Annexstad, who was named Princess Kay of the Milky Way at the Minnesota State Fair, was feted at an open house. The Nicollet County Dairy Association hosted the open house at Johnson Hall on the Nicollet County Fairgrounds.
“The dairy farmers of Nicollet County are proud to see Emily Annexstad as Princess Kay,” Matt Herberg, president of the association said. “We know she’ll do a terrific job promoting dairy.”
Annexstad, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota, is studying animal science and agricultural communications and marketing. She grew up on the family dairy farm a few miles outside of St. Peter. She graduated from St. Peter High School in 2016.
“I was super excited,” Annexstad said at being named. “I remembered going to the fair and seeing the butter sculptures, so it is really cool to be Princess Kay myself.”
Poised and eloquent, Annexstad looks forward to talking about all things dairy.
“At the fair, people would come up and ask about my farm story and I look forward to taking advantage of those opportunities,” she said.
Over the next year, she’ll visit classrooms and events, touting the benefits of dairy agriculture and dairy products.
Farmers appreciate the promotion of Princess Kay, which is organized by Midwest Dairy Association. The association is funded by a portion of 15 cents from every 100 pounds of milk they sell. Promotion is a priority through thick and thin. This year, dairy farmers in the Midwest have been faced with low milk prices, difficulty finding labor and milk surpluses.
Michele Schroeder, who coordinated the county dairy princess program for eight years through 2014, organized the open house with a few others.
“I think it brings excitement for local dairy producers,” she said about having the state notoriety that comes with a local Princess Kay.
Nicollet County has had one previous Princess Kay, Barbara Bianchi Clayton, in 1984.
“People are just used to seeing them,” Schroeder said. “It’s somewhat of an icon. It’s unique to the Midwest.”
The community-wide celebration was obvious on Sunday, as farmers, classmates, coaches, family and friends ate cake and ice cream and chatted with Annexstad.
For her part, Annexstad credited her parents and others who have taught and encouraged her through 4-H, dairy judging and other activities.
“The saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ is definitely true in my experience,” she said. “There are a lot of people who have helped me and given me courage.”
Parents Jean and Rolf Annexstad said Emily was always involved, as their families had been, in agricultural organizations. And everything from school sports and speech to 4-H and FFA prepared Emily for being Princess Kay.
Jean said, “For her to put in the hard work and have a dream come true is a special thing. It would not be possible without the support of all her friends in the community.”
Rolf said the local dairy community «may be energized and excited» because of Emily’s title.
«It’s fun to have a local person win,» he said.
For them, too, it was fun to see her crowned. They’ve watched her show animals at the county fair since age 6 and at the State Fair since sixth grade. As county dairy princess, she visited elementary schools and read stories and talked about life on the farm. Now, she’ll travel a little farther afield.
“It has always been a goal of hers to be a finalist,” Rolf said. “We are proud of the hard work that had to be put in and for her to achieve that goal is just the icing on the cake.”
Source: Southernminn
Link: http://www.southernminn.com/st_peter_herald/news/article_b40f8d1d-96fc-548b-9fc6-f7dcc3148b26.html
