-opPierz, MN
320-468-6655Gilman Co-opGilman, MN
320-387-2770
Katie Seppelt, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:
Lietzke Veterinary Service
Pierz, MN320-468-6666
Maggie Sellner, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:
Miller Sellner Imp.Sleepy Eye - 507-794-2131
Bingham Lake - 507-831-1106Slayton - 507-836-8571www.millersellner.com
Mary Rosenhammer, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:Chuck Spaeth Ford
Sleepy Eye, MN507-794-3673 New Ulm, MN 507-354-3673
Benton County continued Brown County continued
Brown County
Carver County
Carver County continued on next page
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 3
and/or working on a dairy farm? My favorite as-pect about growing up on a dairy farm is the daily family bonding. As my siblings have children, stories are told about my twin brother and I as toddlers as-sisting with milking. Many of my childhood memo-ries are with my siblings as we helped sort cattle or feed the calves. These experiences allowed time with my family and taught me the dedication and pride that goes into a family dairy farm. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? This experience has taught me the im-pact one individual can have on a child. Some of the fellow princesses and I had the opportunity to speak to my nephew’s class about the dairy industry. Hear-ing the children’s enthusiasm to tell their families about all that they learned was exciting. Attending princess events are less about the dresses and crown and more about the happiness on the children’s faces when teaching them about the industry. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? A part of the rotary club’s purpose is to congregate leaders to offer humanitarian services and inspire ethical practices in all occupations. With this in mind, my key message would focus on the product’s safety, high quality animal care as well as the stan-dards achieved by farmers. The presentation would highlight the procedures that dairy farmers have in place to ensure safe, nutritious products to consumers and healthy living conditions for their cattle.
tein, phosphorus and Vitamins A and D. I also point out how important it is for parents to give their chil-dren milk early in childhood, as it significantly pro-motes healthy bone growth and strong teeth. If doubt or concern is still conveyed, I reassure the consumers that dairy farmers are constantly and unexpectedly monitored to insure the safety and nutritional value of their product. They also provide good treatment to-ward the livestock who produce the products.
Parents: Earl and Lisa BeuningTown: Waconia Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. My name is Madeline and I am currently a freshman at Winona State Univer-sity studying forensic psychology and criminal justice. I am employed on a 500 head count Holstein dairy farm twenty min-utes from my house, as well as a 260 head count Holstein dairy farm in Wi-nona where I go to school. I plan on always keeping the dairy industry a part of my life, while hoping to someday be a forensic psychologist and criminal mind investigator. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of working on a dairy farm is definitely the bond you share with the family and cows. I also love sharing my story and all the things that I have learned about milk and the dairy industry in my years on the farm with friends and family. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a Carver County Dairy Princess is
Madeline Beuning, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:First Minnesota Bank
Mayer, MN952-657-2500
Carver County continued Carver County continued Carver County continued
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important to me because I want a chance to represent the farms that I work on and be a strong advocate for the dairy industry. I want to be a role model for young kids and I want to make those older than me proud to have taught me all that I know. Also, being a princess is important to me because it is such a powerful way to spread the word about dairy. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on the key message that states that dairy cows are well cared for. This is some-thing that people should be more informed about be-cause farmers really do take pride in how much they care for their land and their animals. The cows are the ones that are treated like princesses day after day!
Parents: Kevin and Tara LindahlTown: Lindstrom Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. This year I graduate from Chis-ago Lakes High School. I also attended Anoka-Ramsey Community Col-lege through the PSEO program. Activities I have participated in include 4-H, FFA, marching band, school musicals, and speech. I live and work on Lindahl Farms LLC which has a herd of 200 registered Holsteins and a few Jerseys and milks in a double-8 parlor. I am attending UMD Swenson College of Science and En-gineering next year. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of
Parents: Todd and Lois ManteuffelTown: Cologne Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am currently a senior at May-er Lutheran High School where I am a member of the National Honor Soci-ety, College Preparatory Program, high honor roll, and varsity basketball team. I live on a small family-owned farm with my mom, dad, and two sisters. I will be attending Winona State University in the fall of 2014 to major in nursing. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a dairy farm is knowing that the hard work you do every single day is benefitting those in your community. I enjoy every minute of living on a dairy farm, even though it is a lot of work and sacrifice. It has been very rewarding being able to have grown where I have with my fam-ily. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because I can help promote the dairy indus-try in my local communities. I can easily interact with the people and share the importance of three servings of dairy. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would share with them how important it is for members of the community to support their local farmers by purchasing and incorporating wholesome, nutritious, and good tasting products into their daily diets. When consumers buy locally, they are directly supporting their farmers. It is an endless cycle of giv-ing and receiving that is crucial to the dairy industry. Because of the decreasing amount of dairy farmers, it is extremely important that consumers continue with their support.
Parents: Tim and Amy LeonardTown: Waconia Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. My siblings and I are the fifth generation on my fam-ily’s 120 acre dairy farm where we milk 45 Reg-istered Holsteins. My re-sponsibilities on the farm include milking, feeding, and cleaning barn. I’m in my second year at the University of Wisconsin-Stout where I’m a food science major with a com-munications emphasis and mathematics minor. In the future, I want to be the link that connects consumers to the science behind their food. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I grew up in a place where hard work, perseverance, a little dirt and a lot of love turned a stubborn winter calf into a friendly fair animal, a spring field into a fall harvest, and sweaty days and chilly nights into memories that I will treasure for a lifetime. Learning to take pride in the work my family and I do is the best part about growing up on a dairy farm. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? The dairy industry and the people in-volved in it have taught me many lessons, but the most important has been to respect and care for my land, my livestock, my family, and my neighbors. By being a dairy princess, I have the opportunity to share these lessons and the stories of the farmers who help
Parents: Rick Haler and Connie HaaskenTown: Norwood Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a first-year student at the University of Minneso-ta-Twin Cities studying animal science and Span-ish/Portuguese studies. On my farm, we milk 80 Registered Holsteins. My tasks, on the farm, vary from milking to feeding calves to field work. I also assist my dad in teaching artificial insemination to Spanish-speaking em-ployees on various farms. I aspire to work in the in-ternational dairy industry with Heifer International as a teacher and spokesperson. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? My time spent in the barn, working with cows and becoming involved, has allowed me to find my passions in life. I relish the memories I have made on the farm and the valuable life lessons I have learned. But more than anything, the cows, my family and the people within the dairy industry have helped me to realize my passion for cows and communication. Thus, inspiring me to pay it forward in the diary industry. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I love the dairy industry. While I do not need a sash and crown to advocate an industry that I care deeply about, I know that my year as a dairy princess will give me many opportunities that I may not have received otherwise to share my story, as well as those of Minnesota farmers. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Nationally, 98 percent of dairy farms are family owned. This key message highlights the im-portance of family. Just as consumers care for their families by keeping them healthy, safe, and comfort-able, farmers do the same for their loved ones and an-imals. Working together, farmers are able to produce high quality products by first providing high quality care for their cows. This benefits not only the produc-ers, but the consumers’ families, too.
Parents: Rodney and Ann BoelkeTown: Cologne Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I will be a graduate of Mayer Lutheran High School. I plan on attending a four year college to major in interior design. I enjoy playing soccer, basketball, and softball. I like to read, paint and enjoy being out-side. I live on our fam-ily owned farm with my Grandma Lorraine, both my parents, and my four siblings: Kindra, Kar-rington, Kenson and Kay-dra. We all love to work with each other. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up on a farm is being able to be with your family every day and have fun working together. Whether it is milking, feeding the calves or scrubbing the parlor, we always find a way to make it fun. Liv-ing on a farm has taught me to manage my time, as well as, teach me responsibilities that I will use later on in my life. I cannot even imagine what it is like not to grow up on a farm. It is the best experience a person could have. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a dairy princess is important to me because I love the dairy industry and I have al-ways wanted to be a dairy princess since I was a little girl. I want to spread the message about the dairy in-dustry to others. Being a princess will give me more opportunities to do that. It draws attention to you be-cause people are curious as to what a dairy princess is. I have the perfect opportunity to tell them about the dairy industry and why I love living on a farm. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The key message I would focus on is how dairy products are important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Dairy products are good for bone health, building strong muscles and healthy skin. They can also help against obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Milk is one of the most common dairy products sold. Both white milk and flavored milk are packed with nine essential nutrients. The nine nutrients that are found in milk are potassium, vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, calcium, protein and vitamin D. The calcium and vitamin D that are found in milk cannot be replaced by any form of supple-ment. Dairy products are important in developing a strong body. Without milk and other dairy products, we would be lacking several important nutrients that we need on a daily basis.
Madelin Lindahl, 17Dairy Star Sponsor:
East Central Dairy Supply
Mora, MN320-679-1029
Lauren Manteuffel, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:Prairie Farm Supply
Belle Plaine, MN952-873-4234
Christine Leonard, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:UFC Farm Supply
Waconia, MNwww.ufcfarmsupply.com
952-442-2126
Jeni Haler, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:ABS - Rick Haler
Krianna Boelke, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:
Bob Fritz Trucking, Inc.Cologne, MN952-466-2551
to provide a nutritious product that is important to a healthy and active lifestyle. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Dairy farmers are committed to serving their local communities by providing a high quality product for their families and neighbors. They’re al-ways looking for ways to improve their practices and become more environmentally friendly and energy ef-ficient. However, they still keep their roots planted in a strong foundation of ethics and sustainability. They care for the land and animals because they, in turn, care for them.
Chisago County
The Lester Prairie Vet Clinic would like to congratulate
all the county dairy princesses.
LESTER PRAIRIE VET CLINIC320-395-2421
Chisago County continued Dakota County continuedDairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 5
growing up on a farm includes two things. The first is the animals; from showing to milking them, I always have a blast. The second is the appreciation I have gained from living on a farm. Knowing the work go-ing into our food supply is awesome. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I have participated in this program for 10 years. Being able to be an honest source of infor-mation about the dairy industry for the public is ex-citing. I have had wonderful experiences which are always fun and allow me to learn as well as teach. I never grow tired of sharing. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The goals of business and community service are often intertwined; our industry enhances our community as well. Beyond providing a depend-able and nutritious food source, we also reach out to the community as individuals. Farmers are often commended for having an “I’ll give you the shirt off my back” attitude. Many farmers in my area will use their equipment to plow out neighbors who would have otherwise had to shovel out by hand or lend their expertise to an organization putting together a com-munity garden.
Parents: Gregory Idso and DelMarie Paul-sonTown: Kasson Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I work on three different dairy farms. At Snow Fam-ily Farm’s near Kasson, I help milk 100 cows in a tie stall barn. I also work at D&M Dairy of Pine Is-land where they milk 75 cows in a parabone swing parlor. I also work at the Iowa Dairy Foundation where they milk 120 cows with Lely robots and 180 cows in a half parallel, half herringbone parlor. I am currently attending Northeast Iowa Community College for dairy science and technology. I want to stay in the dairy industry after graduation, but I am still undecided on a career
Parents: Bill and Juanita SorgTown: Hastings Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I have grown up on my family’s diversified dairy and crop farm. We milk 300 Hol-stein cows and grow corn, soybeans and alfalfa. I will be graduating from Hastings High School this spring. Throughout high school, I have been involved in 4-H, FFA, al-pine skiing, tennis, track, orchestra, choir, National Honor Society and dance. Next fall, I will be study-ing animal science with an emphasis on business and industry at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? My favorite part of growing up on a dairy farm is finishing a day of work and knowing that it will impact many people by providing them with quality dairy products. I love being able to work with the livestock and share my knowledge about dairy farming. Of course, it’s al-ways a bonus to work side by side with the best dad in the world. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Serving as a Dakota County Dairy Prin-cess is important to me because it gives me the oppor-tunity to share my passion, my family’s business and the dairy industry with members of the community. Attending a suburban school has opened my eyes to the reality that many people know very little about farming and their food source. I am excited to educate consumers and promote the industry that is important to me. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you fo-cus on and why? Dairy farms, like my family’s, help build strong communities by supplying nutrient rich foods and economic activity. Dairy products provide consumers with nine essential nutrients while keep-ing calorie counts and costs relatively low. An eight-ounce serving of milk costs about 25 cents. In addi-tion, it takes approximately 48 hours for milk to get from a farm like mine to a local grocery store. This means jobs created by dairy production, consump-tion, and retail remain local.
Parents: Donald and Ker-ry MalechaTown: Northfield Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I cur-rently live and work on my parents’ dairy farm while attending South Central College as a full-time student. We raise all our youngstock and cur-rently milk 102 cows in our tie stall barn. I gradu-ated from high school two years early, and I am working on getting my prerequisites finished be-fore applying to the Uni-versity of Minnesota – Rochester BSN program. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I’d have to say the best part about growing up on a dairy farm is that it has taught me what life is really about. It has also given me the key ingredients to being successful: re-sponsibility, compassion and work ethic. Other jobs and school aren’t always easy and at the end of the day, the dairy farm gives me a whole new outlook. I appreciate being able to come home to the cows. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because there are many people out there that don’t understand the dairy industry. I want to help promote and educate them about not only dairy, but farming in general and what it does for our economy and the world as a whole. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on getting dairy farmers to come together so they can share and build a stronger sense of pride in their products and what they do for a living. I feel if farmers can accomplish this, it will in
Parents: Stacie Hawkins and Thomas JuckelTown: Hastings Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I grew up spending a lot of time with my grandpa on his farm. During this time, I developed a love for the animals and the environ-ment of the farm. This is what made me want to spend time there and work there, too. The experience of farming is what has made me want to become a large animal veterinar-ian. I plan to study animal science at the University of Minnesota next year. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up and working on a dairy farm has been spending time with my family and the animals. I hold both of these very close to my heart, and I love that I can get both of them in the same place. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is im-portant to me because I want to share my love and knowledge about the dairy industry with other people. Through this opportunity, I hope to talk to a wide va-riety of people and share my experiences with them. I am most excited to teach younger children about the dairy industry. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on the importance of dairy products and where they came from. I think it is very important for the consumers to know the entire pro-cess from the birth of the cow, to the pasteurization process and how it is put onto the shelves in grocery stores. It is important to start educating the youth of today, so when they are older and buying these prod-ucts, they can understand and appreciate what they are consuming.
Parents: Ron and Barb NelsonTown: Brainerd Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am the Crow Wing Dairy Princess. I live on a farm with several different ani-mals. I am mainly respon-sible for a herd of 11 dairy goats in which I milk, feed and raise the kids and show and county and state fair. I work for Gerald and Sandra Foust on a nearby dairy farm. I milk approx-imately 50 Holstein cows each night and occasion-ally feed calves. I have been working on this farm for about four years now and I thoroughly enjoy it. I plan on working there for another year as I continue to attend Central Lakes College to obtain my Associate in Arts degree. With that, I will transfer to the University of Minnesota-Crookston to major in horticulture. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of working on a dairy farm has been having about a two hour period to myself where I can just be right up next to the cows. I enjoy being in the presence and work-ing along side of animals, especially dairy animals. I find it relaxing rather than hard work. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I know the importance of incorporating dairy products into every meal in everyone’s diet. It is important to me as a dairy princess to relay this message to my community and the public as a whole. Talking to people of all ages about how hard dairy farmers work to care for their dairy cattle is essential in educating them about the dairy industry. My goal as a dairy princess is to make sure everyone I talk to knows where milk comes from and how it got to their dinner table or school. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? My key message to my local rotary club would be to emphasize the importance of each person consuming dairy products each day. There are many other beverage choices around us, including quick coffee shops and pop vending machines in schools. These are very tempting to. However, it is important to remember the benefits of drinking milk. Milk is a beverage that is needed throughout a person’s whole life as it provides many essential nutrients. Calcium and phosphorous are important nutrients that play a role in developing and enhancing bone and teeth growth formation. From a newborn baby to an elderly person, incorporating dairy products into a diet is cru-cial.
Katherine Paulson, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:Eastwood Bank
Kasson, MN507-634-4444
Gabriella Sorg, 17Dairy Star Sponsor:
River Country Cooperative
Hastings, MN651-437-3527
Ashlynn Malecha, 17
Dairy Star Sponsor:Kasper Dairy Supply
Northfield, MN612-483-1323
Jordan Juckel, 17Dairy Star Sponsor:
Vermillion ElevatorVermillion, MN651-437-4439
Veronica Nelson, 17
Dairy Star Sponsor:AMPI
Paynesville Division320-243-3794www.ampi.com
Crow Wing County
Dodge County
Dakota Countyturn give a positive and professional outlook for con-sumers and provide them with information and edu-cation about where their food comes from and why dairy is essential for healthy living.
Dodge County continued on next page
Dodge County continuedDodge County continued Dodge County continued
Douglas County continued on next page
Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014
path. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? My daily experiences on the farm are unlike any other. There is a differ-ent sense of accomplishment when the day’s work is done. I am providing for all these animals and watch-ing them grow, knowing they are going to be the next generation milk cows on the farm. It is an experience I would not want to trade in the end. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I get to share not only my experience working with these fine bovines, but I also get to share the passion I have for the dairy industry. I am happy to be one of the many young ladies that have the op-portunity to help others have a better understanding of the dairy industry today. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The opportunities to speak up for the dairy industry are endless with speaking engagements with farm and non-farm audiences. BST is a naturally oc-curring hormone in the cow that helps make milk. The rBST is an artificial version of this hormone that gives the cow an extra boost to help them produce more milk. During pasteurization, 90 percent of BST, arti-ficial or not, is killed. The remaining 10 percent, still in the milk when consumed, is digested like any other protein.
Parents: Bruce and Deb WaldvogelTown: Osakis Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I have always enjoyed be-ing on the farm and do-ing the field work where I love to drive tractor for hours on end. I grew up with my family on a dairy farm outside of Osakis. We milk 120 cows and I love feeding the cows and calves, but not the new-borns. I have always cared for animals, especially my horses. My future plans are to be working in an in-tensive care unit working as a registered nurse. I am
Parents: Willis and Mary KruegerTown: Alexandria Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am 20 years old and just graduated from Southwest Minnesota State Univer-sity in Marshall, Minn. I majored in exercise sci-ence and enjoyed all the opportunities I had in school. I live on a small dairy farm consisting of 70 Holstein cows outside of Alexandria, Minn. We finish out our Holstein dairy steers and crops are raised on 300 acres to pro-vide feed for the dairy. I will be attending the North Dakota State University graduate school for a master’s degree in athletic training beginning in July of 2014. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Growing up on a farm is becoming more and more unique as the years go by. It has been a great experience and one I wish more people were a part of. Growing up on a farm teaches me things I can’t learn in a classroom like chores, hard work, work ethic, responsibility, and satisfaction of a job well done. I used to spend my days helping my dad with things around our farm like feeding calves, bedding pens, riding in the tractors, doing field work and milking cows. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Becoming a dairy princess is impor-tant to me because I am proud of my family and the dairy industry. I am honored to help represent all the farmers and their hard work and success in Douglas County. Not everyone understands the lifestyle and hard work that dairy farmers have to do so others can enjoy milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and other dairy products on their tables. It’s important to inform peo-ple about the process, the people and the products. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Dairy products are the main contribu-tor of calcium in a person’s diet. Calcium is one of the minerals we need to get enough of every day so our bodies are working efficiently. Calcium is used for many things in the body like muscle contraction, keeping the heart at a steady pace, forming healthy bones and teeth, and sending nerve pulses. Eliminat-ing dairy from a diet means finding another source of calcium which is very hard to do.
