Page 14 • Dairy Star •Saturday, May 10, 2014
Nicollet County continued 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 favorite thing to do around the farm is to take care of the baby calves. Even though I am very busy with activities 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 important 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 produce healthy and delicious food for consumers. Farmers 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 nutrients with other foods and beverages not only costs more, it actually adds more calories and fat.
Nobles County
Parents: Bryan Voss and Rebecca Bovee Town: Worthington Tell us about yourself, 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 whatJustyce Voss, 18 ever I can to help out. I am Dairy Star Sponsor: currently attending MinJaycox Implement nesota West Community Worthington, MN College and will continue 507-376-3147 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 important 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 local 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.
Olmsted County
Parents: Tom and Penny Berg Town: Pine Island Tell us about yourself, 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 volunteer 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 labor. Next year, I plan on
Kalley Berg, 18 Dairy Star Sponsor: Land O’Lakes Melrose, MN 320-256-7461
Olmsted County continued
Olmsted County continued
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 children and adults by providing calcium, protein, riboflavin, 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.
Parents: Scott and Tina Culbertson Town: Pine Island Tell us about yourself, 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 Holstein heifers in a specialized show heifer barn. I also help my uncle who Annie Culbertson, milks 45 Registered Hol19 steins in a tie stall barn in Dairy Star Sponsor: a family partnership with Beck Implement my father. I am currently Elgin, MN majoring in agricultural 507-876-2122 education with an emphasis on leadership and communications at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. 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 passion 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 important 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 important. 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 everyday with their wholesome, nutritious, and good tasting products. Farmers promote milk as nature’s most perfect food, and we deliver. Milk, cheese and yogurt 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 Connelly Town: Byron Tell us about yourself, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I’m attending the University of Wisconsin – River Falls where I am pursuing a degree in dairy science with a minor in agricultural business. My family and I own and operate a 100cow Registered Holstein Meghan Connelly, dairy farm just outside of 19 Byron, Minn. We farm Dairy Star Sponsor: a little over 700 acres of Plainview Milk Products corn, beans and hay and Co-op have around 350 head of Plainview, MN livestock total. 507-534-3872 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 animals would not be what it is today if I had not grown up on a dairy farm. Why is being a county dairy princess important 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 educating the public on the dairy industry. Being a dairy princess allows me to continue this tradition by informing 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 further 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: Jerome and Karen Sheehan Town: Rochester Tell us about yourself, the farm you live and/or work on, and your future plans. I am senior at Lourdes High School and will be graduating in May. I plan on attending the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities to major in agricultural education. On my family’s farm, we milk 300 Hol- Ellen Sheehan, 18 steins on two locations. Dairy Star Sponsor: Our farm was started by Plainview Milk Products my grandpa, Jim Sheehan, Co-op and is now owned by my Plainview, MN dad, two uncles, and three 507-534-3872 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 important to you? Being a county dairy princess is im-
Pine County continued on next page