Who will be the next Princess Kay of the Milky Way?

Joining me are Princess Kay of the Milky Way Emily Annexstad and the 2018-19 Princess Kay finalists

I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I get to spend the summer with these wonderful young women from the dairy community who feel just as much love for this crazy world of dairy farming as I do!

Each year the Dairy Princess Promotion and Leadership Event is held in St. Joseph, Minnesota. 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 care of our cows and the land.

But how are these young women chosen to attend this workshop? Each of the 70+ attendees 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. This is also where the 12 finalists are selected for the Minnesota dairy community's goodwill ambassador, Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Candidates are judged on a written application, a short speech, a professional interview, and a mock media interview.

After a busy summer of June Dairy Month promotions, appearances, and County Fairs, the 12 finalists come together in August for more judging. Princess Kay is then crowned the evening before the start of the Minnesota State Fair and will represent dairy farmers for the next year.

I am pleased to be working with this year's Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalists-

• Amy Broll, Chaska, daughter of Dan and Kathie Broll, and representing Carver County;
• Blaize Dankers, Plainview, daughter of Annette and Travis Reimers, and representing Wabasha County;
• Katherine Gathje, Richmond, daughter of Scott and Denise Gathje, and representing Meeker County; 
• Laura Grimm, Waconia, daughter of Joel and Barb Grimm, and representing Carver County;
• Megan Hollermann, Burtrum, daughter of Shawn and Debbie Hollermann, and representing Todd County;
• Korissa Lindquist, Kerkhoven, daughter of Rod and Naomi Lindquist, and representing Kandiyohi County;
• Calissa Lubben, Edgerton, daughter of Cal and Char Lubben, and representing Rock County;
• Ashley Maus, Freeport, daughter of Darrel and Lisa Maus, and representing Stearns County;
• Melendy Miller, Plainview, daughter of Stacy and Julie Miller, and representing Wabasha County;
• Julia Mullenbach, Rose Creek, daughter of Al and Lynette Mullenbach, and representing Mower County;
• Rebekka Paskewitz, Browerville, daughter of Alan and Vicki Paskewitz, and representing Todd County; and
• Catherine Thompson, Plainview, daughter of Donny and Holly Thompson, and representing Olmsted County.

Following the Minnesota State Fair I will be working with Princess Kay scheduling her appearances, and assisting with her speeches and media presentations. I am proud to be a part of this program. As a dairy farmer, the mom of a past finalist, and currently the Minnesota Dairy Princess Coordinator, I have seen, first hand, the amazing young women who represent the hard-working, dedicated dairy farmers of Minnesota.

Who will be the next Princess Kay of the Milky Way?

Flavor Of The Fair

Who doesn't love ice cream? No one I know!

But ice cream with hot sauce, or dill pickles?

That's right, folks. These fun combinations were all ingredients in this years nominations for the #FlavorOfTheFair at the Dairy Goodness Bar at the Minnesota State Fair.

For the third year in a row, you can pick the Flavor Of The Fair, a special malt or sundae flavor available for only one year, and you get to help choose the flavor. Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

This past Friday I was invited to be an official "unofficial" taste tester as Midwest Dairy unveiled the three choices for this years fair. It was all captured on Facebook Live. 

The three choices, created from suggestions collected at the 2016 MN State Fair, are all unusual, creative and fun. We first sampled "Pie 'n the Sky" a delicious combination of our secret recipe vanilla ice cream, lemon curd, dark chocolate drizzle, and topped off with those crunchy little cookies you get when you ride on an airplane. Hence the name 'n the sky. Get it?

 Next we moved on to "Nacho Average Malt" and it sure wasn't! Imagine vanilla ice cream, tortilla chips, shredded Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle on a bit of hot sauce! Now I admit I am not a hot sauce fan, but since I was an official "unofficial" taste tester, I dug right in. The first bite was tricky since I didn't stir the ingredients together. Wowzer, that first bite was HOT! But it was surprisingly good when stirred together!

Finally, it was "Vanilly Dilly." Now, when a cup of vanilla ice cream, dill pickle potato chips, and a pickle slice was set before us, I had flashbacks to my pregnancy days. But since my mouth waters whenever I even think of pickles, I knew I wanted to give this one a try, and boy, I'm glad I did! My only comment...it needs more pickles!

It was now time for each of us to cast our vote.

Yep, "Vanilly Dilly" got my vote. 

Now it's your turn. Head on over to cast your vote by April 17. Who knows? You may be enjoying your pick at the 2017 Minnesota State Fair. Only 136 days until the start of the Fair!

I have shared the entire taste test on My Barnyard View's Facebook page. Check it out.

Super Bowl and Super School Breakfast

If you are a Minnesotan, you probably know Minnesota will host the Super Bowl in 2018. If you are a football fan from Minnesota, like me and my family, you definitely know where the Super Bowl will be played next year...and I can't wait! I may not be one of the lucky ones to sit in the stands on game day, but there is still a lot to be excited about!

As we approach Super Bowl LII, Midwest Dairy Council and Fuel Up to Play 60 are working closely with the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee (MNSBHC) to award Super School Breakfast grants to Minnesota Schools and celebrate school breakfast across the state in the 52 weeks leading up to the Big Game.

