Sign up for our Newsletter
Dairy St r Milk Break
Email andrea.b@dairystar.com to sign up.
DAIRY ST R
August 22, 2020
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 22, No. 13
Connelly crowned 67th Princess Kay
Customized calf care
Evers family builds barn with individual, group pens By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Brenna Connelly, 19, is crowned the 67th Princess Kay of the Milky Aug. 12.
Byron woman takes royalty role as Minnesota tradition continues despite pandemic By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
ST. PAUL, Minn. – While 2020 has not had many shining moments, one recent bright spot for dairy farmers has been the ability to carry on Minnesota’s tradition of crowning a new Princess Kay of the Milky Way. The evening of Aug. 12 during a limited capacity banquet due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, Brenna Connelly, representing Olmsted County, became the newly crowned 67th Princess Kay of the Milky Way. The 19-year-old University of Minnesota student is the daughter Craig and Heather Connelly from Byron. “When (outgoing Princess Kay Amy Kyllo) placed that crown on my head, I knew all the hard work and dedication and all my years spreading my passion for the dairy community has nally come to this moment where I get to share my story with the whole state of Minnesota,” Connelly said. Runners up included Emily Benrud representing Goodhue County and Maggie Molitor representing Stearns County. Katherine Maus representing Stearns County along with Benrud and Connelly were named scholarship winners. Molitor was also named Miss Congeniality. “This crowning means I get to share my unique story,” Connelly said. “I’m excited to travel our state, meet people and connect with them.”
Turn to PRINCESS KAY | Page 5
KELLOGG, Minn. – After the Evers family toured other calf facilities for ideas while in the planning stage for their upgrade, they realized none of the barns were exact matches of what they wanted to build. So, they decided to design their own. Since February 2019, the Evers family has been using a custom-built barn for calves up to 10 weeks for their dairy, which milks 2,900 cows on two farmsites near Kellogg. The 70by-350 facility can hold up to 430 calves when full. At
KRISTA KUZMA/ DAIRY STAR
Sisters – (from le�) Shaylah Schouweiler, Jessica Evers and Allie Evers – stand in the calf barn on their family’s dairy near Kellogg, Minnesota. The family moved calves into the new facilTurn to EVERSES | Page 6 ity February 2019.
Derecho storm leaves destruction on Iowa dairies By Sherry Newell Contributing Writer
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Silo damage is among the challenges faced by Schanbacher Acres of Atkins, Iowa, a�er the derecho storm Aug. 10 in Iowa. Feedstuffs in the silos could no longer be used and bags holding haylage were damaged by debris.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – A derecho, a long-lived straight-lined wind storm that is often referred to as an inland hurricane, caused $14 million destruction in Iowa crops that headlined the news surrounding the unusual storm that developed in Iowa and crossed the Midwest Aug. 10. But dairy farm buildings and animals were also caught in the path of the winds the National Weather Service estimated as high as 130 mph. A half-dozen or more dairy farms near Cedar Rapids, one of the hardest-hit cities, suffered damage that in some cases meant moving cows to other farms. Dairies across the state were without power, some for a few days and others more than a week. Cell phone service and broadband was down, causing difculty reaching family, employees, electricians and other critical help. “I bet it blew for 50 minutes or at over 80 mph with gusts well over 100 mph,”
Turn to DERECHO | Page 10