Saturday, June 1, 2024 | Country Acres South • Page 11
Sharing dairy’s journey from
farm to table
CALEDONIA — The same personality trait that makes Miranda Schroeder enjoy accounting also makes her enjoy the dairy community. “I like to work with numbers and I like knowing when everything balances and the step by step,” Schroeder said. “Being able to know the step by step from farm to table ... (and) getting that (information) out there is probably why I have a passion for the dairy community.” Schroeder, who is the daughter of Daniel and Sheila, was named one of the top 10 finalists for Princess Kay of the Milky Way. “A message that I am most adamant about is just saying that dairy is real,” Schroeder said. “It has 13 essential nutrients that help strengthen your bones, your mind and your body. It’s all natural ... there’s nothing to hide.” Finalists were announced via a video which premiered on Princess Kay’s Facebook page on May 12. Schroeder viewed it at a watch party with her family at their house. Schroeder said the fact she is a finalist has not fully sunk in yet. “I was so excited, I was so happy, (so) overjoyed for becoming a finalist,” Schroeder said. Schroeder’s family operates a fifth-generation dairy farm near Caledonia. The Schroeders milk 140 cows and farm 1,500 acres. Schroeder helps on the weekends or as needed, as she is able, around college and other responsibilities. She said her favorite job is bottle-feeding calves.
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Miranda Schroeder smiles May 16 at her family’s dairy farm near Caledonia. Schroeder was named a top 10 finalist for Princess Kay of the Milky Way (Left) Miranda Schroeder (front) and Rebeckah (Schroeder) Marschall (back) prepare milking units for evening milking May 16 at the Schroeders’ dairy farm near Caledonia. Milking cows with her sister is one of Miranda’s favorite memories from the dairy barn.
Schroeder’s dad, uncle Michael, sister Rebeckah (Schroeder) Marschall, and cousin, Carson Bullerman, all work full time on the farm. “I look up to both my dad and my sister and just seeing how hard they work and how much work goes into the food that we make,” Schroeder said. “It makes me very proud to see that not only are they working for the farm and their family but also for the entire community.” Schroeder said some of her favorite memories on the farm are milking cows with her sister. “It’s our time to just talk about our days and just get to catch up with each other,” Schroeder said. “Sometimes life can be really busy and you run, run, run.” Another favorite farm memory was when her dad would wake her and her siblings up early to go see a calf being born. “We’d go over, and just being able to watch life be born is the most amazing thing ever,” Schroeder said. Schroeder, who just
finished her first year of college at Minnesota State College Southeast-Winona Campus, is pursuing a degree in accounting. She plans to return to the greater-Caledonia area and work for an agriculture-based company while potentially assisting with the financials for her family’s dairy farm and occasionally helping with chores. Schroeder said her favorite Houston County dairy princess event was a dairy day camp in May. The event, which was hosted on a Houston County dairy farm, invited fifth graders from across the county to go on a farm tour where they could milk a cow, bottle-feed a calf and see a total mixed ration (TMR) demonstration. They could also participate in games and go through a dairy-themed escape trailer. “All the fifth graders left so happy ... I’m hoping next year we do it again,” Schroeder said. “It was a whirlwind of fun.” Schroeder is the second woman in her family to be a Princess Kay finalist. Her older sister, Marschall, was a finalist in 2020. “She really helped
spark my joy for the dairy community,” Schroeder said. “She’s always proud of everything I do ... she’s probably the best role model.” Schroeder has plans for her 90-pound butter likeness. She will display it next year at her county’s dairy princess banquet. Schroeder and Marschall plan to do a photoshoot with their butter sculptures together. Then, Schroeder said she will enjoy the butter with family and friends during movie nights and in baking.
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2024 Fillmore County
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