Parents: Alan and Mary Beth KoudelaTown: Alexandria Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I graduated from Jefferson High school in 2012 and I am now attending Moor-head State University for early childhood educa-tion. I am the fourth gen-eration to grow up on the Koudela Brothers Farm. My dad and uncle run the farm now along with help from our families. After I graduate from college, I hope to find a job working in an elementary school and promote dairy in the schools. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a dairy farm is being able to the see how dairy products are made and understanding that dairy products don’t just come from the grocery store. Growing up on a farm has shown me the process of how milk is taken from the farm, goes to the cream-ery, and then to the store. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? One of the most important roles of a dairy princess is to promote the dairy industry to my county and emphasize the importance of healthy dairy consumption.
Parents: Jeffrey and Su-sie ThoeTown: Hayfield Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I live and work on my fam-ily’s sixth generation farm alongside my mom, grandpa, dad and sisters. I am the third Thoe girl to run for dairy princess. Currently, I’m studying to be a physical therapist at Ripon College in Ripon, Wis., double majoring in athletic training and com-munication. At school, I work in the athletic train-ing room, and I am train-ing to become an EMT. But I mostly look forward to coming home and milking cows. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I love that living on a dairy farm has fostered wonderful relationships with my family. We share infinite fond memories, and I was especially fortunate to grow up working along-side my grandpa who is in his 80s and is still cracking jokes while he works every day. Each family member is an inspiring role model, and I am so proud to have such a close bond with all of them. Why is being a county dairy princess important to you? I have wanted to be a Dodge County Dairy Princess since I watched my sisters get crowned. I believe it is important to promote dairy and positively represent our farmers and our products. As a dairy princess, I want to be a positive role model and ex-press how nutritious dairy products are, especially to elementary students. As a Dodge County Dairy Prin-cess, I have this capability and can’t wait to start. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Since rotary clubs aim to provide humani-tarian services by encouraging high ethical standards and building goodwill, I would explain the impor-tance of the dairy industry in Minnesota and its ef-fect on our economy. The dairy industry is the second largest agricultural business in Minnesota impacting our state by $11.5 billion and supporting over 38,000 jobs. A strong and profitable dairy industry is impor-tant to build a healthy economic future for Minnesota and the nation.
Parents: Jason and Cami ReberTown: Kasson Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I’ve grown up and worked on my dad and grandpa’s dairy farm (Reber Dairy Farm) where they milk 400 cows. I am currently attending college at Roch-ester Community and Technical College where I am in the veterinarian technician program. This summer, I will be intern-ing at a veterinary facil-ity of my choice. I have been working part-time taking care of calves and helping where it’s needed since December 2013 for Pine Shelter Farms, which is owned by the Alberts family. They milk around 550 cows. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Kids who haven’t grown up on farms or don’t have farming in their background haven’t been able to experience the things that I have experienced because of growing up on the farm. I am very proud that I grew up on the farm because it has given me a greater appreciation for everything in my life. Also, I have a great work ethic which most people my age lack. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I get to go out into my own community and educate the public about the dairy industry and how great our farmers really are. A lot of people seem to take the dairy industry for granted, or just don’t know how much it provides to them, so I love sending them home with the correct information that they can pass on to others. Having my community recognize me as a dairy farmer is rewarding because it is some-thing I am truly passionate about. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on how diverse the dairy industry is and how it has changed and evolved over the years. For example, herd sizes are more variable, and that has been able to happen with the help of such great technology. I would focus on this because it is important to understand how the dairy industry has changed for the better over many decades.
Tayler Waldvogel, 19
Dairy Star Sponsor:Osakis Creamery
AssociationOsakis, MN
320-859-2146
Heidi Krueger, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:
First District Association
Litchfield, MN320-693-3236
Carissa Koudela, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:Nelson Creamery
AssociationNelson, MN
320-762-0115
McCayla Thoe, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:
AMPIRochester Division
507-282-7401www.ampi.com
Taylor Reber, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:
Carriage House Animal Hospital
Kasson, MN507-634-6781
Douglas County
If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The key message I would focus on is healthy dairy consumption in my community. I would go to local schools and community events and talk about how having three healthy dairy servings a day is beneficial for good health.
Douglas County continued
Goodhue County continued on next page
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 7
currently attending school in St. Cloud for nursing. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a dairy farm is having the freedom to go outside to ride my horses, go four-wheeling, enjoy-ing long walks and the peacefulness of the country. I like working on a dairy farm because I never have to drive to work, punch a clock, or be told what to do. When I do something wrong, I know they will not fire me, even though they threaten to do this sometimes. Another benefit is the free tanning when I am cutting hay. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a Douglas County Dairy Princess is important to me because I am letting others know about how the American dairy farmer provides much needed food for everyone. Most people do not know how much time and work goes into a dairy farm. I want to show everyone how proud I am to be rep-resenting the dairy industry as a dairy princess for Douglas County. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? If I were giving a presentation to my local rotary club, I would focus my message on the lack of dairy farmers in America. The high costs of farming make it difficult for a young farmer to get started. I would talk about the benefits of farming and how the farm is a wonderful place to raise a family. I would also provide information to those wishing to learn more about the dairy industry. There are many people that do not want to work as hard as a farmer to make a living. Anyone who shows in interest is in our best interest.
Parents: Brad and Jessica AndersonTown: Vasa Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am attending Cannon Falls High School where I will graduate in May. My fam-ily has a farm just south-east of Vasa. We milk around 80 cows and we farm about 400 acres of land. In the fall, I plan to attend Winona State Uni-versity to major in nurs-ing. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on the farm has been finding myself through caring for our animals and learning and tak-ing on responsibilities that come with farm life. The adventures of living in the country and on a farm are endless,and they have always kept my life interest-ing! Why is being a county dairy princess im-portant to you? Becoming a Goodhue County Dairy Princess was important to me, because I want to positively represent the industry from which my family makes a living. I also want to educate the local community about the nutritional value of the products that come from our local dairy farms. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? If I were to give a presentation to my local rotary club, my presentation would include informa-tion about how people benefit health wise from the many different products that dairy farmers produce. I would also share the information about dairy prod-ucts that contribute to dieting.
Parents: David and Kris-tine JohnsonTown: Hartland Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I’m a senior at New Richland Hartland Ellendale Ge-neva High School, and I live on a small farm out-side of Hartland. My fam-ily milks Jerseys, and I show them in 4-H. I cur-rently work on an organic Ayrshire farm where I milk cows and take care of calves. I plan to attend college in the fall to study music education. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? My favorite part about living on a farm is be-ing able to play outside with the different animals. I would always help my dad with chores, and he taught me everything I know about having a farm. Having a farm definitely brings a family closer together. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? There is a history of dairy farms in my family, and I’m proud of that. As a dairy princess, I want to share with others why the dairy industry is essential to a healthy nation. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would discuss why dairy products are beneficial to good health because many underestimate the importance of consuming dairy products on a dai-ly basis. Milk provides key nutrients and vitamins such as calcium and vitamin D. It also has protein to help rebuild muscle and keep people full throughout the day. If people would consume the recommended amount of dairy, it would help lower the risk of osteo-porosis and help them maintain a healthy weight.
Parents: Daniel and Patti WoodsTown: Ostrander Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I grew up in Ostrander, Minn., and I live with my parents, brother and sister. At my high school, I’m in cross country, basketball, FFA, choir, student council, Na-tional Honor Society and 4-H. I started showing dairy cattle through 4-H in sixth grade, and I now work on Heusinkveld’s dairy farm where we milk about 350 Holstein cows. I plan to attend South Da-kota State University this coming fall and major in pharmaceutical sciences. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of working on a dairy farm is learning about the dairy industry and working with cows. They are honestly the most interesting animals and I love them so much! Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? It’s important because I want to get the word of the dairy industry that I love so much out there. I want people to learn about this industry like I did and to educate them about how great of an impact it can have on their life. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? My main focus would be that the dairy in-dustry gives so much to the economy and it should be supported in every way possible. The dairy industry serves society by providing it with wholesome, nutri-tious and delicious products. It should be seen as a respectable and hard-working industry.
Parents: Mark and Vickie SohnTown: Blue Earth Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a senior in high school and am taking online college classes. My family farm means a lot to my family and no one can imagine life without it. My future plans are to go to either Mankato or Austin for el-ementary education. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part has been the experience and hard work it takes to keep things going. I enjoy doing chores morning and evening, caring for close to 100 animals, and making the right and best choices for us, the farm, and the animals. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Both my cousin and older sister have been dairy princess. I feel as though it is my turn to carry on the family tradition. The farm means a lot to my family, and I think this is a once in a lifetime experience. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Having grown up in an agricultural com-munity, I learned that if you eat, you are involved in agriculture. Without any type of agriculture or farm-ers, we would no longer survive. I don’t think most people realize what they have, how thankful they should be for the farmers, and how much the technol-ogy has improved over the years.
Parents: Dean and Ann LubitzTown: Perham Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. We milk around 35 Holsteins in a double 4-herringbone barn on our small family farm. The farm has been under the Lubitz name for 64 years. I work part-time at Mark’s Fleet Supply in Perham. Next year I will be a junior at South Dako-ta State University major-ing in agricultural educa-tion. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I would have to say that the best part of growing up on a dairy farm is that there are always so many new and excit-ing things to learn. Things are always changing and happening around our farm. Growing up on the farm and having chores taught me responsibility. I’ve also become a hard-worker and know what real work is because of our farm. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being my county’s dairy princess is important to me because I get to inform my commu-nity about the importance of dairy. I am a face for the dairy industry that people can see and learn from. About ten years ago, our county would usually have about five or six girls running for dairy princess. This year there’s only me. With the interest in running for dairy princess decreasing, the dairy industry might go unseen. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The message I would want to stress would be the importance of this wonderful industry. I would show them statistics, charts, and graphs to help the consumer understand dairy’s economic impact. Cows produce a wholesome and nutritious product that farmers help collect and pass on to millions.
Krystin Hannah Anderson, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:
Security State Bank of Wanamingo
Wanamingo, MN800-879-6854
Presley Johnson, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:L&D Ag ServiceHartland, MN507-845-2100
Melinda Woods, 17Dairy Star Sponsor:
Marzolf ImplementSpring Valley, MN
507-346-7227
Amy Sohn, 17Dairy Star Sponsor:
AMPIRochester Division
507-282-7401www.ampi.com
Kellie Jo Lubitz, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:
Mark’s Fleet SupplyPerham, MN
218-346-6275
Faribault County Freeborn County
Goodhue CountyFillmore County
East Ottertail County
Goodhue County continued Goodhue County continued
Houston County continued on next page
Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014
Parents: Allen and Jody KruegerTown: Caledonia Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I grew up on my family’s dairy farm outside Caledonia, Minn., where we milk 45 cows with a variety of breeds. My chores consist of feeding calves and heif-ers and helping with night milking. I am currently a freshman at North Dakota State University where I’m involved in the Bison Dairy Club, Saddle and Sirloin, and Sigma Alpha Professional Sorority. My future plans are to major in agricultural communi-cations with a minor in animal science. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up on a dairy farm has been working with the animals and being a part of a community that shares my passion for agriculture. I love caring for the animals and watching them grow everyday. I also enjoy getting them ready for the county fair and being able to show them in the 4-H and open class shows. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I believe being a county dairy princess is important because we are given a special opportu-nity to inform the consumers about the dairy industry. Whether it be handing out cheese at the local farm-
Parents: Matt and Pam HendelTown: Caledonia Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am current-ly finishing my first year at the University of Wiscon-sin-Platteville where I am majoring in animal science with a pre-vet emphasis. I grew up on my family’s 350-registered Holstein and Brown Swiss dairy farm. I am the fifth genera-tion to live and work on the farm. My responsibilities include milking and feed-ing the calves and heifers when I’m home. After col-lege, I hope to be accepted at a veterinary college to become a large animal veterinarian. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I think one of the best parts of growing up on my family’s dairy farm, and in the dairy industry as a whole, has been all the great memories and friends I’ve made. From an early age, I learned where my food comes from. Many kids who live in large cities don’t know where their dairy prod-ucts come from. As a dairy industry representative and dairy producer, I think it is important that we all do our part to inform those not familiar with farming. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess means a lot to me. I am representing an industry that I grew up in. I also love getting the opportunity to spread my knowledge to others on why agriculture and the dairy industry are important not only to our country but the world. The dairy industry provides many jobs and also a healthy, wholesome product to its consumers. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would present animal welfare as my key message. I would bring in dairy producers from the area to answer questions so the rotary members can meet the producers of the product they consume. Get-ting to meet real farmers, I believe, helps bring a better understanding that we care for our animals and for us to make a great wholesome dairy product we need our animals to be healthy, too.
Parents: Randy and Tam-bra DahlheimerTown: Dayton Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I grew up on a dairy farm in Day-ton, Minn. As far back as I can remember, I helped my older siblings on occa-sion. When I was in fourth grade, I routinely helped with barn chores. I was responsible for feeding the calves on my own and helping to feed cows etc. every day, of course. I’m currently a junior at the University of Minnesota studying nutrition with a minor in sustainability studies. I’m hoping to get a dietetic internship upon graduation next year and become a registered dieti-tian in the future and be able to practice nutrition and apply my passions. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Aside from al-ways having the best whole milk on hand at all times, the greatest part of growing up on a dairy farm is hav-ing the privilege of working with my family or work-ing alone with the animals outside on a regular basis. I learned a lot living on a farm and experienced more than those living in the city. So many adventures! Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? It’s important to me to represent Hen-nepin County because it has a largely suburban popu-lation. Many people are unaware of the critical role Midwestern dairy farmers have in providing quality food to local households and grocery stores. As a product of the dairy industry, I feel it is very impor-tant to promote it. I want to teach the relationship be-tween good health and dairy products and I want to establish a stronger relationship between farmers and consumers, as I am both. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Because of my nutrition background, I’d feel specifically credible as a dairy princess to speak about the dietary need for milk and other dairy products. Through their services, hopefully, the rotary club would have a pivotal role in educating the pub-lic about either the dairy industry or dairy products themselves. This may include the issue of lactose in-tolerance, where I’d help them discover that incorpo-rating dairy at a young age or continuing to consume it can eliminate the intolerance all together. I could also discuss any questions or assumptions about dairy farming practices, where I’d confirm the sustain-able efforts met or exceeded by dairy farmers in the Midwest and their contributions to the food system. Sharing these ideas is a great way to spread a positive message about dairy!
Parents: Greg and Wendi PillerTown: Kenyon Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a sophomore attending South Dakota State Uni-versity, majoring in ag business with an animal science/dairy science em-phasis. We milk 120 cows in a double-6 herring-bone parlor. Our cows are housed in a freestall hoop barn. All of our replace-ment heifers are raised on our farm, and we run a few acres for silage and alfalfa. After graduating from SDSU, I plan on re-turning home to farm with my parents. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? There are so many things I love about growing up and living on a dairy farm. I love being outside, working alongside my family and being at home. I love cows, and car-ing for livestock is a very rewarding job. I love help-ing new little lives into the world and helping ease old lives out; it is fun to see the generations change. Growing up on a farm has taught me the value of life and the importance of working hard and having high standards. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because I believe it is important for con-sumers to hear our side of the story. A large number
Parents: Ted and Lora KellerTown: Goodhue Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a senior at Lincoln High School in Lake City, Minn. I live and work on my family’s 180-cow Hol-stein dairy farm. We milk cows twice a day in our double-16 parallel milk-ing parlor. My dad and my uncle, Henry Keller, own and operate the farm. We have about 400 acres, and we raise our replacement heifers and steers. I plan on attending University of Wisconsin-Stout for cross media graphics manage-ment this fall. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up, living, and working on my family’s dairy farm is that it has provided me with many life les-sons and different experiences that not everyone gets to experience. I have learned how to work hard each day by milking cows. I definitely would not have as strong of a work ethic, sense of commitment and re-sponsibility had I not been raised on a dairy farm. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a Goodhue County Dairy Prin-cess is important to me because I want to share my experiences and knowledge about the dairy industry with different people in the community. I think it is very important for me to become an advocate for the dairy industry because people may not always realize how important the dairy industry is to them and their daily lives. I want to share with people how dairy products are put on their tables. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on how the dairy industry has a strong impact on the local community and how dairy stays local. The dairy industry provides more than just products to local consumers. It also helps out the local economy as well. Wherever there is dairy, jobs will follow making a bigger impact than what people realize. Dairy products are local because it only takes 48 hours for milk to get from the farm to the store.
Carlie Krueger, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:
Bob Lange Consulting - ANC, Agri Nutrition
ConsultingCaledonia, MN507-450-6610
Hannah Hendel, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:Farmer’s Co-op
ElevatorRushford, Houston,
Caledonia, Spring Grove800-450-7733
Mandy Dahlheimer, 21
Dairy Star Sponsor:
AMPIPaynesville Division
320-243-3794www.ampi.com
Mikayla Piller, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:
Ag PartnersGoodhue, MN800-732-1439
Samantha Keller, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:
Midwest Livestock System
Pine Island, MN
of people are now several generations off the farm and do not know how well dairy farmers care for their cows and how passionate they are about providing a quality product for consumers. It is also very im-portant for the public to be informed about the many health benefits that dairy products offer. As a future producer, if people do not purchase my product, I will be out of a job. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on animal care. My mes-sage would include key points on daily care and eth-ics involved in caring for our cows. I would explain daily chores, how we clean and bed stalls twice a day, sanitize the feed mangers and provide fresh feed two times a day. I would describe our barn and how it caters to cow comfort with soft, clean bedding, an automatic brush for them to play with, a pasture to exercise in when the weather is good, and I would be sure to explain that the cows have the ability to walk around or come and go as they please throughout the barn. As a business major, I would be sure to point out that happy cows produce more milk. Caring for their cows is a dairy farmer’s job, and farmers work very hard every day to produce a quality product for consumers to purchase.