This past week, Adams Spanish Immersion School was host to the grant dedication celebration for St. Paul Schools.

As the students arrived, they were greeted by the Super Hero volunteers representing ECMC and General Mills,

and of course, Midwest Dairy Association was there too. That's my daughter Sara on the right!

After the students Super welcome, they headed to the cafeteria to collect their breakfast because everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

I had fun greeting the students as they went through the breakfast line. I shared smiles and high-fives as the students helped themselves to the nutritious, healthy choices including milk and yogurt.

Then it was off to the Media Center for the program where we were greeted by Maureen Bausch, (CEO, Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee) who shared that just like football players, students do their best when they fuel up with a nutritious breakfast. Through this 52 week campaign, the Legacy Fund has a goal of helping every Minnesota child build life-long healthy habits.

Next it was my turn to represent the Minnesota dairy farmers of Midwest Dairy. I shared with the students how starting their day with a good breakfast, including milk, prepares them for a full day of learning. I told them how proud my family is to be in partnership with the Super School Breakfast Initiative, and also a part of providing them with dairy foods, and that each time they choose milk, it makes my cows smile!

Iris Cumberbatch (ECMC) and Mary Jane Menlendez (Executive Director, General Mills Foundation) also stressed the importance of the Super School Breakfast. Did you know that more than 60 percent of students do not eat breakfast?

The celebration ended as we raised our milk cartons in a "milk toast" led by Dana Nelson (Vice President, Legacy and Community Partnerships, Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee) to celebrate school breakfast and the dedication dairy farmers have to providing wholesome, nutritious milk to schools. 

"We are committed to positively impacting the health of children across Minnesota as part of this campaign."

As a Minnesota dairy farmer I am proud to be a part of the Super School Breakfast program. About 140,000 school-age students will benefit from this program and that's Super! 

Thanks to Midwest Dairy and the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee for inviting Bremer Farms to the celebration.

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!

 

Z Is For Zoom

I'm taking you on a journey from A to Z throughout June Dairy Month.

So come on in...the barn doors are open!

Z Is For Zoom

 

Holy moly, Rocky! Have you ever seen time fly as fast as June Dairy Month? Each year when I make my commitment to blog each day during the month of June, I think "What the...? Are you nuts?" and before our cow Bessie can even bat her big, brown eyes, zoom the month is nearly over! 

 

If there's at least one thing you have learned from my June Dairy Month stories; I feel I have accomplished my goal. As you have followed my A to Z journey this month, I hope you have come to realize how passionate my family and I are about the farming lifestyle that we live. We take much pride in everything we do at Bremer Farms, and we thank God for the opportunities He has given us.

 

 

No, not every day is peaches and cream, or smooth as silk, but we have never regretted the decision to be dairy farmers. After all, we can proudly say, "We're feedin' a nation!"

 

 

 Thank you for visiting during June Dairy Month. I hope you'll come back often, and maybe even invite a friend or two to join us. Shoot me a comment or email if you have a topic idea or a question to answer. 

 

 

 You may also want to read my previous years posts for June Dairy Month...

X, Y, and ZZZZZZ 

and

Z Is For Zebra

Coming Soon...Princess Kay Of The Milky Way!

This is a fun, exciting and nail-biting weekend for dozens of young ladies from Minnesota. May 15-17 is the Dairy Princess Promotion Workshop 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. 

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

Jeni Haler, 2014-2015 Princess Kay of the Milky Way 

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 industry's goodwill ambassador, Princess Kay of the Milky Way. 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 17th. On Twitter, updates can be obtained by following the hashtag #MNPrincessKay.

After a busy summer of June Dairy Month promotions, parades, 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 industry’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.

Jeni Haler, 2014-2015 Princess Kay of the Milky Way 

All 12 of the Princess Kay finalists have their likeness carved in butter during the Minnesota State Fair and make public appearances during the Fair’s 12-day run.

Princess Kay, Jeni Haler and her butterhead

Exhausting? You bet! Worth it? Absolutely!

We at Bremer Farms are proud to support this program and anxiously look forward to the announcement of the finalists, and the crowning of our 62nd Princess Kay of the Milky Way. 

 

 

 

 

Follow-Up Friday 2

This week on Bremer Farms...

 

This week our kitchen turned into a television studio as Sara and Mike filmed the first three episodes of daughter Sara's new show for Hastings Community TV, Aprons Optional. We have been enjoying many yummy samples! Apron's Optional premieres in early October.

The hollyhocks are in full bloom near our calf barn. 

Grandpa Roy says they are his favorite flower and they remind him of the farm he grew up on.

Sara is gearing up for her biggest Holiday Outdoor display in the history of Bremer Farms. I'm thinking UPS and Fed-Ex is looking to the amount of packages Sara is receiving as their job security.
Santa's reindeer stable arrived this week.

We pride ourselves on keeping our farm neat and organized. This week our  metal recycler paid us a visit. We have been working on many projects; replacing our feeding system (blogging about that next week) re-purposing a shed (blogging about that when it's complete) and replacing gates and water tanks. We are all about recycling, not only because we like our farm neat, but we care about the environment. Reduce, reuse, recycle... priorities every day here.

