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Dairy St r Milk Break

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August 24, 2024

“All dairy, all the time”™

Volume 26, No. 13

Blue is for Visser crowned 71st Princess Kay dairy memories Minnesota industry welcomes new representative By Amy Kyllo

amy.k@star-pub.com

AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR

Ethan Neumann holds a photo of his parents and him as an infant outside the barn Aug. 15 on his family’s farm near Plainview, Minnesota. Each year, Neumann buys a ribbon at the blue ribbon aucƟon at the Wabasha County Fair in honor of his dad, Jared, who passed away at the age of 25 when Neumann was a baby.

Neumann buys ribbon in honor of late father at 4-H auction

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — If newly-crowned Princess Kay of the Milky Way Rachel Visser could have just one dairy product for the rest of her life, she would choose butter. Visser will be immersed in churned cream as her likeness is sculpted the rst two days of the Minnesota State Fair into 90 pounds of her favorite dairy product. “(Being Princess Kay) is super exciting,” Visser said. “It almost doesn’t feel real, but I’m so excited for the next 12 days at the state fair Turn to PRINCESS KAY | Page 7

AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR

A crown is placed on the head of Rachel Visser as she stands between KaƟe Ketchum (leŌ) and Grace Woitalla (right) Aug. 21 at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Visser was crowned the 71st Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

ConnecƟng consumers to dairy The Millers host Family Night on the Farm By Amy Kyllo

By Amy Kyllo

amy.k@star-pub.com

PLAINVIEW, Minn. — For Ethan Neumann, the Wabasha County 4-H and FFA blue ribbon auction is a place where he honors his late dad, Jared Neumann, with a purchase of a ribbon alongside his grandma, Roxann Neumann. “It’s just something to do in memory of Dad, since he always liked to give back,” Neumann said. The 17-year-old will be a senior in high school at Plainview-ElginMillville this fall. Neumann helps on the farm alongside his mom, Amanda Bedtke, and his stepdad, Adam Bedtke. The Bedtkes milk 50-70 cows on their organic dairy farm. They also farm 175 tillable acres plus 75 pasture acres. They grow rye, corn, hay and oats. Turn to NEUMANN | Page 6

LEWISTON, Minn. — Flanked by bunkers and bags of silage, attendees of Family Night on the Farm walked onto the Miller family’s Winona County farm site with the faint, sweet smell of silage in their noses. Miller’s Clear Crest Farm, located near Lewiston, hosted the community event Aug. 8. The Miller family — Pat, Robb and Kathryn, Luke and Amie, Bradley and Lilly, Ella Miller, Janae Salvetti and Gavin Salvetti — milks 700 cows three times a day in a rotary parlor. This was the rst time the family had hosted the event. “At the end of the day, not everybody gets to see a cow get milked,” Luke Miller said. AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR

AƩendees of Family Night on the Farm watch the rotary parlor Aug. 8 at Miller’s Clear Crest Farm near Lewiston, Minnesota. The Miller family milks 700 cows.

Turn to MILLERS | Page 2