Hennepin County
Houston County
Houston County continued Isanti County continued
Lincoln County continued on next page
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 9
er’s market or working in the local ADA stand at the county fair, we are able to promote our wholesome products and to talk with the public and answer any questions they may have about our industry. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? My message would be about sustainability in the dairy industry. The rotary club strives to make the world a better place not just for the present, but also the future. I would focus on how dairy farmers are also making a difference in our world by being more efficient with our energy and water use. By uti-lizing new renewable resources and reducing our car-bon footprint, we aim to make a positive impact on the environment.
Parents: Lane and Jill Pe-tersenTown: Tyler Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. My parents own and oper-ate Maple Grove Farms, which is southwest of Tyler. They milk about 120 cows and raise the youngstock that are born on the farm. Currently, I am a junior at Southwest Minnesota State Univer-sity and majoring in hu-man resources. When I’m done with school, I hope to work in the human re-source department of a big business. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up on a dairy farm is that I developed a work ethic, and I also appreciate more things in life. One thing that I have grown to appreciate more are going on trips, because my family never really went on family trips that often when I was a child. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a dairy princess has always been something that I’ve wanted to do. I want to help pro-mote dairy products to consumers that aren’t well in-formed about them. I’d also like to inform children about milk and how it’s good for you. It’s amazing to see children’s faces light up when I talk about ice cream, too.
Parents: Michael and Te-resa DrietzTown: Canby Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I live on a 50-cow dairy farm, which is owned and oper-ated by my dad. He also farms land and runs a 50-pair cow/calf operation. I have grown up on the farm with my parents and six siblings. I help on the farm with milking cows and feeding calves. The farming lifestyle is what I love and is the reason I have chosen to attend the University of Minnesota-Crookston to major in ani-mal science this fall. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a dairy farm has been the experiences and opportunities I have been blessed with. Through the farm and 4-H, I have met so many influential people who have inspired me to continue a career in agriculture. Most of my childhood memories will be remembered as playing on the farm with my family, from playing house in the pastures to playing vet with the young calves. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because I believe agriculture needs pro-motion. Many people don’t understand farming as we do. For us, it’s a lifestyle, but others may not see it that way. As an advocate for the dairy industry, I feel it’s important for myself and other princesses to express how important the dairy industry is and how dairy operations work to the public to show an accu-rate picture of the industry. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? If I were giving a presentation to my local rotary club, I would focus on how influential agricul-ture is to our global economy. I feel that every farm, regardless of size, needs to know their importance and impact on our economy. I also feel that people need to realize that the economy relies on farms of all sizes, not just one.
Parents: Victor and Deb-bie KellerTown: Hawick Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am the youngest of seven children. I really like ac-tivities, love animals (es-pecially cats), and am a movie fanatic. I also really love to sing and listen to music. I work on our fam-ily farm. My grandpar-ents, Ronald and Doreen Thorson, owned it origi-nally, and now it belongs to my eldest brother, Scott Lieser. We raise Holstein dairy cows. My future plan is to graduate college with a health and physical education major and a per-formance minor. I would like to become a teacher. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Growing up on the farm doesn’t just have one best part; it has many. I will always have great stories, like the time my broth-er, Scott, welcomed me to “The Unit,” or another time when my sister, Linda, broke a window because of a moth. Everyday on the farm has its own memory. Most of them consisted of us joking around with each other. The knowledge and experiences I have gained in my life would not have been possible without the farm. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is very important to me. Not only am I representing my fam-ily and our farm, but I am also representing every dairy farm in Kandiyohi County. I get to support and advertise for our county dairy farms, which is a vital part of today’s economy. I want others to know the importance of this industry as well. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? A key message I would give is that my family loves being dairy farmers. As dairy farmers, we take great pride in the health of our herd and the conservation of our land. When we care for our cattle, there are many different aspects to consider. We make sure they are receiving a proper diet, plenty of ex-ercise, and lots of grooming. My family and I know each cow by her first name. When we take care of our land, we keep it hydrated with our irrigation systems. We recycle the waste of the cattle by fertilizing our fields. This helps the crops grow. Another key point I would give to my local rotary club is, “Drink your milk. We work hard to provide it for you. The cows work even harder than we do.”
Parents: Christopher and Melissa SkibaTown: Cambridge Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am actively involved on my grandparents’ dairy farm located in North Branch, Minn. I currently own two Registered Jerseys under my prefix of Third Rock Farm. We are currently milking approximately 145 cows, and we raise all of our own calves. I enjoy feeding calves, milking, and assisting in calf iden-tification. I plan to major in veterinary medicine with a dairy emphasis, and
Parents: Mike and Sue Stemper Town: Caledonia Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I live and work on a Holstein dairy farm where we milk 270 cows. I started helping my dad with calf chores in third grade and now I milk. I am cur-rently going to school at Winona State University for my bachelor’s degree in elementary education with early childhood and middle level mathematics minor. Once I graduate, I hope to get a job around the area. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? To me, the best part of growing up on a dairy farm is the qualities that are learned from helping out at such a young age. When I was younger, I didn’t enjoy getting up so early to help, but now I am glad that my dad made me help because working on the farm has taught me to be hardworking and responsible. I definitely would not be the person I am today if I did not grow up on a dairy farm. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a dairy princess is important to me because ever since I was Little Miss Squirt, it has always been my dream to be a dairy princess. I love having the opportunity to be a leader in promoting the dairy industry in my county. I also love that I get to be around and help out people who care about the dairy industry as much as me. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The key message that I would focus on is how important consuming three servings of dairy products a day is for a person’s diet. In the United States today, people are not consuming enough dairy products in their diet, and this is leading to health problems in all ages. When you consume low-fat dairy products, you are consuming many essential vitamins and nutrients that benefit your health. I feel that it is very important to inform consumers how easy and healthy consuming dairy products really is. Kaitlin Petersen, 21
Dairy Star Sponsor:Gorter’s Clay and Dairy EquipmentPipestone, MN507-825-3271
Morgyn Drietz, 17Dairy Star Sponsor:Farmer’s Co-op
AssociationCanby & Minneota, MN
507-223-7241
Jackie Keller, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:D&D Ag SupplyPennock, MN320-599-4466
Lincoln CountyI am looking forward to furthering my path in agricul-ture. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up working on a dairy farm is the satisfaction of knowing that what my family and I do is important to our state and our consumers. I have been blessed with a good work ethic, along with a dedication to our land and our animals. I enjoy having the opportu-nity to set myself apart from the other students in my school by being involved with the dairy industry. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because I am passionate about agriculture, and I know that dairy is an important source of nutri-ents in a daily diet. The most important thing I can do as a dairy princess is to reach out to consumers about the real story of farming, and I take pleasure in talking to people that are interested in where their food comes from. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The five key dairy messages are essen-tial to the dairy industry because they each represent a different aspect of it. However, my main message would include the importance of dairy and why dairy products are wholesome, nutritious, and good-tasting. My goal of this presentation would be to inform my audience about the nine essential nutrients that are present in dairy products, and in turn get more people to consume dairy every day.
Lincoln County continued McLeod County continued McLeod County continuedPage 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014
If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? My message would be that dairy doesn’t just help out the farmer but it employs many people. Those people range from truck drivers, factory work-ers and people who work for the farmer directly. Without the dairy farmer, those people wouldn’t have jobs that help sustain the local economy.
Parents: Tony and Patti FisherTown: Watkins Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a senior at Litchfield High School. I am involved in volleyball, basketball, track, student council, National Honor Society, yearbook and 4-H. I live on our family farm 10 miles north of Litchfield where we milk 60 Hol-steins. Next year I will be attending North Dakota State University where I will be majoring in busi-ness. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I enjoy working with my dad and with the animals. I also love spend-ing time with my grandfather while we feed our baby calves. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I love going to an event and sharing my passion of dairy with young children that look up to me. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on ways of getting three servings of dairy each day because more and more children choose a different drink choice over milk. I would talk about other options to get three servings of milk without even drinking a glass of milk itself. I would also talk about the benefits of milk and why it is so important for your body to receive it daily.
Parents: Ron and Denise SchmidtTown: Hutchinson Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am currently a high school senior and when I am not busy with school or FFA activities. I milk 60 cows at my family’s dairy farm and about 140 cows for Christensen Dairy. In the summer I am kept quite busy with fieldwork as well. After graduation, I will double major in dairy production and agricultur-al education as well as mi-nor in agronomy at South Dakota State University. It
Parents: Rick and Mindy Jeurissen Town: Lester Prairie Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/ or work on, and your future plans. I’m a senior at Lester Prai-rie High School who is actively involved in 21 school related activities including student coun-cil and sports. When not at school, I work on my family farm where I assist my family in milking 150 cows in a double-12 milk-ing parlor with automatic shut off milkers, feeding calves, cleaning barn and operating machinery. Af-ter high school, I will be attending Ridgewater Col-lege in Hutchinson for early childhood development and child psychology. What has been the best part of growing up and/ or working on a dairy farm? Knowing that I have the opportunity many people don’t have would be the best part of growing up and working on my family farm. I have the ability to set my own sched-ule and to work one-on-one with the dairy animals. Whether it be milking cows, feeding calves or any other chores my parents have me to do, I embrace how blessed I am to be able to educate people in my everyday life on the farming lifestyle my family and I have. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess gives me the opportunity to bring the information that I know about the dairy industry to the consumers in my own unique way. I love working hands-on with younger generations because I will be working and teaching them every day once I graduate from college. Being a county dairy princess gives me the freedom to show the passion I maintain for the dairy industry and the unique lifestyle I grew up in. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you fo-cus on and why? Dairy farmers dedicate their time to producing high-quality milk for consumers. They are able to produce high-quality products because they take care of the land, water, air and the animals. Dairy farms have a positive influence on a commu-nity by not only helping with the care of land,water, air and animals, but by helping provide many jobs for community members. Without dairy farms, we would have less jobs and environmental care.
Parents: Mark ForcierTown: New Auburn Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I’m an outgoing and reliable person. I love working on the farm with the cows. Growing up, I would al-ways help my dad work on things like four-wheelers, dirt bikes and snowmo-biles. The farm I worked on milked 350 Holsteins. I helped milk them in a double-7 parlor during the night shift. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about working on the dairy farm is not only bonding with the cows, but also being the one getting the milk from the cows. Knowing I am helping provide milk to consumers is great. I also love the calves. They are so cute and cuddly.
Parents: Jerry and Con-nie EggertTown: Hutchinson Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am currently a sophomore at the University of Wis-consin–River Falls where I am horticulture major with a business emphasis. I am proudly employed by Howe Holsteins, an 80 cow dairy specializing in Registered Holsteins and my personal favorite, Jer-seys, located in Hutchin-son, Minn. My future plans include finishing college while continuing to be an advocate for the dairy industry. Upon my college graduation, I plan to work with a county extension service in Minnesota. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of working on a dairy farm has been gaining responsi-bility and dedication. Whether it was making sure I got calves trained for the county fair on time or han-dling feeding calves alone for the first time, skills that I learned from this experience cannot be replaced by any other experience. I am proud to say that I learned lifelong skills that I can use no matter what industry I end up in. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because it allows me to be an advocate of this amazing industry. It allows me to be the face for Minnesota dairy farmers and the animals they love. I am excited to share my story of growing up working on my grandparent’s dairy farm and I continue my passion for the dairy industry by working on another dairy farm. Also, being able to connect with young children is my favorite. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on how dairy farmers care for the environment and are good stewards of the land. Since rotary clubs are often focused on specific communities, I would discuss how local farmers are using management tools in order to be more sustain-able with the changing farming industry. Since dairy farmers live on the land they farm, they work hard to protect and care for the land, air, and water they live by.
Nicole Fisher, 17Dairy Star Sponsor:AgVenture Feed
& Seed, Inc.Watkins, MN320-764-9910
Cheyenne Schmidt, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:First District Association
Litchfield, MN320-693-3236
Genevieve Jeurissen, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:First District Association
Litchfield, MN320-693-3236
Cassandra Batdorf-Forcier, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:Jungclaus Implement,
Glencoe, MN320-864-5118
Katie Eggert, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:First Choice SalesHutchinson, MN
320-583-8253
McLeod County
Meeker County
Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? The reason being a dairy princess is im-portant to me is because I get to promote the dairy industry. While promoting it, I get to learn more about it. It’s a big accomplishment in life for me. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The key message I would focus on would be making sure they have their three servings of dairy each day and encourage them to make sure their chil-dren drink milk. It is my job as a dairy princess to pro-mote dairy and help others learn about how important it is in their diet.
is my intent to continue dairy farming with my family and attain a job as an agricultural educator after col-lege. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Most people my age, especially girls, haven’t had the opportunity to learn skills like driving tractors or milking cows. The best part of growing up as a farm girl is learning how to deal with the variety of challenges farmers every-where face on a daily basis and prove that even though I am not your typical farmer, I am fully capable of be-ing a dairy farmer. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? With the gap between consumers and farmers growing larger all the time, it is important that I promote the truth about the dairy industry. Every person deserves to know where their food comes from and who is working everyday to ensure that the dairy products they receive are healthy and safe. I want to make sure all individuals have the opportunity to con-nect with someone involved within the dairy industry and being a county dairy princess helps me achieve that personal goal. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on the fact that dairy cows must be well cared for in order for wholesome milk to be produced. Animal welfare is a constant issue within several animal agriculture industries and the dairy industry is no exception. While every key mes-sage is important, I believe that consumers need to first understand farming is a business as much as it is a hobby. We love our animals and if we don’t care for them, we can’t afford to make a living farming.
Meeker County continued on next page
Meeker County continuedMeeker County continued
Morrison County continued on next page
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 11
Parents: Ralph and Nan-cy RinkelTown: Hillman Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I grew up on a small farm. We milk about 70 cows. We raise all of our calves both heifers and steers. My main job on the farm was to take care of the calves. I graduated from Milaca High School. In high school I was a member of the FFA. I received all of my degrees up to the state degree and was sentinel and president of our chap-ter. My future plans are to become a large animal veterinarian. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a dairy farm is the birth of a calf. Calves are the cutest when they are born and they can come in many different sizes and colors. Taking care of the calves gave me a lot of responsibility as a kid, but I wouldn’t ever want to give up that learning ex-perience.
Parents: Jim and Cheryl HarrenTown: Freeport Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a senior at Melrose High School. At school, I am involved with the year-book committee, choir, and softball. During the summer, I enjoy running, horseback riding, hunt-ing, four-wheeling, scrap-booking, playing softball for the St. Rosa Jaycee Teen League, and just be-ing outside. Besides help-ing dad out on the farm, I work as a certified nursing assistant at the CentraCare Pine Villa Nursing Home in Melrose. My future plans are to attend the Lake Superior Community College for the physical therapy assistant program and then the massage therapy program in Duluth. I live on a 250 acre dairy farm near Upsala. Our farm has been in our family for five generations. We milk 60 Holstein cows and raise approximately 90 steers, heifers and calves. My job is to help my dad with anything that needs to get done such as: feeding the animals, keep-ing them clean, and dipping and wiping off the cows during the milking process. In the summer, I also help with fieldwork. Farming is never boring because there is always something that needs to be done. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up on the farm is we get to work as a family. It has taught me to be strong, physically and mentally. Also, farming has taught me the importance of determination and hard work. I have developed an appreciation for nature as well. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a dairy princess is important to me because I feel the dairy industry is extremely impor-tant to everyone. Farmers feed the world and there are not many industries that can say that. I am proud to be part of it. I want to share that message with others. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? If I had to give a presentation on the dairy industry, I would stress the importance of farmers in the world. They are extremely important because they provide us with one of nature’s most essential drinks. Everyone depends on farmers in some way. Farmers are a huge part of making a strong economy. The fu-ture depends on farmers for food and milk is impor-tant in remaining healthy.
Parents: Dan Chris-tensen, Marti LambertTown: Milaca Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a senior at Milaca High School and will gradu-ate in May. My dad is Dan Christensen. He is the manager at the local creamery in Foreston. I live on a hobby farm near Milaca which consists mostly of horses. I have been involved in FFA throughout all four years of high school. I applied for the State Degree this past fall which is the high-est degree in FFA. I have also been involved in 4-H for 11 years. I started with dairy steers and went to horses. I now show dairy cat-tle for the Reiman family. I grew up on my grandpar-ent’s dairy farm in Pease, Minn. I also have worked at the Bauer Dairy in Royalton where they milk 400 cows, raise their heifers, and feed out their steers. My future plans are to further my career in the dairy in-dustry. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up and working on a dairy farm is learning the value of hard work, working for what you be-lieve in, and having goals. I have also learned about responsibility and carry with me a lot of knowledge about the dairy industry from hands-on experiences. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a Mille Lacs County Dairy Prin-cess is important to me because I get to teach people about the dairy industry. I also get to share the impor-tance of farmers and tell about how hard they work. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? My key message would be about how important it is to have farmers and explain what they do for the community and the world. I would also explain to them how the younger generation doesn’t show much interest in agriculture/dairy industry. We need to spark an interest in them and show that they can make a difference in the world.
Parents: Rick and Julie ThompsonTown: Watkins Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. My name is Nicole Thomp-son. I am a senior at Li-tchfield High School. I plan to attend Ridgewater College to get my associ-ate of arts degree in dairy management. I work on Wagner Dairy where they milk 420 Registered Jer-seys. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I have been able to do what I love which is taking care of the cows. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I want to teach young children the im-portance of getting their 3-A-Day. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would inform people of the importance of getting their daily calcium. Not getting enough cal-cium can lead to osteoporosis and weak bones.
Parents: Nick and Jen Ridgeway Town: Litchfield Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. My dad milks 5,600 cows on four dairies in west central Minnesota. My experi-ences of growing up on a farm have been a little dif-ferent than the other girls, but my love and respect for the farmers and the animals remains the same. My job on the dairy is to help out when extra hands are needed. These jobs can range from mowing the lawn to covering the feed pile. My future plans are to attend the College of St. Benedict with a major in biology/pre-med. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a dairy farm is seeing the hard work and dedication the farmers put into their work. Farm-ers are the only workers I know who are on call twen-ty-four/seven and still love what they do.Why is being a county dairy princess important to you? Being a dairy princess is important to me be-cause it gives me an opportunity to give back to a community of people who have taught me so much. It allows me to share the knowledge and experiences I have learned with others.4. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? A key message I would like to share with others is the importance of dairy. Milk has three of the four nutrients that the Dietary Guidelines of America say is lacking in a child’s diet. The three things milk
Parents: Dan and Beth KrumrieTown: Litchfield Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/ or work on, and your future plans? I am currently a first year stu-dent at the University of Minnesota studying ag-ricultural education with an emphasis in leadership and communication. Since I didn’t grow up on a dairy farm, I have been work-ing on the Tuman fam-ily farm, for the past four years, located in Watkins. The farm milks around 60 Registered Brown Swiss and Holstein cows. In the future I hope to keep pro-moting the dairy industry. What has been the best part of growing up and/ or working on a dairy farm? The best part about working on a dairy farm is that I have gained so many life lessons and skills while working on the farm. Not only have I learned the value of hard work through milking the cows or patience while trying to get a newborn calf to drink her bottle, but I have learned so much about passion and how with passion you can do just about anything you set your mind to. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because it gives me a chance to make an impact not only in Meeker County, but anywhere else I go. Some consumers don’t know all the benefits that dairy products provide or even how a dairy farmer cares for cattle. By educating the public, I am able to spread a positive image about the dairy industry and what farmers do. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? If I were giving a presentation to the lo-cal rotary, I would stress just how much care farmers put into their work. Not only are dairy farmers just farmers, their roles include being the veterinarian, dietician, nutritionist, and cleaner, along with many other jobs as well. Without happy cows, dairy farmers would not able to produce a wholesome and nutri-tious products for us to enjoy.