It's sweet corn season on the farm, and although we do not grow sweet corn, we get a lot from a very generous neighbor. 15 quarts are already in the freezer with more to come. I shared my recipe on my blog post 

Santa Lives In Our Neighborhood

We made our first visit to the Minnesota State Fair on Wednesday night.

We were greeted by Fairchild, our state fair mascot, as John, Sara, and I attended the coronation of the 61st Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Our neighbor Gabriella Sorg was one of the 12 finalists. You can learn more about her, and the princess program by clicking on her name.

Gabriella (in the pink) was selected as Miss Congeniality. That was no surprise to us, as she is one of the friendliest and sweetest girls you will ever meet! One of these 12 "milkmaids" will be crowned Princess Kay and will represent Minnesota Farmers and the dairy industry for the next year. 

And the winner is...

Jeni Haler

Congratulations Jen!

The Princess Kay program is sponsored by Midwest Dairy

Cookies And Milk, State Fair Style

Apparently I'm not the only one that feels this way, as the September issue of Food Network Magazine just named Midwest Dairy's All-You-Can-Drink Milk Stand as the go-to place for milk when enjoying Sweet Martha's Cookies at the Minnesota State Fair. 

 

Cookies and milk have been a State Fair tradition for my family for as long as I can remember. We get our bucket of cookies. Who cares that we have to wait in line nearly an hour. The wait gives us a chance to meet new people. We walk across the fairgrounds to the All-You-Can-Drink Milk Stand, order up our chocolate or white milk, find a patch of grass to rest our weary bones, and begin dining on the best chocolate chip cookies and ice cold milk you can ever imagine! Ahhh...fair food!

P.S. Thanks Martha, for the stash of plastic cookie pails neatly stacked in my pantry cupboard. If you need some, maybe we can make a trade  :)

The Minnesota State Fair begins August 21 and runs through Labor Day and I want you to be there. I am again this year, inviting you to enter to win a Minnesota State Fair prize package ($60+ value). The winner will receive four admission tickets to the fair and four coupons redeemable for malts to enjoy at the fair. 
 

Enter now. The winner will be announced on my blog August 15th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See you at the Fair! 

Where, Oh Where Has My Little Blog Gone?

And I thought June was crazy busy! The month of June brought me to my computer everyday as each day I shared a dairy topic in honor of June Dairy Month. Whew! A blog post each day can be fun, exhilarating, and exhausting. There will never be a month as busy as June, I heard myself saying. 

Wrong!

Nearly 2 weeks (yes, I have failed you, and I apologize) 

have passed since writing, so it is time to catch up on 

what's been happening on, and off, Bremer Farms.

Farmer John and daughter Sara both celebrate their birthdays in July. Farmer John got his gift early as you may remember his automatic gate opener was installed as soon as it arrived. You can see it in action here. When I asked Sara what was on her birthday wish list, her response was plywood! If you know Sara you may already realize her thoughts can be a bit out-of-the-box, so this came as no surprise. She has plans for an even bigger, HUGE Christmas display on the farm this coming December and plywood will help to make it happen. John and I presented her with a Menard's gift card to get her a step closer to seeing her dream come true. You can bet her masterpiece will be featured on my blog later this year.

 

July is also our city's annual festival "Rivertown Days." Since Hastings sits on the banks of the Mississippi River, we celebrate the Mighty Mississippi  and its beauty for four days each summer. The celebration culminates on Sunday with the grand day parade. Our family creates the float for son Michael's workplace, Hastings Community Television. This year Michael's boss chose to highlight Michael's show Take A Hike, Mike. After sewing 28 yards of skirting for the float, and outfitting 20 wanna-be-hikers with plaid shirts and bindle sticks (Mike's signature attire), it was time to roll down the parade route.

 Even our farm truck got washed and decorated for a day off the farm to pull the float.

Sara also got her very own float as Hastings Teacher of the Year!

I know it looks like I'm just taking a milk break, but I'm also showing off a thank you gift from Midwest Dairy. This month I was asked to make a little video on why I share my dairy story. Why do I think it's important to be a Champion for Dairy? Take a look...

 Bremer Farms was also recently visited by our 

County Commissioner, Mike Slavik.

 Mike's goal is to visit farms in his district to talk to farmers about issues that affect all of us. Mike understands the importance of  farming and "goes to the source" to get farmer's perspective.

 Farmer John shows County Commissioner Mike Slavik our calf barn while discussing current issues that affect farming.

I can't think of a better way to end the hectic month of July than with freshly made cheese curds. These ridiculously good cheese curds come from Redhead Creamery. You may remember their name from reading Say Cheese, Please. Congratulations to Alise and Lucas for achieving their dream of starting an on-farm, ecologically friendly, cheese plant.

I'll be back in a few days to share a few more July tidbits. Did I mention I also taught Summer school this month? And what about the root beer floats...and  our two building projects on the farm...and the crops we have been harvesting...and...

The end of July also brought the end of National Ice Cream Month, but that doesn't mean the end of eating ice cream! Oh no it doesn't!