Miss America, The Farm Girl

I loved watching the Miss America pageant as a little girl. All my friends did too. I think secretly we all thought, one day that will be me! The closest I ever got to being Miss America was being crowned Washington County Dairy Princess. Don't get me wrong, as that too was a huge honor, but I never got to be serenaded by host Bert Parks. 

Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell didn't get to be serenaded either, as Bert Parks retired before Betty was even born! Did you notice I called her Betty. Yep, we're on a first name basis. You see Betty is one of us, a farm girl.  

Here I am with Miss America. Who would have thought...

 I met Betty at her recent visit to  Wolf Creek Dairy a dairy farm in Dundas, Minnesota owned by the Liebebstein family. Betty's platform, "Healthy Children, Strong America" encourages children to make healthy choices and stay physically active. It is in partnership with the American Farm Bureau Foundation For Agriculture.

Miss America and Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Kyla Mauk, touring with Mary Liebenstein.

This partnership brought her to Minnesota to visit schools in the area that participated in the First Peas To The Table contest.  This national competition for schools encourages children in kindergarten through fifth grade to plant, raise and harvest peas this spring. What better way to learn, than to get your hands dirty!

This farm girl loves cows!

 So why not visit a few farms while you're here promoting agriculture?

Betty not only talks-the-talk for agriculture, Betty walks-the-walk. After our lunch at Wolf Creek Dairy, she shared about her life growing up on a 700 acre farm in Georgia, her journey to becoming Miss America, (she watched the contest only one year before competing!) and she sang for us (Jesus Take The Wheel). Finally, Betty shared her passion for "Healthy Children, Strong America".

Betty learned to drive a tractor at the age of 9.

  Princess Kay, Kyla Mauk, then had the opportunity to share about a similar program we dairy farmers are passionate about, Fuel Up To Play 60. This program, sponsored by The National Football League and dairy farmers across America, also encourages healthy eating and exercise. 

Miss America greets Dakota County Farm Bureau members.

Here's what Miss America, Betty Cantrell, said on Face Book about her recent visit to Minnesota, "Spending my day in my kinda territory, with our Minnesotan farmers thanks to my partner with my platform, the American Farm Bureau Federation. 🚜 I feel right at home!" ‪

Thanks for visiting Betty! You're welcome back any time...any time at all!

Princess Kay Hopefuls Meet to Learn

I'm going on a road trip! 

May 13-15 is the Dairy Princess Promotion and Leadership Event in St. Cloud, MN. It is a weekend devoted to skill-building to share the message of dairy farmers commitment to providing safe, high-quality milk and dairy foods, including taking good care of our cows and the land. 

Kyla Mauk, 62nd Princess Kay of the Milky Way

But how are these young women chosen to attend this workshop?

Each of them are from a dairy farm family, or they, or their parents or guardian are employed by a dairy farm. They are selected as their county's dairy ambassadors, and then move on to the May Event in St. Cloud. This is also where the 12 finalists are selected for the Minnesota dairy community's goodwill ambassador, Princess Kay of the Milky Way.  

2015 Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalists

  Candidates are judged on a written application, a short speech, a professional interview, and a mock media interview. Live updates of the finalist announcements will be posted to Princess Kay’s Facebook page during the luncheon held on Sunday, May 15th. On Twitter, updates can be obtained by following the hashtag #MNPrincessKay.

2015 Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalists

After a busy summer of June Dairy Month promotions, appearances, and County Fairs, the 12 finalists come together again in August for more judging. Princess Kay is then crowned the night before the Minnesota State Fair opens and serves as the dairy community's goodwill ambassador for a year, helping people understand the dedication of dairy farmers to wholesome and nutritious food, and the way milk is produced. Dairy farmers sponsor the dairy princess program through Midwest Dairy Association.

Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Kyla Mauk

 I am so proud to be a part of this program. As a dairy farmer, the mom of a past finalist, and now the Minnesota Dairy Princess Coordinator, I have seen, first hand, the amazing young woman who represent the hard-working, proud dairy farmers of Minnesota!