Mindy Rinkel, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:
Athman Dairy, Inc.Pierz, MN
320-468-2792
Kaitlyn Harren, 17Dairy Star Sponsor:
Elmdale CreameryElmdale, MN 320-573-2607
Brooke Christensen, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:Foreston Co-op
CreameryForeston, MN320-294-5711
Nicole Thompson, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:Wagner DairyLitchfield, MN320-693-3894
Emma Ridgeway, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:Land O’LakesMelrose, MN320-256-7461
Nicole Krumrie, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:
Willow Wells Farm & Rockstar Genetics
Watkins, MN320-453-2523
provides, along with many others is, calcium, potas-sium and vitamin D. Almost half of today’s teenag-ers do not drink any milk and they are carrying that habit with them into adulthood. As dairy promoters, we need to share our knowledge of the importance getting your three servings of dairy every single day.
Mille Lacs County
Morrison County
Morrison County continued Morrison County continued Mower County continuedPage 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014
Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a dairy princess is important to me because I love the dairy industry and I love being able to promote our great industry. There are many great tasting and nutritious products that come from the milk we produce that many people don’t use. I am honored to be able to represent the many great dairy farmers from Morrison Country. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? If I were to give a presentation to my local rotary club, I would focus on the issue of animal wel-fare because that is a big issue that is being brought up in our industry right now. My key message would be that dairy farmers work to give their cows the best care. If we did not care for our cows, our milk produc-tion would be going down because an unhealthy cow will not produce as much milk as a healthy cow.
Parents: Rick and Tracy SmithTown: Adams Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I was born and raised on my family’s farm, where we milk 240 head of Holstein cattle three times a day. I currently attend Winona State for education; how-ever, I am transferring to University of Wisconsin-River Falls in the fall to major in dairy science-management. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up and working on a farm is knowing that the hard work and dedication we put into each animal ensures that they are as calm and comfortable as pos-sible, so they can provide a wholesome product for the world to enjoy. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? This role is important to me because it gives me the opportunity to support the dairy industry by being able to inform the public about the safe and nutritious products we provide for them. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on the key message that we as dairy farmers strive for maximum health of their herd. Herd health plays a huge role in the animals’ welfare, the quality of the products the cows produce and the future of their family’s farm. It is very impor-tant for the public to know that farmers take amazing care for their animals and this message would allow the club to receive insight on reasons why farmers care so much about what they do.
Parents: Ed Smith and Cheri BentzinTown: Rose Creek Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I live south of Rose Creek, Minn., on a dairy farm were we milk 350 Hol-steins. In the fall, I plan to go to school in Austin, Minn., at Riverland Com-munity College to pursue my bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN). What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on the farm is being around the ani-mals and learning a strong work ethic. I enjoy feed-ing the calves, but I am too short to milk in our parlor. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because there are a lot of things in the dairy industry that people are not well educated on, and I enjoy sharing my knowledge on the dairy industry. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would stress the importance of dairy con-sumption because of the nutritional value it provides.
Parents: Pat and Kris MullenbachTown: Adams Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I have one brother, Danny, and two sisters, Megan and Claire. I am involved in and love spending my time showing horses and cattle. I am a senior at Southland High School, and I plan to attend South Dakota State University to major in animal sci-ence. I milk cows for Four Way Farms where they milk 200 head of Holstein cattle. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I enjoy being involved on a dairy farm because it develops a good work ethic. I also get to work with family, and I enjoy working with the animals. The best part was having that family time in the barn dur-ing milking. That’s when we always had dad’s full attention, whether that was good, bad or otherwise! Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I am proud to represent my county’s dairy farmers. Having grown up on a dairy farm, I un-derstand the life-style and work it takes to be a dairy farmer. I understand the importance of promoting the dairy industry as a whole from the products to the hard working farmers. It’s important to me that any-one who works or has worked in the dairy industry knows that they are appreciated for everything that they do. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on how to get more dairy products in schools, pre-schools or day cares. It is im-portant to have dairy in your diet and to have milk, cheese and yogurt every day. If we can get children started with good and healthy habits when they are young, it will carry through to adulthood.
Parents: Ken and Brenda YorekTown: Little Falls Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I have grown up with four older brothers. When I was younger my parents start-ed out with 65 cows but later expanded by build-ing a free stall and parlor and increased their herd to 200 milking cows. On the farm I help with the daily chores and the seasonal field work. Next year I plan to attend University of Wisconsin- River Falls for dairy science. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a farm was being able to see your hard work pay off. We worked hard as a family from day one to continue to better our farm. Dairy farming is also a great learning expe-rience. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county princess will allow me to spread my knowledge of the dairy industry and also learn from other farmers and get to know them. It will be a wonderful experience for me to be able to edu-cate the general public about how great our industry really is and the products produced by the farmer. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would let them know that our dairy cows are well cared for and treated humanely because so many people think that as farmers we abuse our cows. The cows are our main source of income, so in order to be profitable we have to take good care of them.
Parents: Joe and Dianne StarickaTown: Swanville Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I live on the Century Farm that my great grandparents settled between Swanville and Upsala. My family milks 60 cows in a tie stall barn with a loose housing addition. I love music, writing fiction, and draw-ing and I publish my own comic online. In school, I’m in theater, speech, National Honor Society, choir, and band. This fall, I plan on attending Min-nesota State University at Mankato. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Spending time with animals has been the funnest part of living on a dairy farm. My family trained a few teams of oxen and working with them in parades is always a blast, no matter how hectic. Growing up around cows, cats, dogs, and chickens has impacted my life hugely and has taught me lessons on everything from biology to patience. And of course, baby calves are adorable—though sometimes obnoxious—sweethearts. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? It’s a great opportunity to teach people about the dairy industry, especially children who don’t quite understand where their food comes from and how farming works. Growing up on a dairy farm has given me plenty of stories to tell, and nothing pro-motes the industry and its products more than edu-cation, friendly conversation, and a personal connec-tion. I think I can benefit the industry while having fun. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you fo-cus on and why? I would focus on the message that cows are well cared for. On the internet especially, I’ve stumbled upon misconceptions about the treat-ment of dairy cows. It’s important that the public cares about animal safety, but many misunderstand-ings could be cleared up with a simple description of how hard farmers work to take care of their cattle. A dairy farmer’s livelihood depends on the well-being of cows. Many people don’t understand that.
McKinzie Smith, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:
Land O’LakesMelrose, MN320-256-7461
Lea Semones, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:Foremost Farms
www.foremostfarms.com800-362-9196
Lauren Mullenbach, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:Meyerhoffer Bagging
Stacyville, IA507-259-5863
Katie Yorek, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:
Modern Farm EquipmentPierz, MN
320-468-2161
Jessica Staricka, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:
Elmdale CreameryElmdale, MN320-573-2607
Mower County
Murray County continued Murray County continued
Nicollet County continued on next page
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 13
Parents: Don and Sandy Van EckTown: Ruthton Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am currently a freshman at South Dakota State Uni-versity in Brookings, S.D. I am majoring in agricul-tural business with a pos-sible minor in agronomy. I live on a 75-cow fam-ily dairy farm near Ruth-ton, Minn. I have lived on a dairy farm my entire life. Every night that I am available, I help my dad milk cows, feed calves and do other chores on our farm along with field work when needed. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I have grown up on my family dairy farm. I have enjoyed being out-side, working on our farm, feeding calves and milk-ing cows since I was a young kid. Being able to watch a little calf grow up into a fully mature cow is a very rewarding process. I love bonding and spending time with my cows. There is always something new or dif-ferent happening every day on a dairy farm, and that is what makes it the most exciting to me and why I love it so much. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? The reason being county dairy princess is important to me is because I get to be the one edu-cating the public about the local and national dairy industry. This has always been a very rewarding ex-perience to be part of, and it is very important to me. I enjoy meeting new people and working with children.
Parents: Greg and Mad-eline Vander WalTown: Slayton Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a senior at Murray County High School in Slayton, Minn. I am involved in volleyball and track. I plan to go to the Univer-sity of Northwestern to major in kinesiology and minor in psychology. My dad has a 600-cow dairy farm and is looking to expand. I work with the calves by bottle-feeding new calves, feeding them their grain and guiding the calves through our robotic feeders if needed. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I am a hard work-er. I love to work with the calves. I have spent my whole life working with the cows, and I also love to promote dairy products. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? The dairy industry is important to me because it is my family’s livelihood. Also, I enjoy the opportunities that a dairy farmer gets. Finally, I love the dairy products out there, especially ice cream. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Milk is very important to the human body. I would talk to children about how milk helps you grow, develop and recover. I would hand out milk at sporting events as a healthier option than pop. The school and county would help me get the message across.
Parents: Bill and Merri PostTown: Chandler Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your futuplans. I am cur-rently a freshman at South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D. pursu-ing a degree in dairy pro-duction with a minor in ag business. I am currently the activities coordinator for the SDSU Dairy Club and the leadership chair for the Sigma Alpha–Omega Chapter Soror-ity. I grew up on a small 120-cow dairy farm where we recently put up a new robotic milking facility. I enjoyed working outside with my dad and grandpa milking cows, feeding calves, breeding cattle and helping in the fields. In the future, I hope to obtain a job with a reproductive company working with invi-tro fertilization or embryo transfers or as a nutrition specialist. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of grow-ing up on a dairy farm was being around the cattle. I love dairy cattle and have always enjoyed watching them grow from a calf to a cow. The fact that a little calf will one day be a part of the herd, producing milk for consumers is amazing and fascinating to me. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because it gives me the opportunity to pro-mote an industry that not only my family, but many families in my county work so hard for every day. By being spokesperson for Murray County dairy produc-ers who work day in and day out to produce a quality product for consumers, I am promoting an industry that is beneficial not only to my home county, but to Minnesota and our country. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on
Parents: Ben and Connie PostTown: Chandler Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I live on a small 60-cow dairy near Chandler, Minn. My activities include rodeos, helping out on the farm regularly and hanging out with friends when I get the time. I am a junior at Edg-erton Public High School. I plan on attending South Dakota State University for college to major in dairy manufacturing and minor in food and nutri-tion and possibly equine science. My dream is to always be involved in agriculture in some way. I love showing dairy and hope to make it a part of my fu-ture! What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I think that grow-ing up on a dairy farm gives me an advantage that will help me in the future. Working on our dairy farm gives me responsibilities that other teenagers don’t have; it helps me to prepare for my future, giving me a great work ethic and people skills. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Something great about being a dairy princess is getting to meet people who have the same passion for dairy and agriculture as me. I love talking to new people about the dairy industry and learning more about it. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on the importance of dairy products in people’s diet and how dairy is a huge part of nutrition. I think promoting dairy is very impor-tant, and I would try to show how great it is and edu-cate people as much as I can.
Kiley Van Eck, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:Gorter’s Clay and Dairy EquipmentPipestone, MN507-825-3271
Dana Vander Wal, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:Gorter’s Clay and Dairy EquipmentPipestone, MN507-825-3271
Sarah Post, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:Gorter’s Clay and Dairy EquipmentPipestone, MN507-825-3271
Kayla Post, 17Dairy Star Sponsor:Gorter’s Clay and Dairy EquipmentPipestone, MN507-825-3271
Murray Countyand why? I feel it is very important to explain to con-sumers that everything dairy farmers do each is for the health and well-being of their cows. As a whole, we strive to keep our cows happy and comfortable so they create a real, simple and fresh product that is wholesome to consumers. I would give this pre-sentation by creating a slideshow that includes facts of multiple dairy farms across the area and how they contribute to our local economy and community.
I feel that having an outgoing personality and many years of hands-on experience makes it easy for me to educate the public on the dairy industry. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would tell the rotary club about proper dairy animal care because it is such a popular question regarding the dairy industry lately. I think that proper animal care and comfort is very important for dairy cows. Being a dairy farmer, milk is your main source of income so we need to keep the cows comfortable to the best of our ability. We need to care for their needs so that they can produce high quality milk. If we take good care of our cows, they will take good care of us. Waste management is an important factor in the pub-lic’s view of the dairy industry.
Parents: Paul and Mary StrussTown: Courtland Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I live on an 85-cow dairy farm near Courtland that was started in 1871. I am the sixth generation on our farm. We milk Holsteins, Red and White Holsteins, Brown Swiss and Jerseys. In the fall, I will be attend-ing South Dakota State University majoring in agriculture business and dairy science. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part has been learning all about the dairy industry and getting many opportunities to meet new people at shows and at dairy related activi-ties. I have also learned how to have a good work ethic, the value of getting things done, and the joy you get when you see one of your newborn calves grow up and calve to become a cow in your herd. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Because I grew up on a dairy farm, the dairy industry has become a very important part of my life. I want to promote the dairy industry and spread the word that dairy products are wholesome and nutritious and share how farmers care for their cows to provide people with that wholesome prod-uct. Also, growing up on a dairy farm has brought me many wonderful memories. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on the fact that dairy farmers are hardworking and they take excellent care of their cows because people need to know that cows are well cared for and farmers work hard to keep their cows healthy. Farmers care and love their cows like their own family.
Megan Struss, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:AMPI New Ulm
Division507-354-8295www.ampi.com
Nicollet County
Parents: Dan and Shelley SchugelTown: New Ulm Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a senior at New Ulm Senior High School. In school, I participate in choir, speech team, SPOTS as well as track and field. My outside activities include Just for Kix dance and STRIVE. I plan on attend-ing Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa next fall. My parents milk Hol-stein cows and crop farm in rural Courtland. My older brother, Scott, works for Northstar Select Sires, and his wife, Ashley, works for Genex CRI in Sha-wano, Wis. My sister, Danielle, is a recent graduate of Minnesota State University-Mankato.
Stacey Schugel, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:AMPI New Ulm
Division507-354-8295www.ampi.com
Nicollet County continued Olmsted County continued Olmsted County continued
Pine County continued on next page
Page 14 • Dairy Star •Saturday, May 10, 2014
Parents: Jerome and Kar-en SheehanTown: Rochester Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am senior at Lourdes High School and will be gradu-ating in May. I plan on at-tending the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities to major in agricultural edu-cation. On my family’s farm, we milk 300 Hol-steins on two locations. Our farm was started by my grandpa, Jim Sheehan, and is now owned by my dad, two uncles, and three of my cousins. We milk our cows in a double-12 parlor on one location and in a tie stall barn. We raise all of our heifers and feed our calves pasteurized milk. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? One of the best parts about growing up on a dairy farm is the time spent with my family. Every day I get to help my aunt and my cousin feed calves. I also enjoy getting to spend time with my dad and uncles when I help milk and do chores. Showing our cows at the county and state fair with my cousins and siblings has also been a highlight of growing up on our farm. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is im-
Parents: Scott and Tina CulbertsonTown: Pine Island Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am very involved with the year round heifer care program at our farm. We typically house around five or six Registered Hol-stein heifers in a special-ized show heifer barn. I also help my uncle who milks 45 Registered Hol-steins in a tie stall barn in a family partnership with my father. I am currently majoring in agricultural education with an empha-sis on leadership and com-munications at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cit-ies. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up in the dairy industry is the friends and connections I have made. Every show, sale and event that I attend, I know that I will always see a familiar face or meet someone new who shares the same pas-sion for the dairy industry as I do. I love conversing with my dairy friends as well as being able to share my story with those who don’t have an agriculture background. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? While exhibiting dairy over the past few years, I’ve had many different questions come my way. I believe that putting a face to the dairy industry is exactly what consumers need to feel closer to the farm. Even if it’s answering no, brown cows don’t give chocolate milk, it’s the little things that count. It’s up to people, like myself, to inform the public about where their food comes from and why it’s im-portant. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Dairy farms feed millions of people every-day with their wholesome, nutritious, and good tast-ing products. Farmers promote milk as nature’s most perfect food, and we deliver. Milk, cheese and yo-gurt are packed with essential minerals and nutrients that everyone needs to lead a healthy lifestyle. Dairy foods are also quite tasty. No matter what product a consumer chooses, they can be assured that it will taste delicious and be nutritious.
Parents: Kevin and Kathy ConnellyTown: Byron Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I’m at-tending the University of Wisconsin – River Falls where I am pursuing a de-gree in dairy science with a minor in agricultural business. My family and I own and operate a 100-cow Registered Holstein dairy farm just outside of Byron, Minn. We farm a little over 700 acres of corn, beans and hay and have around 350 head of livestock total. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Growing up on a dairy farm instilled a love of animals in me at a young age. Stories are still told of me chasing kittens through our hay mow and helping feed cows in my little red wheelbarrow. My passion and love for ani-mals would not be what it is today if I had not grown up on a dairy farm. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? My dad has been a board member for the Olmsted County American Dairy Association as long as I can remember. Through that, our family as a whole has played a large role in promoting and edu-cating the public on the dairy industry. Being a dairy princess allows me to continue this tradition by in-forming the public of our industry and promoting the product that we love. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would deliver the message that farmers are proud, responsible stewards of both the land and the animals. I would focus on this message because people are becoming further and further removed from agriculture. Due to the fact that people are fur-ther removed, it is as important as ever that we, as dairy farmers, promote and inform the public on how we care for our land and animals.
