Snapshots of my story

When someone says they grew up on a farm, what do you envision?

I envision a little tousle-headed, blonde 3-year-old sitting in a 1990s-era, blue Ford F-250 pickup being babysat by a Statler Brother’s gospel cassette while her family fenced pastures. I envision sisters doing rock guitar in the milkhouse when they were supposed to be feeding calves, or a new mom with a 3-weekold baby in a front pack milking cows. I envision eating sandwiches out of an ice cream bucket while unloading haylage into a bagger. Maybe I envision it all this way because those examples are my stories.

dairy foods, make a successful social media post or feel the audience connect with you as you share a speech.

I am grateful for the opportunity to get back to my roots and continue to be an advocate for dairy as a reporter for Dairy Star.

By Amy Kyllo Staff Writer

Since being Princess Kay, I’ve graduated from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul with a degree in public relations and done internships with the Salvation Army, the Five16 Film Festival, 98.5 KTIS and the city of Edina. Each experience has been different, but each has given me experiences I needed to better give back to the dairy community.

I grew up on my family’s 95-cow dairy farm located near Byron, Minnesota. The farm is a beautiful 400 acres of rolling hills, woods and a river. The hills and river make farming a challenge but the views unbeatable. My farm jobs included feeding calves, milking cows, driving tractor for haylage and other forages, and helping move youngstock and dry cows around on pastures.

My dad, mom, three sisters and I worked together every day on the farm, and I credit the strong relationships I have with them to the hours spent together. My parents homeschooled my sisters and I which t well with our personal operation so we could simultaneously optimize the farm, education and time spent together. We sold our cows in 2020, but I’ll always be grateful for the amazing way I grew up.

The dairy community means so much to me. After high school, I was a county dairy princess for Olmsted County and in 2019 had the enormous privilege of being crowned the 66th Princess Kay of the Milky Way. It was truly an experience of a lifetime and only deepened my respect, love and gratefulness for the work dairy farmers do every day. It’s rewarding to teach little kids about dairy farms and

In my free time, I love laughing at a good comedy video or meme on social media or YouTube. I’m a big people person, so investing time with friends and family is a priority.

I also am a proud auntie to two nieces and one nephew, who are (in my unbiased opinion) some of the cutest little munchkins in the world. I enjoy books, movies, hosting, the Minnesota Twins and cooking in payment for cheerful admiration of what culinary skills I have.

As I begin with Dairy Star, I’m thrilled to be part of sharing the stories of dairy farmers no one else is telling. I am most excited to meet dairy farmers and see their farms. I love how each farm and farmer is unique and count myself lucky to see it all rsthand. I’ll be based out of Plainview, Minnesota, covering the southeast portion of the state.

So, now that I’ve shared my story, what’s your story? What snapshots would you include? Would you tell of midnight nights, the rst time your herd average hit your target goal or about taming the kittens that seem to sprout out of the weeds around the propane tank every year? Whatever your journey, I’m excited to hear your answers as I continue my passion of telling your stories.

Eric Oakes Dakota, Illinois Stephenson County 90 cows

How did you get into farming? I worked on dairy farms growing up and then married a dairy farmer’s’ daughter. Shirley and I met while going to the University of Illinois. After graduation, we moved closer to her parents to help with the farm. We took over in 2011 when we purchased the buildings from her parents so they could retire.

What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? The positive milk price looks to soften a little this next year but should be protable with foreign supply disrupted. The domestic supply should be able to nd a home. Of course, the high input costs and low supply of certain products is always a concern.

What is a recent change you made on your farm and the reason for it? We recently replaced our sand-bedded cow stalls with Mayo Mats. We add straw on top. The cows are doing well on them, and the change has saved us time and money. Also, the straw makes a nice addition with the manure. It makes easier fertilizer application which has been a big advantage over sand bedding or corn stalk fodder. Everyone would agree that fertilizer prices have been high last year and this year.

Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I enjoy working with animals and try to notice all the differences in personalities. This not only helps when working among the cows but allows early recognition of heats and health problems. We