 

Rochester Rocks Dairy and FUTP60

Rochester, Minnesota is well known for some pretty great things; the Mayo Clinic,  the University of Minnesota Rochester, and some really wonderful students at Riverside Central Elementary! I recently visited with 130 of these super kids and their teachers about life on my farm.

 I shared my PowerPoint about my family, our animals, what we feed our animals,

 
what we do each day, how we grow their food, 

and how we milk our cows.

Then I spoke about the importance of dairy foods in our daily diet. Did you know that dairy is part of your recommended food intake, and we should have 3 servings every day of milk, cheese, or yogurt? The smart students of Riverside Central knew this. :)

I even taught them a little song to help them remember to have their Dairy 3 For Me every day. It goes like this- 

A special thank you goes out to Ann Winkels, Riverside Central's physical education teacher and Fuel Up To Play 60 coach. She not only realizes the importance of her students eating healthy and having a farmer share where the students food comes from, but she also encourages at least 60 minutes of activity each day. The day I visited, Ann planned a full day of healthy eating and fun activities for the kids, including Zumba, CrossFit, Hip Hop, and even a ping-pong exhibition by an Olympic hopeful! Great job Ann! Thanks for including this dairy farmer in your FUTP60 Day.

And to all of you, here's your chance to pledge to eat #Dairy 3 For Me.

From now through May 27, 2016, anyone taking the pledge through Midwest Dairy.com will be automatically entered to win one of three weekly prizes – an immersion blender to help get their three servings every day. All pledges are also eligible for the grand prize – a $250 retail gift card to help stock up on dairy essentials at the grocery store.

Spring Planting (and panting) Has Begun!

Here's the first step in filling our pantry, our cows pantry, that is! 

(Planting day April 16, 2016)

Since we grow all the food that is fed to our animals, Spring planting is a busy time. In our nearly 33 years of marriage I have never helped with planting. It has always been a task my father-in-law, Grandpa Roy, eagerly accepted. Since he was "forced" due to health reasons, to retire from his planting duties, it is now my turn.

There are a few things that need to be done before I head to the field to plant oats. Farmer John helps out by washing the windows on my tractor. Here's proof that men do windows...as long as the windows are on farm equipment!

The next task is to fill the grain drill (planter) with seed. John takes care of this. I know...he spoils me!

Alfalfa seed is also planted along with the oats. Since alfalfa (hay) seeds are so tiny and fragile, the oats are planted as a "cover crop". Cover crops protect the soil and may be used to reduce soil erosion, suppress weeds, and increase soil organic matter. 

 Then it's off to the field. 

I think fieldwork is really fun. Weird, huh?  I like that I can be outdoors, surrounded by beautiful scenery. I like that I'm helping to start a new crop that will eventually be fed to our cows, which will produce milk, that goes to your grocery aisles, and then appears on your dinner table! And just think, I helped get the whole process started by planting these little seeds!

After a quick morning of planting, it was time to refill the grain drill with seeds, and have lunch. While Farmer John refilled the seeds, I changed clothes in the clothes washer and made a gourmet lunch. Multitasking...

 Okay. Maybe it wasn't gourmet but all the food groups were represented, including milk, of course! Then it was back to planting. Twenty-eight acres were soon complete, and then I moved on to planting a peas and barley mix. 

 

 

While John added the peas and barley seeds, I ran to the house and did a bit more laundry. A woman's work is never done (tee-hee). Twelve acres of peas and barley are safely planted in the ground, and now it is time for Michael to take over.

Michael used a drag pulled behind his tractor to go over the fields that I just planted. This is done to smooth the fields. And now we wait. They will be popping their heads through the soil before we know it. We have been having several rainy days since planting, so it won't take long. When early July hits, we will reap the benefits of our planting. You can learn about that process in Pass the Peas, Please.

Today was a really productive day...oats planted, peas and barley planted, laundry done, and family fed. Whew! Now do you know why it's planting and panting? Life is good!

Next project- planting corn. Stay tuned!