Parents: Tom and Penny BergTown: Pine Island Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a senior at Pine Island High School where I am active in basketball, dance, track, 4-H and FFA. I also vol-unteer some of my time to help our church. We live on 200-cow dairy farm, which is located on the Douglas Trail. On the farm, I am in charge of feeding calves, milking cows, driving skid loader and also general farm la-bor. Next year, I plan on
Ellen Sheehan, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:
Plainview Milk ProductsCo-op
Plainview, MN507-534-3872
Annie Culbertson, 19
Dairy Star Sponsor:Beck Implement
Elgin, MN507-876-2122
Meghan Connelly, 19
Dairy Star Sponsor:Plainview Milk Products
Co-opPlainview, MN507-534-3872
Kalley Berg, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:
Land O’LakesMelrose, MN320-256-7461
Olmsted County
Parents: Bryan Voss and Rebecca BoveeTown: Worthington Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I grew up on a farm outside of Bigelow, Minn., but I moved into town when I was 9 years old. I may not live on a farm anymore, but I am frequently out at Ocheda Dairy, where my father works, doing what-ever I can to help out. I am currently attending Min-nesota West Community College and will continue my education there in the fall. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up in a dairy farm environment has been working with and around the cows. That is really what I enjoy most. I love animals, so getting work with the dairy cows is really special for me. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a dairy princess is important to me because it is the best way I can support the dairy industry. I believe that every healthy diet starts with dairy products. This industry is also important to our economy since we provide a lot of jobs to people who might not be able to make a living without us. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would promote the message that the cows on our farms are well taken care of. The cows on our farms are well fed, live in comfortable living spaces and our farmers do whatever they can to keep the cows healthy.
Justyce Voss, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:Jaycox ImplementWorthington, MN
507-376-3147
Nobles County
What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I love to be around all the animals and helping my dad on the farm. My fa-vorite thing to do around the farm is to take care of the baby calves. Even though I am very busy with activi-ties in and out of school, I try to help my dad as much as possible when time allows for it. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? It is important to me because I can promote and share with others my knowledge of the dairy industry. My dad and other dairy farmers pro-duce healthy and delicious food for consumers. Farm-ers are good caretakers of the land, and my dad loves what he does. He wouldn’t want to be anything else but a dairy farmer. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Chocolate milk is loaded with vitamin D, protein and other essential nutrients. There are a lot of schools that have taken out chocolate milk and the students are missing out on essential nutrients they need to think, learn and grow. Replacing these nu-trients with other foods and beverages not only costs more, it actually adds more calories and fat.
attending a two-year college for farm operations and welding. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I would say the best part about growing up on a dairy farm would be getting to see the baby calves develop into a mature, milking cows. Something that always amazed me is how I helped the calves grow. Feeding them milk as a calf, to corn as a heifer, and TMR as a cow all helped them grow. I also enjoy when visitors from the trail would stop in to see our baby calves. I always like sharing with them the how to on feeding calves. Why is being a county dairy princess important to you? Being an Olmstead County Dairy Princess is important to me because of the story and knowledge that we have of the dairy business. I also feel it is vital that we share our knowledge with people inside and out of the dairy industry. I want to encourage people to get there three servings of dairy a day. Overall, I want to show how amazing the dairy industry is and all the good that comes out of it, whether it helping children’s bones grow, maintaining health in adults or creating jobs in Minnesota. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? My message would tell them importance of the dairy industry. Dairy benefits the health of chil-dren and adults by providing calcium, protein, ribofla-vin, phosphorous, vitamins A, D and B12. The dairy industry also helps balance the state’s economy by a total output of 11.5 billion dollars each year. The dairy industry creates over 38,000 jobs in Minnesota, too. The dairy industry is very beneficial to Minnesota, to the health of the land and also our people.
Olmsted County continued Pine County continued Pope County continued
Pope County continued on next page
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 15
Parents: Brian and Stacy WildmanTown: Glenwood Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I have lived in Pope County all my life on a 4,500 acre farm with 40 dairy cows. I love to read, travel, be outdoors, and spend time with family and friends. Next year, I plan to attend the University of North Dakota in hopes of pursu-ing a degree in nursing. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? There are many great things about living on a farm. I love the feeling of freedom and the opportunity that goes along with it. My sisters and I have many memories from the farm and have had many interesting adventures. The life lessons I have learned are irreplaceable and things that I will pass on to my own children. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess means a lot to me and my family. I spent the majority of my life learning how to farm and what separates a good farmer from a great farmer. My dad works extremely hard to be that great farmer and I want people to know what it feels like to be a part of a family farm. I am
Parents: Jay and Emily BackowskiTown: Villard Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. My name is Katherine Back-owski; I am a senior at Osakis Public School. I am involved in 4-H, FFA, Project 4 Teens, and also am a religious education teacher for third graders at Immaculate Conception Church in Osakis. I am employed at Target where I work in Starbucks, but my favorite job is working for the Thurk family on their dairy farm. My fu-ture plans include attend-ing North Dakota State University with a major in agribusiness. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? My favorite part about working on a dairy farm has been working with the animals and learning important facts about the dairy industry. Since I started being employed for the Thurk family, I have a newly found respect for all farmers and their hard work. I appreciate the sense of satisfaction I get from knowing I play a role in pro-ducing a quality food product for human consump-tion. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is im-portant to me because it provides an opportunity to promote something that I truly believe in and I am excited to be a part of. I firmly believe that by be-ing a representative for the dairy industry I can help educate and promote the industry to make it better known. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? My message that I would address is know-ing your farmer and your food source. Because of my experience in working with a grocery franchise, I receive many questions about is our food safe and where is it coming from. I would explain this by the rigorous safety standards farmers have to meet in or-der to sell their products. I would also be an advocate for the “Know Your Farmer Know Your Food” USDA initiative which ties together with food safety.
Parents: John and Ber-linda Vander WalTown: Pipestone Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. My family and I own and op-erate Newalta Dairy. We have 2,000 milk cows and about 1,500 heifers. At home, I work a lot with the calves and the show heifers. Right now, I am attending South Dakota State University with a major in animal science. When I graduate from col-lege, I would like to pur-sue a job as a calf special-ist. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up on a dairy farm is all the opportuni-ties I have on and off the farm. On the farm, I have the opportunity to work with newborn calves, herd health, milking, show cattle and other endless jobs around the farm. Off the farm, I have the opportunity to be in 4-H, Minnesota Holstein Association, SDSU Dairy Club and other activities that the dairy industry has to offer. Growing up on a dairy farm has given me friendships that will last a lifetime. I am so blessed to be in a industry that offers so many opportunities. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because the dairy industry has been a very important part of my life. I want to tell other people about the importance of the industry. It is important to let the younger generation know why milk and all the other milk products are important for the body and what it does to them. Not only is it important for the children to know this, but also the parents. I want parents to know that milk is very important part of a young child’s diet. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Agriculture is growing and expanding every day. Farmers are tasked with the job to feed millions of people and are doing an incredible job of meeting all those expectations in an economical and substantial way. Farmers work hard every day to make sure there is enough food to go around for the whole nation.
Rachel Wildman, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:CHS Prairie Lakes
800-808-1626
Katherine Backowski, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:Osakis Creamery
AssociationOsakis, MN
320-859-2146
Bernice Vander Wal, 19
Dairy Star Sponsor:Gorter’s Clay and Dairy EquipmentPipestone, MN507-825-3271
Pipestone County
Pope Countyportant to me because it gives me the opportunity to promote the dairy industry and what my family does for a living. It also gives me the opportunity to talk to young kids and adults about the importance of getting their three-a-day of milk, cheese and yogurt. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? When giving a presentation to the local ro-tary club, the key message I would focus on is the role that the dairy industry plays in our economy. There are thousands of jobs that are created because of the dairy industry, which help with our economy. Without farmers taking care of their animals and their land, there would not be these jobs.
Parents: Frank and Shel-ley Moyer Town: Hinckley Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. Al-though I didn’t grow up on a farm, I have grown up around farms. When I was younger, I always wanted to be a veterinari-an, but when I started vol-unteering at a veterinary clinic, I realized I loved working with cattle. Now that I work for two dairy farmers, I have fallen in love with dairy cattle and plan on going to college to study dairy science, majoring in genetics and nutrition. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Working for two dairy farmers is a wonderful experience. Since both farms are so vastly different, I’ve been able to view two diverse ways of dairy farming. The difference be-tween using a bull as opposed to AI, a parlor versus a stanchion barn, and the difference between first and third generation farming. However, my favorite part of working on a dairy farm is working and learning more about cows, plus I love the people I work for. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I see this as an opportunity to be able to help people understand the dairy industry better. Dairy farmers work hard to provide people with the best possible product. I would like to have an oppor-tunity to learn more about the dairy industry, and in doing so, help to educate others. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? My key message would be to talk about the benefits of dairy. Promoting healthy dairy choic-es, such as Greek yogurt, Kefir and cheddar cheese, and explaining how these are healthy choices as well as what makes them good for you. In addition to the health of dairy, I would explain how farmers are proudly working to make their milk a higher grade so these products can be better for us.
Hannah Moyer, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:
Fluegge’s AgMora, MN
320-679-2981
Pine County
Parents: Scott and Sarah SwansonTown: Bruno Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I have worked at Sunshine Dairy for two years and I love it. After this summer, I plan to go to Northwest-ern University in St. Paul where I will major in communications. I want to travel and study abroad, so that is definitely some-thing I’m looking forward to. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? For me, the best part of working on a dairy farm has been becom-ing close with the family I work for. They are like
Hannah Swanson, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:Fluegge’s AgMora, MN
320-679-2981
a second family to me and I am so blessed to have them in my life. I will miss them and our movie nights when I go off to college. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a dairy princess is about meeting people and sharing your enthusiasm about the dairy industry. Being able to be confident about your pro-fession and proud of your hard work is something for people to admire and look up to. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The message I would like to get across is that we must appreciate and value our farmers in the area. God has given them a massive responsibil-ity that many overlook. However, they willingly work hard to provide for their families and people around the world. God bless our farmers.
Pope County continued Renville County continued Rice County continuedPage 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014
Parents: Sterling and De-nise Severtson Town: Kenneth Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am currently a junior in high school. I work on two dairies. I work for my neighbor’s dairy (Brands-Haven Holsteins) doing calf chores and also at my grandparents’ dairy (KruseDale Holsteins) milking and doing calf chores. I absolutely love it and enjoy showing dairy cattle for my grandpar-ents. I plan to become a large animal/equine vet-erinarian with a focus on genetics and AI. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of working on a dairy farm is the fact that I get to be outdoors and with animals. Animals are my one true passion. Working with them is my stress reliever. I volunteer to work a lot because I love it so much. Also, I know exactly what I want to do when I gradu-ate because of the dairy industry. Learning alongside my uncle with AI and helping animals has proved to me that I do want to become a veterinarian. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is im-portant to me because I have a passion for the dairy industry, and I want to share that passion with oth-ers. The dairy industry deserves recognition for ev-erything it does. Dairy farmers work constantly. They have no vacations. I also want to get rid of all the misconceptions that surround the dairy industry. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The dairy industry is very important to everyone. We provide many products for people, and also help the economy. We work very hard. Our products are essential to the body. We can even make them even healthier for you. Keep supporting us.
Parents: Raymond and Bridget PieperTown: New Prague Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I grew up living and working on my family owned and operated Holstein farm where we milk 420 cows, raise all our youngstock and crop farm just over 1,000 acres of land. On my farm, my main jobs are to milk cows and care for the calves. I am currently a senior in high school, and this coming fall, I plan to major in agricultural busi-ness at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
Parents: Delfin Wulkan and Erin GramsTown: Hector Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a senior at Buffalo Lake Hector-Stewart High School and participate in National Honor Society, volleyball, and 4-H. Be-ginning this fall, I will be attending Ridgewater College in Hutchinson for early childhood education, then Ridgewater College in Willmar for farm opera-tions and management. After I finish college, I hope to start an agricultural charter school, where I hope to go back to the basics and use hands-on learning. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up on a dairy farm is the family. You learn to work as a team, be responsible and respectful, and you get to spend your time with the most impor-tant people-your family. In addition, every day is a new learning experience and brings great adventures. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I want people to learn about where their food really comes from. I also want to be a positive role model for kids and teach them healthy habits. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on the nutritional value of dairy products, as they are so important to our health. Milk can help with eyesight, weight, teeth, bones, and muscle tissue. The calcium in one glass of milk is the same amount as in three cups of broccoli. One con-tainer of yogurt contains the same amount of potas-sium as a banana. One ounce of hard cheese contains 8 grams of protein while an egg contains 6 grams.
Andrea Severtson, 17
Dairy Star Sponsor:Chandler Feed Co.
Chandler, MN507-677-2237
Emily Pieper, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:
Lonsdale Feed MillLonsdale, MN507-744-2367
Brandi Wulkan, 17 Dairy Star Sponsor:
Renville County ADA
Rice County
Rock County
truly honored and blessed to represent Pope County and its farmers along with my family. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? If I were to give a presentation, I would talk about why agriculture is more important to so-ciety than ever before and how easy it can be to take these things for granted. I would also want to explain that many families don’t farm solely for the money; it’s more of a passion and a need to help their com-munity and even people from around the world. Agri-culture is the heritage of this nation.
Parents: Thomas Koop-man and Candace MaloTown: Hector Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am currently in my first year of college at the Univer-sity of Minnesota Twin Cities majoring in animal science/pre-veterinary medicine with the hopes of eventually attending veterinary school and ob-taining a doctorate degree. I’d also like to minor in ag business management during my undergraduate career. My future plans are to work as a veterinar-ian, hopefully in my own private practice, specializing in livestock and promot-ing agriculture. I currently work at Benson Dairy Inc. in Stewart, Minn. I have a variety of job responsi-bilities that involve caring for the cattle, working with machinery, and helping out in the fields. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of working on the dairy farm is getting the hands-on ex-perience with the cattle. I want to be a veterinarian
Parents: Greg and Laura StageTown: Vesta Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. This fall I will be a senior at South Dakota State Uni-versity majoring in dairy manufacturing with a mi-nor in food safety and ag business. On my family farm, we milk 60 cows and farm 900 acres of land. In the future, I am planning to get a job in a dairy man-ufacturing plant. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a dairy farm is how much character it builds. It has made me a hard worker with a very good work ethic, made me take on responsibility and has created a passion in me. It has made me realize how great the dairy industry is and how much poten-tial there is when looking at a career path. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because I can share the importance of con-suming dairy products and promoting the industry to the people of the county that has supported me thus far. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The key message I would focus on would be that there are numerous dairy products that can be consumed in many different forms, so people should be able to find something they like. As time goes on, more and more products are being developed to cater to different wants and needs.
Crystal Kay Malo, 20
Dairy Star Sponsor:Direct Feeders Supply
Hector, MN320-848-6212
Della Stage, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:Gorter’s Clay and Dairy EquipmentPipestone, MN507-825-3271
Redwood County
Renville County
and being able to work with the cattle gives me the kind of experience I’ll need. I’ve done a variety of things including banding, tagging ears, vaccinating, delivering calves, etc. All the hands-on experiences are what I love most. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? The most important thing about being a dairy princess is representing and promoting the dairy industry. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you fo-cus on and why? I would focus on how appreciative we should be of farmers. I don’t think people real-ize how much work actually goes into dairy farming. The entire milking process itself is a lot of work, but there is way more to dairy farming than just milking the cows; and that is something that I would touch and make people more aware of. Because I work on a dairy farm, I know just how much work goes into it. I believe people need to really appreciate the work that farmers do in order for them to enjoy dairy products.
What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Dairy farming is a very rewarding lifestyle. For me, it is even more rewarding that I get to spend every day with my family working together on our farm. I love the fact that chore time is family time. Farming has taught my family and I the importance of perseverance time and time again. I am so grateful to be raised on a dairy farm, and I have grown to be truly passionate about the dairy industry. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Agriculture has always been and always will be, an essential part of my life. I have experi-enced and learned about dairy farming firsthand, and I am honored to represent the hard working dairy farm-ers and promote the healthy, delicious products they produce. I hope to correct any misconceptions about farming and promote the dairy industry by informing the public and answering questions about farming. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? It is important that people know their dairy products are coming from farmers who care deeply for their animals. Dairy farmers provide their cows with a clean, dry environment and mix a fresh, nu-tritious ration every day for their cows so they can produce the quality, wholesome, nourishing product. Farmers work day and night to do everything they can to ensure their cows are getting the best care possible, because farmers love what they do.
Scott County continued Sibley County continuedDairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 17
Parents: Dean and Deidra RiebeTown: Arlington Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I like to play basketball and show cows at the fair. I live and work on my father’s dairy farm. My family and I share the jobs that come with the farm. We all milk and feed the cows along with the calves. I am planning to attend Bemidji State Uni-versity to major in art and design with an emphasis in digital design. I hope, in the future, to get a job in advertising. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a dairy farm has been not only caring and spending time with the animals, but also bonding with my family. When I am outside working with my family, we have such a great time and it doesn’t feel like work anymore. I have bonded with my family in a way that I wouldn’t have if I had not grown up on a dairy farm. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Growing up on a dairy farm has shown me all the hard work and dedication farmers put into dairy products. I would love to share the message of such a great and healthy product. Many people don’t know what goes on behind the product, and I would be honored to represent them. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on how dairy products are healthy and nutritious and that farmers care for their cows and the product. Everybody in the dairy community takes extra precautions before the product makes it on the shelf. I would focus on this key mes-sage because everyone should be reassured that dairy products are healthy and farmers care for their cows.
Parents: Jim and Jody OelfkeTown: Hamburg Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a senior at Central High School in Norwood and will be graduating to pur-sue a career in athletic training at Minnesota State University, Manka-to. I am involved in extra-curricular activities such as FFA, 4-H, volleyball, track and choir. I have grown up on a dairy farm with my parents and three siblings who all partake in chores around the farm. We milk 226 registered Jerseys, in addition to operating our own cash crop-ping and beef business. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I am thankful to have had the privilege of growing up on a dairy farm.
Hayley Riebe, 17Dairy Star Sponsor:
First District Assocation
Litchfield, MN320-693-3236
Jennifer Oelfke, 17Dairy Star Sponsor:
State Bank of HamburgHamburg, MN952-467-2992
www.statebankofhamburg.com
Sibley County
Parents: Tim and Jody O’LoughlinTown: Shakopee Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I grew up on a diversified dairy farm in Shakopee where we milk about 350 head of Holsteins, raise all of our own youngstock and run cropland. I am currently a junior at Iowa State Uni-versity, double majoring in dairy science and ani-mal science. At school, I am involved with the ISU Dairy Science Club and Block and Bridle where I help out with various education activities and recruitment of prospective students. I am undecided on a career path for the fu-ture, but I know it will be in the dairy industry hope-fully, along the lines of new technologies, nutrition or education. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up on our dairy farm is being exposed to all different aspects of the dairy industry. Whether it be breeding or calf care, feedlot operations, day to day chores, spending endless hours in the field or family gatherings, I have really gained an understanding of the means of teamwork, tradition and overall what it takes to feed the world. It has also taught me to love animals and stick to what I’m passionate about, which has led me to pursuing a career in dairy science. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because it allows me to stay close to my community and the dairy farmers in my area. It pro-vides a way for me to educate the public and exercise the knowledge and people skills I have learned over the years. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? If I was to present to a local rotary club, I would focus on the importance of chocolate milk and Fueling Up to Play 60. This new program provides great points about the nutrients in milk and why they are essential to our everyday lives, especially for ath-letes. I have helped do some community outreach at college with this program and being a county dairy princess allows me to further that in my own com-munity as well.
Erica O’Loughlin, 20
Dairy Star Sponsor:AMPI
Rochester Division507-282-7401www.ampi.com
It is hard to pick just one favorite memory, but one thing that I always find exciting is exhibiting my fam-ily’s dairy cattle at the county and state fairs. It was and still is a family project that my siblings and I look forward to each year. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is im-portant to me because it allows me the opportunity to give back to dairy farmers who work tirelessly to produce a wholesome product. Informing consum-ers of important dairy nutrition facts and knowledge of where their milk comes from is imperative to the livelihood of dairy farmers everywhere. It is also a passion of mine to represent my parents who dedicate their lives caring for our family farm. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? My local rotary club is dedicated to creat-ing a community that thrives on supporting local busi-nesses. Therefore, I feel that it would be beneficial to speak on behalf of our community’s dairy farmers. In-terest in local foods has increased because people are more conscious of cost, sustainability and knowing where their food comes from. The purpose of speak-ing to our rotary club about local foods is to connect consumers to local producers.
Parents: Burel and Nor-leen LaneTown: Prior Lake Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I just finished my freshman year at the University of Min-nesota, and I am majoring in genetics, cell biology and development. I work for Zweber Farms, which is an organic farm located just outside of the city of Elko-New Market. They milk 90 cows, and their herd includes Holsteins, Brown Swiss, and several cross bred cows. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of working on a dairy farm for me has been to have ex-posure to agriculture and real world applications of science. Neither of my parents are employed within the agricultural industry and without working on a dairy farm, I would not have had this exposure. This involvement has allowed me to make life-long con-nections, and I have learned priceless life lessons about the satisfaction of a job well done and responsi-bility. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Without the exposure I have had to ag-riculture, specifically the dairy industry, I know that I would have numerous misconceptions. Because of this, I am looking forward to sharing the knowledge that others have shared with me such as simple ways to eat healthy and that farmers care for their cattle, land and the well being of consumers. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? As rotary clubs include service as one of their goals, my focus would be to encourage them
Parents: Doug and Core-na GreenTown: Greenbush Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a freshman at Northland Community and Techni-cal College in Thief River Falls to receive my asso-ciate of arts degree. I also play volleyball and bas-ketball. In addition, I’m very active in my church and the community. We farm with my grandpar-ents milking 52 Holstein cows and have 30 head of Angus. We also farm 3,500 acres of small grain. I help with milking, feed-ing calves, driving tractor, and running the grain cart. I also love showing cattle in 4-H. After Northland, I plan to attend University of Minnesota-Crookston to major in animal science and ag business, then pos-sibly take over the family farm. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I am a leader, love the cows and enjoy teaching others, especially chil-dren, about the dairy industry. I want to work within the dairy industry after college to keep it going. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a dairy princess is an honor. I’m able to share my passion of the dairy with others and especially young kids. It’s important for them to know where their dairy products come from and the hard work behind it. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Kids need to stay active and eat healthy. They will be stronger and healthier by getting calci-um through dairy products. Student athletes can help by getting the kids outside for exercise and explaining how the right nutrients can benefit their bodies.
Audrey Lane, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:Organic Valley CooperativeLaFarge, WI
888-809-9297
Michele Green, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:
Dairyland Supply, Inc.Sauk Centre, MN
800-338-6455
Scott County
Roseau Countyto support educational endeavors. Classroom visits provide not only a great educational opportunity, but also are a lot of fun, especially if a calf comes with. A lifelong positive impression of the diary industry and science can be made on kids by giving them the op-portunity to learn about the dairy industry in a hands-on manner.
Stearns County continued Stearns County continued
Stearns County continued on next page
Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014
Parents: Joe MolitorTown: Rockville Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am the sixth daughter of eight girls. We live on a 240 cow dairy farm just out-side of St. Cloud. Next year I plan on attending North Dakota State Uni-versity for music educa-tion. I will also be able to be a part of their dairy club and participate on their dairy judging team. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up on a farm was the countless activities and jobs available that kept us busy. My sisters and I would race across the hay bales, play night games across the whole farm, and turn the calf domes upside down and spin in them. On our farm, boredom was impossible. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I enjoy sharing my story with the public and listening to their experiences. It is important to answer the questions and concerns of the consumers to the best of my knowledge. It is an honor to be a reigning dairy princess.
Parents: Steve and Julie MiddendorfTown: Sauk Centre Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I grew up on dairy farm where my family and I milk 100 Holsteins and farm 300 acres of land. I am cur-rently a junior at North Dakota State University majoring in animal sci-ences with minors in crop and weed sciences and agribusiness. I am very active in the Bison Dairy Club, Senior Dairy Judg-ing Team, and Saddle and Sirloin Club. Upon gradu-ation, I plan to go into feed consulting or livestock sales and marketing. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up on a dairy farm were the many ex-periences that taught me values such as hard work, responsibility, and how to be a caring person. I have many memories from growing up on the farm; such as when we would have my cousins over to help us pick rock, teaching friends how to milk a cow, and splashing my siblings with five gallon buckets of wa-ter when we were supposed to be cleaning for the in-spector. Those many opportunities to be surrounded by my family, working as a team, and building strong relationships with them and our animals is something for which I am grateful. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a Stearns County Dairy Princess is an opportunity that is important to me because it gives me the chance to share my family’s story and represent the hardworking dairy farmers of my coun-ty. As a dairy princess, I want to go to schools and talk to students about the importance of consuming three servings of dairy every day, the life of a dairy farmer, and programs such as Fuel Up to Play 60. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Dairy farm families care so much about the role they play in protecting the planet’s natural resources. Caring for the land that they work on, pro-tecting air and water quality that they share with their communities, and providing the upmost care for their animals is how dairy farmers take pride in protecting the environment. We depend on this land for our busi-ness and our way of life.
Abby Molitor, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:
Cold Spring Veterinary Clinic
Cold Spring, MN320-774-0553
Leah Middendorf, 21
Dairy Star Sponsor:Munson Feed Company Inc.Melrose, MN320-256-4219
Parents: Kenny and Cheryl LeyTown: Lake Henry Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. My family and I run a 60 Hol-stein dairy farm southwest of Lake Henry. Along with milking cows, we raise all our livestock and farm about 230 acres. Currently, I am a fresh-man at Southwest Min-nesota State University in Marshall. I am double majoring in agribusiness and marketing. With that degree, I hope to one day work in sales of some kind for an ag company. My dream is to one day work for either Midwest Dairy Association or the Minnesota Farm Bureau. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? One of my fa-vorite memories from growing up on the farm was the adventures that my older brother, Brandon, and I always had. When we were young, we had a spot near our green electrical box that was considered our hangout place. Two of our favorite things to do there were play pretend firefighters and use our mom’s old Shout bottles and pretend to run through Shout com-mercials like Billy May. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? As a Stearns Country Dairy Princess, I hope to spend the next year educating and promoting everything there is to know about the dairy industry. I hope to proudly represent each and every hard-work-ing dairy farmer across our wonderful county. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I feel the biggest challenge facing the dairy industry today is the increased amount of people that have been removed from the farm life. Specifically, children today, are one, two and sometimes three generations removed from the farm life, which makes misconceptions more common and education about the dairy industry even more crucial than what it is.
Sabrina LeyDairy Star Sponsor:
AMPIPaynesville Division
320-243-3794www.ampi.com
Parents: Doug and Sandy KerfeldTown: Albany Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am the oldest of five children who grew up on our par-ents’ farm. We moved to Albany when I was in sec-ond grade, but I have lived on a farm all my life. My family milks 100 Holstein cows and we raise our own heifer calves. I am current-ly finishing a double major at St. Cloud Technical and Community College for early childhood educa-tion and paraprofessional educator. Once I graduate, I plan on getting a job working in a school setting with little kids in this area. While teaching, I want to implement the dairy industry into my work. I also want to incorporate dairy into my home life, even if I don’t have a dairy farm of my own. I want my family to learn and share all the experiences I had growing up on a farm. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? While there are so many great things about growing up on a dairy farm, there is one part I cherish the most. For me, the best part of growing up on a farm is all the memories made on the farm with family. Working with the family to accomplish things like chores or just having fun on the farm brings everyone together, but the memories made keep you closer. Not to mention all the great stories shared along the way.
Parents: John and Chris DonnayTown: Kimball Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am currently a sophomore at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri where I am pursing a de-gree in biological chemis-try. I grew up on a dairy farm where we milk 40 Holsteins and farm around 320 acres. We became cer-tified organic in 2005. I help out with chores when I am home from school on breaks. After my un-dergraduate degree, I plan on going to either medical school or graduate school. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up on a dairy farm is the impact it has had on my life. I have learned so many valuable life les-sons that are hard to learn elsewhere. At a young age, I was taught the significance of a good work ethic, true commitment, good communication, and efficient teamwork. Living on a dairy farm has shaped me into the person I am today, and I am very grateful for it. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is im-portant to me because it gives me the opportunity to share not only my story, but the stories of the other Stearns County dairy farmers as well. I love having the chance to interact with consumers of all ages. I am so excited to have this amazing opportunity to share my passion for the dairy industry with all those I meet. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on the key message that dairy products are wholesome, nutritious, and good-tasting. The local rotary club and dairy farmers have a common goal: to reach a community in need. The ro-tary club does this through many volunteer projects. Local dairy farmers reach a community in need by providing the people with a powerhouse of nutritious products that are fresh, affordable, and readily avail-able.
Tiffiny Kerfeld, 23Dairy Star Sponsor:FarmFirst Dairy
CooperativeMadison, WI
608-244-3373
Maria Donnay, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:Organic Valley CooperativeLaFarge, WI
888-809-9297
Stearns County Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I am proud to be a farmer’s daughter and to come from a dairy background. This is why being a dairy princess and sharing my passion and knowledge with others is important to me. While I can do that without a crown and sash, being a county dairy prin-cess provides more opportunities to talk with a variety of people during the county fair or during school vis-its. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The rotary club is all about business and professional leaders encouraging high ethical standards, recognition of worthiness in all occupa-tions, and goodwill in the world. I would focus on how the dairy industry is important to our commu-nities and state. Also, farmers are responsible care-takers of the land and recognize the responsibility to be sustainable. Another key is how dairy farmers and their families are proud of what they do. Farming is an important occupation and their families are proud of what they do. All of those key messages show that farming has high ethical standards, is worthwhile, and plays and important role in the world today.
Stearns County continued Steele County
Swift County
Swift County continued on next page
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 21
Parents: Kyle and Jackie Clark Town: Murdock Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. My name is Ali Clark and I live on a dairy farm in rural Murdock. I, along with my dad and mom (Kyle and Jackie), my uncle (Kim), and brothers (Ben and Aaron) milk 120 Holstein cows and have approximately 60 head of beef cattle. We run ap-proximately 1,000 acres of farmland where we plant wheat, corn, soybeans, and alfalfa. I am very ac-tive on our dairy farm and spend as much time as I can outside with my dad. My future plans include continuing my education at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and graduating with a four year degree in dairy management. I would also like to be an agronomist, geneticist, or animal nutritionist before returning to the family farm. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a dairy farm is to have been taught the true meaning of being passionate about something I truly believe in. I am able to display my true love of farming to my community through what my family
Parents: Wade and Mary SchroederTown: Owatonna Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I have lived in town my entire life, but I virtually grew up on my grandparent’s dairy farm. My mom farms with my grandpar-ents, and takes care of our 35-head, mostly Hol-steins. I am currently at-tending the University of Wisconsin to obtain my pre-veterinary degree with an emphasis in dairy sci-ence, and hope to one day be a large animal veteri-narian and come back to Steele County to serve the dairy farms I grew up with. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? For me, having the dairy farm in my life has given me the unique opportunity to get to know and work with my family in ways that most families today aren’t even offered. We’ve all heard that families should eat at least one meal together per day, but my family has had the op-portunity to laugh and share stories during milking chores—evenings in the barn far surpass any meal-time conversations my family has ever had. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? The dairy princess program has given me a chance to grow as an individual by gaining pro-fessional skills, like speaking to groups and answer-ing questions. I love being able to better myself and do it in a way where I’m able to talk about things that I’m very passionate about—like the dairy industry. Being a county dairy princess gives me a way to share that passion with the public, so they can see all of the great things dairy farmers do. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on the nutritional value of dairy products. Many adults today are trying to cut calories by cutting out the entire dairy food group, but many studies show that having dairy in your diet can help you lose weight faster, and help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes. Dairy products are safe, nutritious, healthy, tasty, filling and overall very necessary for our diets—so why not en-joy them?
Ali Clark, 19 Dairy Star Sponsor:D&D Ag SupplyPennock, MN320-599-4466
Kendra Schroeder, 19
Dairy Star Sponsor:Northland Farm
SystemsOwatonna, MN507-451-3131
Parents: Victor and Ann Uphoff Town: Melrose Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am currently a senior attend-ing Melrose High School. I love helping my parents milk our 50 cows and farm 230 acres of land. I also milk cows at a neighbor-ing farm on the weekends. In the fall, I plan to at-tend Ridgewater College in Willmar for farm op-erations and management. After college, I want to work in the agriculture industry with the hopes of taking over my parents’ dairy farm. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a farm is being able to do what I love with my family. I enjoy being outdoors with animals. Growing up on a dairy farm has taught me responsi-bility, a work ethic, and many other life skills. Milk-ing cows at my neighbor’s farm has exposed me to different procedures and facilities increasing my knowledge and work experience. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I am honored to have the privilege to serve as a 2014 Stearns County Dairy Princess. I have the opportunity to promote the dairy industry to people of all ages. I know what it is like to live/work on a dairy farm, so I am happy to recognize the hard-working dairy farmers of Stearns County. I think it is important that people understand where their food comes from and how it was produced. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would stress the importance of eating a healthy diet that includes three servings of dairy. Consuming three daily servings of milk, cheese, or yogurt will provide your body with nine essential nutrients including protein and calcium. These nutri-ents provide energy, develop strong bones and teeth, and prevent against osteoporosis. People in this club probably have kids and lead a busy lifestyle so it’s important to remind them to include dairy in a healthy diet.
Morgan Uphoff, 17Dairy Star Sponsor:
Centre DairySauk Centre, MN
800-342-2697
AMPIPaynesville Division
320-243-3794www.ampi.com
If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? My family and I are proud of what we do. Over 90 percent of farms are family owned and oper-ated. I think it is important for the public to know that the cows are well cared for and that they are getting a safe and clean product. Dairy farmers play a huge role in our economy and are proud of their job.
Parents: Al and Kathi MolitorTown: Sauk Centre Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I grew up on a small family dairy farm, which was my job through high school and still is to this day. The Molitor fam-ily farm milks 80 Hol-steins twice a day. This is a large responsibility, and I am fortunate that my par-ents pay me for my work. I also relieve my father from milking so he can ac-complish other jobs on the farm. The farm usually has around 12 baby calves that need to be fed and given fresh bedding twice a day. The Molitor farm grows 325 acres of corn and alfalfa; all the crops grown are fed to the cattle. The summer is a busy time for farmers between caring for cattle and managing four alfalfa cuttings. I have raked alfalfa rows together and brought round bales home. Other jobs that I help with are running the cows in and out of the barn, treating cows with penicillin and other antibi-otics, and sorting cattle in our young stock building. I am doing a sales and marketing internship with Bayer
Parents: Al and Kathi MolitorTown: Sauk Centre Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I grew up on a small family dairy farm that milks 80 Hol-stein cows twice a day. Our family farm usually has around 12 baby calves that need to be fed and given fresh bedding twice a day. The Molitor farm has 325 acres of fields that is used to grow corn and alfalfa to feed to our live-stock. During the summer, I rake alfalfa rows and bring home round bales. I help with a variety of jobs on the Molitor family farm. Next year I plan to attend St. Thomas University, but I am still undecided on my major. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Growing up on a dairy farm is the biggest blessing I have ever received without asking for; it has taught me numerous valu-able life lessons that I will carry with me throughout my life. The biggest lesson I have learned from work-ing on the farm is that hard work pays off. My parents have always worked hard on the farm so they can pro-vide my siblings and I with what we need. My parents have always demonstrated a work ethic that I strive to attain so I can have a successful life. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a Stearns County Dairy Princess is important to me because I want to share my knowl-edge of the dairy industry with people and encour-age dairy to be part of their daily diets. I am proud of where I come from and what my family and I do, so I want to share all the positive affects the dairy industry has on the world. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? If I were to talk to my local rotary club, I would stress the importance of the nine essential nu-trients in milk. Not many people know that protein, potassium, phosphorus, niacin, riboflavin, calcium, vitamin A, D, and B12 naturally occur in milk. I would also talk about how important it is to keep milk in schools for children and teenagers to consume.
Trisha Molitor, 21Dairy Star Sponsor:Elrosa Lumber
Elrosa, MN320-697-5591
Tiana Molitor, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:
Modern Farm Equipment
Sauk Centre, MN320-352-6543
Crop Sciences this summer of 2014. My future plans are graduation in the spring of 2015 with a degree in crop and weed science and a minor in agribusiness. I then plan to go to Angers, France where I will be doing a cropping systems internship followed by a job in the fall back in Minnesota. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The way the dairy in-dustry has influenced me is that it has given me a good work ethic. I have a very close relationship with my family because of the work we do together. The best part is just always getting to be together and sharing so many memories. My parents have really taught me the important aspects of the industry. It has shaped every part of my life and I plan to influence others about this industry as my parents have. I want to teach people and be an influence to others who have a limited knowl-edge of about farms. Why is being a county dairy princess important to you? It is so important to me because the dairy in-dustry has influenced my future by the way it has in-fluenced my whole life. I cannot tell someone about myself with out mentioning the biggest part that has played a crucial role in paving my future. It has greatly influenced me because it is how I grew up and pursu-ing it would not be like me. I know agriculture is in my future. It is a life of learning and the chance to teach my future family about hard work. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would touch upon lactose intolerant is-sues. One method that I recommend lactose intolerant people try is the Sip it, Stir it, Slice it, Shred it and Spoon it technique. I would enlighten them about how most people can build up a tolerance to dairy products. Others can choose dairy products that are lactose free. Many health authorities agree that milk and other dairy foods are important and practical source of key nutri-ents, for all people – including those who are lactose intolerant.
Swift County continued Swift County continued Todd County continued
Wabasha County continued on next page
Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014
Parents: Brian and Joanie BullTown: Lake City Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am one of eight children, so family has always been very important to me. Moving to Lake City to be near my sister is what brought me to the dairy. Gilbert Valley Holsteins has been a family dairy since 1902. Old-fashioned work along with modern innovation, cow comfort, nutrition and genetics, makes for a great place to learn and work. I plan to further my education of the dairy industry and take advantage of every op-portunity that comes my way. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of working on the dairy farm is that each day is an op-portunity to do and learn new things. Everyday I face new challenges and I get to work with animals, which I love. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is im-portant to me because I want to encourage people to learn and get involved in the dairy industry. I want to help people find a love for dairy farming, like others helped me. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would share how dairy farmers are com-mitted to providing the highest quality dairy products
Parents: Thomas Rausch and late Deb Rausch Town: Browerville Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I go to Browerville High School and next year I plan to at-tend North Dakota State University for agricultural engineering. I work on my family’s dairy farm near Randall, Minn. We milk 60 Holsteins and Jerseys. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up and work-ing on the farm was learn-ing the many things that go with it. I have a greater knowledge of the dairy industry just from working alongside my father and my sister. Also, this has taught me responsibility and a great work ethic that you only get from working on a farm. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a dairy princess is important to me because I get to go out to the public and promote what we do. The girls in my county and I all have a great love for this industry and we always have fun doing every event. This year, being a princess means a lot to me because I have worked for this title for three years now and it has paid off tremendously. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The key message that I would focus on would be that dairy farmers live near or on their farm and understand the importance of protecting the natu-ral resources. It seems to me that sometimes the pub-lic gets too worked up about us using some chemicals for spraying our fields or using other things of that nature. They need to understand that we follow strict regulations with this and that the amount of chemicals that we now use is far less than it was thirty-forty years ago. We work hard to keep our land safe and to not to harm the natural resources.
Bethanie Bull, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:GB Feed & SupplyBellchester, MN651-923-4425
Erin Rausch, 17Dairy Star Sponsor:Nelson Creamery
AssociationNelson, MN
320-762-0115
Wabasha County
Parents: David and De-nise SchliepTown: Holloway Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I was raised on my parents dairy farm, and I have been in-volved with the dairy in-dustry for my entire life. Showing dairy at the local county fair is one of the best things that has hap-pened to me. I work on my parents’ farm, mainly by taking care of the young calves. I plan to attend the University of Minnesota-Morris and major in el-ementary education. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a dairy farm has been learning about being responsible. This will help me in everything I want to do in life. Responsi-bility is important with everything from taking care of baby calves to finishing school work on time. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because I like to help people understand the importance of the dairy industry. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on the health benefits of milk. Milk is good for the body and still some people will drink pop first. I would focus on health to try to encourage the public to take care of their body.
Kristen Schliep, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:D&D Ag SupplyPennock, MN320-599-4466
Todd CountyParents: James BuderusTown: Bertha Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. Hello. I’m Savannah. I am cur-rently finishing up my se-nior year of high school /freshman year of college. I have been helping out on the family farm for as long as I can remem-ber. The first time I was handed a dip cup was in second grade, and today I milk the morning shift before school. We milk on two farms with a total of about 400 cows. In the future, I hope to become an elementary education teacher. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up on a farm are the things one can learn. These are things that I use throughout my life: work ethic, responsibility, communication, teamwork, and to always shut the gate. Plus, I get to have lots of pets. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because I look around and see how little most people know about dairy products and the dairy industry. I once had someone ask “So when cows are old enough, do they just fill up with milk?” Does any mammal do that? No, so I’ll explain. Being a dairy princess gives me more opportunities to teach and to inform the public what I’m passionate about and that is dairy. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would focus on the nine essential nutri-ents and vitamins in milk and why the body needs them. Most people can’t name half of the nutrients in milk. There’s the three P’s-potassium, phosphorus and protein. The three vitamins -vitamin D, vitamin A, and vitamin B-12. Plus riboflavin, niacin, and cal-cium. I think most people don’t realize how these nu-trients work together to make our bodies stronger and healthier.
Savannah Buderus, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:Nelson Creamery
AssociationNelson, MN
320-762-0115
Parents: David and De-nise SchliepTown: Holloway Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am a freshman attending the University of Minnesota in Rochester for physical therapy. The farm I live on is co-owned by my parents and my brother. Last year we converted most of our free stalls into a bedding pack for our dry cows. We also added a new bedding pack on the back of the barn for our lactating cows where we installed two robotic milking units. We also installed cow brushes, improving cow comfort. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up and working on a dairy farm has been the life lessons it has taught me. I have been working on our farm since I was young, and it has taught me about responsibility, hard work, and perseverance. I have learned many other lessons from my experi-ences, but these three are the most important to me. They have shaped me into who I am today, and I am grateful for that. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant to me because I want to share my experiences with others. I enjoy discussing the dairy industry with people; it has led to many interesting conversations. It also makes me happy when I help someone better understand the dairy industry. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? In a presentation to my local rotary club, I would focus on the good qualities milk has for kids. I would explain how milk, especially chocolate milk, provides more energy for kids and helps replace key nutrients after exercising. This would allow us to dis-cuss options to help provide more milk for kids in school such as working to install a milk dispenser the kids can access after sports activities.
Elizabeth Schliep, 19
Dairy Star Sponsor:D&D Ag SupplyPennock, MN320-599-4466
does, has done, and will continue to do for genera-tions to come. I take great pride in what we have ac-complished and the life skills I have learned. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? The idea that, as a dairy princess, I can be an advocate for dairy farms, dairy families, and con-sumers of dairy products is quite exciting. I definitely want to be a very integral part of this movement. I will research issues within our industry and speak to those that can benefit and inform others about aspects within the industry. I strongly believe in the future of the dairy industry in Minnesota and what I can con-tribute. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? If I were giving a presentation to my local rotary club I would focus on the key message: healthy communities. In cooperation with the rotary club, I would focus on helping local public health programs to feed and incorporate more nutritious dairy products in the schools of my community. I would help advo-cate the importance of three servings of dairy a day for the healthy growth of kids and inform the commu-nity of the numerous health benefits of dairy products. I would also engage in Fuel Up to Play 60 programs at local schools to keeps kids active and motivated.
If you would like additional copies of this
special edition, please contact Nancy at the Dairy Star office,
320-352-6303Or visit www.dairystar.com
to see a digital version of this special edition.
Wabasha County continued Wabasha County continued Wadena County continued
Waseca County continued on next page
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 21
Parents: Chuck and Kris Manthey Town: Janesville Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am currently attending South Central College in North Mankato studying market-ing management. I grew up on a small dairy farm around Janesville. My family milked about 40 Holsteins and crossbreds. In October 2010, we lost our barn along with all of our cows due to a fire. At my farm now, we raise dairy steers and replace-ment heifers. I am current-
Parents: Todd and Patty MeechTown: Nimrod Tell us about your-self the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I live on a 450-cow dairy by Nimrod, Minn. We milk in a double-12 parlor and have three robotic milk-ers. I do various things throughout our farm such as milking, feeding calves, feeding cows, bedding our cattle, working with our robots and the cows on the robots, driving tractor and bobcat, cleaning barns, and helping with field-work. I am currently a stu-dent at Ridgewater Col-lege in Willmar, Minn. enrolled in farm operations and business management with a dairy emphasis. What has been the best part of growing up on a dairy farm? I would have to say the best part of growing up on a dairy farm would be spending each and every day working with my family. I also get to learn a lot of things like the meaning of family, work-ing together to get things done, and using patience in a lot of situations from watching crops grow to wait-ing for a calf to be born. Why is being the county dairy princess impor-tant to me? Being the county princess is important to me because I love being able to represent all of the local dairy farmers. I also enjoy being able to work with dairy products in the community and being able to educate people of all ages about the dairy industry. If you could pick one dairy message what would it be and how would you deliver it? If I could pick one dairy message I would pick “My family and I are proud of what we do.” Our farm is a five genera-tion farm now consisting of my parents and six chil-dren. I am the oldest with four brothers and one sister. We all work together to accomplish our goals. We are also proud of the cattle we raise and the milk that they produce to provide to consumers.
Parents: Tim and Sharon RichterTown: Verndale Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. My name is Sara. I live on a dairy farm with my par-ents and sister in south-ern Wadena County. We milk about 90 Holsteins and raise our own replace-ments. Our crops include corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and oats to feed our ani-mals. I am currently com-muting to Central Lakes College in Brainerd where I am working on prerequi-sites for the medical field. I intend to further my edu-cation in the area of sonography (ultrasound).
Sarah Manthey, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:
Dairyland Equipment Service
Plainview, MN507-534-3161
Amanda Meech, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:
Professional Dairy Systems
Wadena, MN218-632-5416
Sara Bain-Richter, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:Aldrich TractorVerndale, MN218-445-5430
Wadena County Waseca County
Parents: Ed and Donna Rother Town: Theilman Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I grew up working with horses and beef cattle. Currently I am working on a 220-cow dairy farm outside of Plainview, Minn. I get up at 3:15 a.m., during the week to milk the cows. After milking, I can do anything from feeding the calves to mixing feed and bedding cows, to working in the fields, or with the heifers all day. My college plans are undecided yet. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? I think the best part about working on the dairy farm is the sense of comfort I feel among cattle. I grew up with a close relationship to horses. So when I started working on the dairy farm, I was able to put that connection I already had with horses and apply it to the cattle. I will take a herd of cattle over a herd of people any day. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is im-portant to me because I can inspire other kids, what-ever their backgrounds may be, to get involved not only with the dairy industry but with agriculture as a whole. I feel that since I wasn’t born into a dairy operation, I can show kids that if I can do it, they can do it, too, and make it their own just like I did. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The key message I would focus on would be that it’s not just a job for us, it’s a lifestyle. Having it be a lifestyle for us makes us take pride in what we do. Healthy, wholesome dairy products begin with a healthy, wholesome farm. We are always working to improve what we do and become more efficient so that we can feed the world, and I don’t think there is anything more rewarding.
Caroline Rother, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:Wingert Sales &
ServicePlainview, MN507-534-2285
What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of living on a dairy farm is that no matter where our day has taken us, we all rally back at chore time and that family time is something I will treasure forever. Liv-ing on a dairy farm has also taught me a good work ethic that I will be able to always put to use. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-tant because I get the opportunity to inform the public about nutritious and good tasting dairy products. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you fo-cus on and why? Farmers are often underestimated and undervalued. They are the supporters of commu-nity events and they are volunteers. In addition, dairy farmers continue to preserve our environment, reduce waste, promote healthy growing systems and focus on the quality and freshness of their wonderful whole-some dairy products.
Parents: Dan and Karen MillerTown: Plainview Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I live on a small dairy farm be-tween Plainview and Kel-logg. We currently milk around 80 Holstein cows on the same farm that my dad was born and raised on. I am currently attend-ing Rochester Commu-nity and Technical Col-lege, pursuing a degree in graphic design, and I hope to transfer to a four-year college after RCTC. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up on a dairy farm is that I have learned many life lessons, like how to work hard and to appreciate everything I have. After growing up on a small farm, I have learned about the importance of family and how we all have to work together to keep things running smoothly. Also, living on a farm has allowed me to have many pets over the years, even a raccoon. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess is impor-
Parents: Dan and Sue HeiseTown: Lake City Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I live and work on my family’s farm where we milk 50 Holstein cows. We raise all of our replacement heifers and finish out all of our steers. We also farm about 200 acres of corn and alfalfa. I am currently a student at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities where I am pursuing a de-gree in animal science and will be applying to veteri-nary school this fall. On campus, I am involved in Gopher Dairy Club, Pre-Vet Club and Lambda Delta Phi sorority. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up on a dairy farm has been being able to work alongside my family from morning to night every day. Although we may have our disagree-ments at times, we always come together as a team to complete the day’s tasks. I have grown really close to my parents over the years, which is something I am thankful for. Not only that, but the cows also make really good pets. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess gives me the opportunity to represent something I truly love. It gives me the chance to share my passion of the dairy industry with others and inform them of the numer-ous reasons why the dairy industry is so important. I think it is important for consumers to know and un-derstand how much hard work and care dairy produc-ers put into their product. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I think that members of a rotary club would be most interested in learning about the importance of the dairy industry in the community. The dairy indus-try is an important part of our nation’s food system and creates over 900,000 jobs to help ensure the vital-ity of communities across the country. Every pound of milk that a dairy family produces brings value to the local and state economies.
Mary Kate Miller, 19
Dairy Star Sponsor:Plainview Milk Products
Co-opPlainview, MN507-534-3872
Megan Heise, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:Plainview Milk Products Co-opPlainview, MN507-534-3872
that make nutritional and economic sense. Dairy has a powerhouse of nutrition found in few other foods. The dairy industry not only contributes to healthy eat-ing, but healthy communities by providing employ-ment and education, while maintaining our natural resources.
tant to me because I am proud to be a part of an indus-try that has given my family and me so much. Also, there are many people that don’t understand what farms contribute to the world. It is our job as dairy princesses to help people get a better perspective of what we do on the farm. A dairy farmer’s most impor-tant job is to care for their cows and produce healthy, nutritious milk. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? My key message would be about milk and what it does for their health and their children’s health. Milk contains nine nutrients that all contrib-ute to keeping a body healthy. It’s important that kids be offered choices of nutrient rich dairy products in school, including flavored milk, to help them meet the needs of their growing bodies.
Washington County continuedWaseca County continued Washington County continuedPage 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014
Parents: Thomas and Melody RodenTown: Henning Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am Marissa Roden and I live with my parents on our family farm. I also work on another larger dairy farm where I have my cattle. The farm I live on is a 52 Jersey tie stall fam-ily farm; the farm I work on is very different. I work on a 600-cow dairy farm with mostly Holsteins and a parlor system. In the fu-ture, I plan on becoming a large animal nutritionist. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of living on the dairy farm is the dedication and responsibility I learned by having to help out with farm work. It is a great way to learn work ethics and there are no days off. I enjoy being able to go to shows and show people what I have raised and also explaining to the public what happens on the farm. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county princess is important to me because it gives me the opportunity to share my knowledge of the dairy industry. I get to put my name out there and explain to the general public what hap-pens on a dairy farm. I also am able to tell the public about what’s behind the milk they drink and how it gets to their table from the farm. I also have the op-portunity to explain about how we take care of our animals and do the best for our cattle while bringing the best milk products to the public. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would talk to the rotary club about how important it is to support our local dairy farmers by giving dairy farmers credit for the work they do. I would also reassure the people that dairy farmers pro-vide consumers with safe and healthy dairy products. They do not only provide food for their families but for the communities around them.
Parents: Jeff and Donna WinbergTown: Forest Lake Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. On my family’s owned and oper-ated dairy farm, we milk 40 cows twice a day and have about 100 total head of cattle and 90 acres of land. I attend the Univer-sity of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where I am a sopho-more majoring in biol-ogy with an emphasis in pre-veterinary medicine. I plan on graduating as an undergraduate in 2016, then applying to a veteri-nary medicine school in the Midwest. Hopefully I will get accepted and spend four years in veterinary school to become a veterinar-ian. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a dairy farm is having acquired a strong work ethic and being able to work closely with my family and develop a sense of teamwork. I have found those two characteristics to be my best qualities in aspects of my life ranging from academic to ath-letic careers and everything in between. I’m thankful to my dairy farming lifestyle for instilling in me two
Marissa Roden, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:Nelson Creamery
AssociationNelson, MN
320-762-0115
Holly Winberg, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:E. J. Hoole Inc.
Forest Lake, MN651-464-3326
West Ottertail County
Parents: Patrick and Sharlene DaningerTown: Forest Lake Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I live on Autumnwood Farm where we milk 60 Regis-tered and grade Holstein cattle. We have approxi-mately 120 head, includ-ing calves and replace-ment heifers. We also have a creamery on our farm where we process and bottle our milk in glass bottles and sell it in an on-the-farm store as well as 45 additional stores and coffee shops. I will be at-tending the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in the fall majoring in agricul-tural education. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Learning things such as responsibility, dedication, a good work ethic and follow-through on a task are a necessity on a dairy farm, and I am thankful to have been fortunate to live on a dairy farm and acquire those characteristics. Ad-ditionally, the aspect of family working together is also something I am extremely grateful to experience on the farm. I don’t believe there is any better bond-ing time than working together in the barn. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? As a county dairy princess, I have had the opportunity to participate in many local events. Each one gives me a chance to talk with people of different backgrounds and to show them how they are connected to agriculture and the dairy industry. It is a pleasure to put a face to the people behind the prod-ucts they are consuming and to give them knowledge on their products. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? “Refuel with chocolate milk” is an ex-tremely important message that the rotary club could incorporate into the lifestyles of their children and themselves. It has been proven to be more beneficial than any sports drink after a workout and helps by rebuilding muscles and refueling the body, providing athletes with a quick recovery and preparing them to perform their best. Being an athlete myself, I am able to make a strong connection with the program.
Mariah Daninger, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:Werner Implement
Vermillion, MN651-437-4435
Parents: Jim and Diane BrownTown: Hastings Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I will be a sophomore this fall at the University of Minne-sota – Twin Cities major-ing in biochemistry with a pre-medicine empha-sis. I live on a Registered Holstein farm where we milk about 50 cows and raise 75 youngstock. In the future, I hope to fuse my biochemistry degree with the dairy industry in my career, whether that is through nutrition, or ge-netics, or some other way. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a dairy farm was the bonding time with my family. My family and I are very close and I chalk that up to the fact that many hours were spent together feeding calves, milking cows and exhibiting animals at the fair. Nothing says togetherness more than a water fight in the milk house or getting up early to do chores! Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? A dairy princess is one of the faces of the dairy industry and I really enjoy it. Being the con-nection, sometimes the only connection, a consumer has to the dairy industry is an amazing feeling. As generations are getting further from living on a dairy farm, our connections to consumers are becoming more important, and my responsibility to be that con-nection to people is a great honor. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Nutrition is becoming a more important aspect of food, along with the thought that there will be many more mouths to feed. I would focus on the nutritional value of milk, with nine essential nutri-ents. It’s hard to ignore that milk and dairy products are a crucial part of our diets. And as the population only continues to grow, keeping these nutritious prod-ucts available for the world will only become more
Kayla Brown, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:Hastings Co-op
CreameryHastings, MN651-437-9414
Washington County
ly employed at Ristau Dairy owned by Rich Ristau. I help feed calves and milk 65 Holstein, Brown Swiss, and crossbreds. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on a dairy farm is the valuable opportuni-ties it has given me. I learned many life lessons and developed a strong work ethic. Many memories were created with my family while working together. It is always nice knowing that your hard work really pays off in the end. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Growing up on a dairy farm and being a dairy princess has made me who I am today. It is such a great honor to represent such hardworking and dedicated dairy farmers. I am very passionate about the dairy industry and being a dairy princess gives me the opportunity to promote this great industry. I also enjoy educating the public about where their dairy products come from and the benefits of them. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you fo-cus on and why? My presentation to my local rotary club would be about sustainability and dairy farming. Most dairy farms are family owned. Since dairy farm-ers live and work on their farms, it’s important for them to protect the land, water and air for their cows, families, community and for future generations. Dairy farmers are using the latest technology and best man-agement practices to guarantee that their cows are healthy and well cared for. Dairy farmers also play an important part in the agricultural economy and the economic well-being of rural America. When a dairy farmer sells a dollar of milk, it generates an economic growth of $3, and every $1 million of U.S. milk sales generates 17 jobs. Dairy farms sustain rural America. Even with our nation’s current economic challeng-es, dairy farmers and companies are a vital link to 900,000 jobs in the United States. Dairy farmers pro-vide consumers with safe and quality dairy products.
important. So I would also focus on what farmers are doing to increase production, but also reduce land use to ensure that dairy products will continue to be avail-able to all consumers.
characteristics that I cherish and use to the best of my ability. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a dairy princess is important to me because I can promote an industry that provides prod-ucts that are essential in society’s everyday diet. Also, many people in today’s society question where their food is coming from, whether it’s safely produced, and is it nutritious for them. As a dairy princess, I can answer those questions positively and proudly to con-sumers who purchase dairy products. Knowing I can do that makes me feel accomplished for positively as-suring a consumer and positively promoting the dairy industry. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? The key message that I would focus on would be that just as rotary clubs work with dedica-tion and passion to give back, not only to their com-munities but communities around the world, dairy farmers live by those same characteristics as well. Dairy farmers are dedicated to their lifestyle by work-ing their hardest every day to, for example, produce a quality product that will positively benefit people in their community, across the nation and world. Dairy farmers also work to be conscientious of the envi-ronment and the impact their lifestyle has on others. Also, just as rotary strives to support people who need help, dairy farmers are essentially doing the same for their communities and the world population as people worldwide need the products they produce.
Winona County continued
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014 • Page 23
Parents: Wayne and Lor-rie KozitkaTown: Howard Lake Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am currently a senior at How-ard Lake Waverly Win-sted High School. I am actively involved in 4-H, FFA, student council, National Honor Society, track, dance, volleyball, and S.A.D.D. I work on my uncle’s farm where we milk 35 Holsteins and crossbreeds. I help with milking and feeding the young calves. Also, I en-joy being able to show at the county and state fairs through 4-H and FFA. I am currently undecided about where I want to go for college this fall, but I will go for elementary education or agriculture education. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part about growing up around a dairy farm is the ability to work and spend time with family. Also, it has shown me a sense of hard work and dedication as I have received the opportunity through FFA Greenhand Ring to start my own herd. Through that I was able to choose a dairy calf. I’m able to keep my now cow and a heifer calf at my uncle’s farm. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I grew up being involved in the dairy industry by promoting and informing people about dairy at my local county fair. Having been around the Wright Dairy Princess Program at a young age, by helping my sister at many events, holds a special place in my heart.
Parents: Lyle and Mary HirschTown: Howard Lake Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am currently a sophomore at the University of Wiscon-sin-River Falls majoring in animal science with a minor in food science. I live and work on a dairy farm in Howard Lake where we milk our Hol-stein herd. Additionally, I work on a dairy farm while attending school. In the future I hope to contin-ue to work with the dairy industry in some way. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Working with my family to produce such a re-markable product is the highlight of growing up on a dairy farm. The many skills and values that I gained from the farm also help me to become a better dairy princess and a better person. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Each farmer works hard to produce a healthy and amazing product. As a dairy princess, I believe it is my responsibility to serve those who make that product by sharing what they do with oth-ers. As a producer, I also feel that I have a unique perspective that I can use to engage others in dairy farming.If you were giving a presentation to your local ro-tary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Dairy farmers are a big part of their com-munity. I would share with the rotary club the many ways that dairy farmers get involved in my commu-nity, such as Breakfast on the Farm, an activity that fosters relationships between the farmers in a com-munity and those they serve.
Parents: Keith Schossow and Cindy TerrillTown: Ridgeway Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. Grow-ing up as the fourth gener-ation of my family’s Hol-stein dairy farm, I have always shown an interest in this incredible indus-try. My family works hard to prepare a wholesome, delicious and nutritious product. Aside from milk-ing cows, I attend South Dakota State University, majoring in dairy science production with two mi-nors in agribusiness and agriculture communica-tions. After graduation, I would like to work as a dairy cattle nutritionist and eventually run my family’s farm. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? There are endless experiences that stand out from being a dairy farmer’s daughter, but I would have to say the experiences I’ve gone through that shaped me into who I am were the best. Whether that be learning that the manure pit is not fun to fall into or being able to watch a newborn heifer calf grow up into full production, each expe-rience has changed me. I will forever have a strong passion for the dairy industry, thanks to all the unfor-gettable memories. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? For me, being a county dairy princess al-lows me to share my passion and the importance of the industry. It’s important to ensure that every consumer has been educated about where their great dairy prod-ucts come from. By being a county princess, I’m able to not only share the importance to young children in elementary schools, but also the young at heart at county fairs and organizational gatherings. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? My main focus would have to be on that dairy producers care about their cattle. The reason I would focus on this message deals with the public’s view of producers. Assuring consumers that our cows are well cared for becomes the first step to a better al-liance between customer and producer relationships. Dairy producers work hard every day to ensure that their cattle are always comfortable, fed nutritionally, and are healthy in order to produce a quality product.
Bethany Kozitka, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:Bongards’ Creameries
Bongards, MN952-466-5521
Katie Hirsch, 20Dairy Star Sponsor:
Munson Lakes Nutrition & The Country Store
Howard Lake, MN320-543-2561
Chelsea Schossow, 19
Dairy Star Sponsor:Elba Cooperative
CreameryElba, MN
507-932-3861
Wright County
Parents: Paul and Terri MogerTown: Rollingstone Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. On my family’s dairy farm, we milk 80 grade Holstein cows. I am actively in-volved with Big Brother’s Big Sister’s, 4-H, FFA and showing and judging cat-tle. I have been accepted to Rochester Community and Technical College for the veterinary techni-cian program. Once I have completed college, I plan on being employed at a lo-cal vet clinic with a large animal emphasis. Follow-
Karli Moger, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:Pettit’s IBA Dairy
SupplyLewiston, MN507-732-5719
Wright County continued on next page
Parents: Steve and Carol Boynton (grandparents) Town: Lewiston Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. Currently, I am attending Rochester Community and Technical College’s Post-Secondary Education Program. This June, I will graduate from the Lewiston-Altura High School and Rochester Community and Technical College in the veterinary technician program. I will be attending South Dakota State University in the fall majoring in pre-veterinary medicine with a minor in animal health. Besides school, I am involved in dairy cattle evaluation, dairy bowl and showing animals at a variety of show across the tri-state area. I also work at two local veterinary clinics and Rowekamp Dairy Farms. It is my role to take on the duties of calf husbandry at the farm, along with assisting in other areas of the farm. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Growing up on the farm, has been one of the greatest gifts I could re-ceive. Being able to learn the value of hard work and pride in producing a product that most of us depend on is very rewarding. Getting up in the morning be-ing able to see the happy calves excited to be fed, and knowing the herd continues to grow is a great feeling. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I work and represent some of the hardest workers in the country, dairy farmers and the people that partner with them to make the most wholesome products. Dairy farmers are dedicated to making sure dairy cattle and land are well taken care of. The land is well managed to ensure that the crops can grow to their maximum potential without damaging the en-vironment. Every dairy farmer knows that the hard work of being a dairy farmer and caring for the land will make sure the dairy farm is there for tomorrow and future generations. By knowing these dairy farm-ers are committed to the dairy industry, we can all be rest assured that we can always have the most nutri-ents quality dairy products in the world. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Not only do dairy products give us good tasting, wholesome, and nutritious foods, but they also provide employment and stimulates the economy by providing more than 400,000 jobs in Minnesota alone. Nutrient-rich dairy foods are one of the most affordable sources of nutrition and make healthy eat-ing easy. Together, milk, cheese and yogurt provide a unique package of nine essential nutrients, including calcium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, vitamins A, D and B12, riboflavin and niacin. Beyond build-ing stronger bones, three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods improve overall diet quality and reduce the risk of various chronic diseases. I feel that growing up on a farm with my papa and nana, and now working on a farm, has taught me the values of hard work and pride of producing a product that is so needed throughout our nation.
Jasmine Boynton, 18
Dairy Star Sponsor:S&S Dairy Systems
St. Charles, MN507-932-4288
Winona Countying that, I one day hope to own and operate my fam-ily’s dairy farm and be the fourth generation farmer. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Growing up on a dairy farm has been extremely rewarding for me. It has taught me the values of hard work, responsibility and determination. It is a great honor to help produce such a quality and wholesome product for millions to enjoy. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? Being a county dairy princess has al-ways been something I have wanted to do. The impor-tance of educating the public of the dairy industry and the significance on receiving three servings of dairy products each and every day is a task that will be com-pleted throughout my term as county dairy princess. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? My main focus would be on the healthy communities that dairy delivers. Dairy farming pro-vides communities with jobs, income and strength to thousands of communities throughout the nation. With dairy foods helping to feed over 40 million chil-dren through school meal programs as well as edu-cating them on the importance of healthy eating and physical activity, the Fuel Up to Play 60 program has found its way into more than 73,000 schools and has engaged 11 million students to take a step to make healthy choices.
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 10, 2014
Parents: Mark and Tanya WalterTown: Montrose Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. Cur-rently, I am a freshman at North Dakota State University, majoring in biotechnology and ani-mal science. At NDSU, I am involved in many activities such as Sigma Alpha, Dairy Club, girls lacrosse, Lions Club, and Saddle and Sirloin. In my free time, I help tutor in chemistry. Throughout the school year, I work on the 100 cow dairy for NDSU. We milk grade Holsteins
Taylor Walter, 19Dairy Star Sponsor:
Cargill Feed & Nutrition
Big Lake, MN
Wright County continued Wright County continued Wright County continued
Parents: Steve Uter and Kris UterTown: Waverly Tell us about your-self, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I’m a senior at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted High School. Besides being involved in the dairy am-bassador program, I am involved in cross coun-try, basketball, track and field, 4-H, FFA, choir and National Honor Soci-ety. I live on my family’s dairy farm, Merryville Holsteins, where we milk around 240 cows and have close to 250 youngstock. I plan to attend St. Cloud State University to major in marketing while also being a member of the wom-an’s basketball team. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? The best part of growing up on the dairy farm has been the life lessons it has taught me over the years. My dad is the hardest working man I know. Watching and working along-side of him has given me the skills to be successful in life. Hard work and responsibility are the two char-acteristics that stand out the most to me. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been brought up on a dairy farm. I wouldn’t be the young woman I am
Mackenzie Uter, 18Dairy Star Sponsor:
Munson Lakes Nutrition & The Country Store
Howard Lake, MN320-543-2561
If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? I would speak about how the dairy indus-try benefits both the community and local businesses. It benefits the community by giving wholesome and nutritious products for us to enjoy. It benefits local businesses by bringing business to them whether it be at the grocery store, retail shops, or local co-ops.
in a six cow parlor. When I am not at college attend-ing to the dairy, I am at home helping my family on our farm. We have a herd of Brown Swiss and Milk-ing Shorthorn cows. With all the knowledge I have gained, I plan on achieving my master’s degree in genomics. From there, I hope to work with Land O Lakes or Purina to improve dairy nutrition and mak-ing farming more efficient. I strive to be a face for the dairy industry and speak to the public about a passion that burns inside me. What has been the best part of growing up and/or working on a dairy farm? Growing up on a dairy farm has blessed me with many opportunities. The greatest is the ability to appreciate the little things in life. Whether it is staying up all night with Betsy the cow, or just simply being able to have a nice home cooked meal, I understand that life is short. Because I grew up on a farm, I learned what patience is and how when you are patient and wait, good things will happen. I have used this not only in the dairy industry, but also in parts of my everyday life. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? When I see a younger generation inter-ested in the dairy industry, it reminds me what an hon-or it is to represent the dairy industry and to say that I live Wright County brings about a feeling of pride. I am able to pass on my knowledge and passion to oth-ers, which in turn allows them to see the industry in a new light. If you were giving a presentation to your lo-cal rotary club, what key message would you fo-cus on and why? I would do a presentation on how dairy farming has improved over the years. Today, on average, a cow produces 6.5 gallons of milk a day. Dairy farming isn’t only more efficient but it produc-es a wholesome product that our grandparents once had. Also, it still is essential in an everyday diet as it build strong bones and muscles. The dairy industry has done many things to improve the view of it. Dairy does just make sense. Today there are farmers willing to give tours, answer questions and show how impor-tant it is to them. In the eyes of dairy farmers, it’s not a job or a hobby, it’s a lifestyle that they wouldn’t give up for the world.
today if it weren’t for the lessons my dad taught me while growing up on a farm. Why is being a county dairy princess impor-tant to you? I am very passionate about the dairy in-dustry. I truly enjoy informing the public about what I love so much. From a young age, I remember going to the Minnesota State Fair and only wanting to go to three places: the milk stand, the dairy barn and the dairy building to look at the princesses getting their heads carved in butter (the butterheads). This has al-ways been a dream of mine to be a dairy princess, and I’m so blessed to have been given this opportunity. If you were giving a presentation to your local rotary club, what key message would you focus on and why? Being an athlete I believe that more people should be aware of the benefits that chocolate milk has for recovery. Chocolate milk has more nutrients and vitamins for athletes to build muscle and retain your workout. It’s healthier for our bodies than Gato-rade and all other sports drinks. Support the industry, get stronger, and drink chocolate milk.
That gallon of milk you consider a staple in your refrigerator is missing in many of America’s food banks. According to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief orga-nization, milk is one of the items most requested by food bank clients, yet there is a nationwide shortage because it is rarely donated. That will soon change with today’s launch of The Great American Milk Drive, the first-ever national program to help de-liver highly desired and nutrient-rich gallons of milk to hungry families who need it most. Hunger impacts 1 in 6 Americans, including 12.5 million families who do not have access to adequate nourishment to help them reach their full potential. Hunger has no boundaries and is a problem that exists in urban, suburban and rural communities. Map the Meal Gap shows how hunger impacts every county in the country. With its network of more than 200 food banks and 61,000 food pantries, soup kitchens and emergency shelters throughout the country, Feeding America helps provide food to families in need. It’s been a challenge for Feeding America to meet the demand for milk due to the lack of donations – canned goods and other non-perishable items are more likely to be donated. Now, it’s going to be easier for Americans to lend a hand and contribute nutri-tious milk to food insecure families. With a simple click of a mouse (www.milklife.com/give) or text message (text “Milk” to 27722), it will now be possible to buy much-needed milk and donate it for as little as $5.00 to a family who does not have regular access to milk. By entering your zip code, you can ensure that the milk is delivered from the farm to a local Feeding America food bank in your very own community. “We serve 37 million Americans each year through our network of food banks but, unfortunately, our clients receive the equivalent of less than one gallon of milk per person per year,” said Bob Aiken, CEO of Feeding America. “This has been an ongoing problem that hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves. Now we have a chance to do so much more, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Increased donations of milk means increased protein and other nutrients for our clients and their families.” The Great American Milk Drive is made possible by the nation’s dairy farmers and milk companies. Jesse Tyler Ferguson of ABC’s Modern Family has joined the cause to help raise awareness of the scarcity of milk in food banks and help all families by increasing their access to fresh milk. The goal of the campaign is to deliver two million gallons of milk to food banks across the country. In the Midwest, various celebrities joined forces with Midwest Dairy Council and local milk companies to help kick off the program on Wednesday, April 2. James “Big Cat” Williams donated gallons of milk from Prairie Farms to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Kansas City Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt donated milk from Hiland Dairy and AE Dairy to Kansas City-based Harvesters, and Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle
Feeding America® Food Banks have crucial need for more milk
Rudolph donated milk from Kemps and Land O’ Lakes to St. Paul-based Second Har-vest Heartland.
Nourishing our nation – The need is greater than ever Many Americans are pressured financially due to a convergence of economic stresses – which means more people are turning to their local food bank for help. Com-pared to four years ago, one million more people are seeking emergency food assis-tance from the Feeding America network each week. Increasingly, food banks have introduced nutrition criteria for the meals served to clients. More than two-thirds of the groceries distributed by the Feeding America network meet Feeding America’s “Foods To Encourage” guideline, based on the USDA’s MyPlate guidelines which include a serving of milk. “We have a responsibility to make sure we are getting those in need the most nu-tritious food possible,” said Aiken. “Providing nourishing items like milk and fresh produce makes a huge difference in the nutritional quality of the meals we’re able to provide and hopefully makes a real difference in our clients’ lives.” A recent network survey of Feeding America food banks revealed that 94 percent of respondents are actively working on improving the nutritional quality of meals pro-vided to food bank clients. Yet, 95 percent of those surveyed say they do not receive enough milk to meet the demand. The number one reason cited is inadequate milk dona-tions. Milk tops the list of the food items most requested by food bank participants (85 percent), followed by fresh fruits (77 percent) and fresh vegetables (74 percent). While several recent initiatives have focused on getting more produce into feeding programs, The Great American Milk Drive is the first program to help resolve the milk shortage. “Milk makes any meal more nutritious, which is important for all families, but it’s especially vital for those who are food insecure,” said registered dietitian and celebrity chef Ellie Krieger, a member of Feeding America’s Entertainment Council who is lend-ing her support to The Great American Milk Drive. “Milk is a source of high-quality protein that’s often in short supply in feeding programs, and it offers three of the top nutrients most likely to be missing in the American diet – calcium, vitamin D and potas-sium. Milk can help power potential – but only if you have access to it. We need to be sure everyone has access to nutrient-rich milk, and together we can get more nutritious food to those who need it most.” Feeding America, whose network includes more than 200 food banks, is encourag-ing Americans to join The Great American Milk Drive to help provide the much-needed milk to food banks in their area. By visiting www.MilkLife.com/give, you can learn more about the need for more nutritious foods like milk in America’s food banks and how a small donation can make a significant impact.
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