Dairy royalty grows to 8 princesses

This year’s royalty for Steele County’s dairy industry will feature eight young women as princesses, the highest number in recent years.

The princesses were crowned at the 73^rd annual banquet of the Steele County American Dairy Association held Saturday afternoon at Torey’s Restaurant in Owatonna. They will be representing the dairy industry over the next year at various public events.

Representing Steele County will be six returning princesses as well as two new faces. The returning princesses are Anna Cox, Chloe Garten, Madison Homuth, Madi Murphy, Isabella Schultz and Alix Slater. New to the field this year are Jena Hanson and Adeline Schroht.

Cox, 19, is a sophomore at Harding University where she is seeking a degree in business management. During her high school days in Owatonna, she was involved in cross country, FFA and National Honor Society. She got her start with Cow Camp several years ago and continued to grow with dairy through 4-H. She is the daughter of Andy and Lindsay Cox of Owatonna.

Garten, 19, is currently employed at Birchwood Cottages in Owatonna. She plans to attend college for nursing and take EMT classes, hoping someday to become a registered nurse. During high school, she was a hockey manager, participated in 4-H and took AP level classes. Her favorite accomplishment is winning a grand champion with her cow at state fair. She is the daughter of Joel Garten and Denise and Time Nelson of Owatonna.

New to the group this year is Hanson, 19, who is currently attending the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. In high school, she participated in FFA, 4-H, choir, orchestra and tennis. One of her proudest accomplishments was being the FFA vice president and helping coordinate the 100^th anniversary banquet. She is an intern at Kashome Holsteins by Medford. She is the daughter of Steve and Suzy Hanson of Owatonna.

Another new princess this year is Schroht, 17, a senior at Owatonna High School. She is involved in volleyball, lacrosse and National Honor Society. She grew up on a sixth-generation dairy farm where she has been involved in various farm activities. She plans to attend the College of St. Benedict in fall where she will major in pre-med. Her favorite accomplishment is her research study regarding inequality in healthcare. She is the daughter of Brooke and Kyle Limoseth and Aaron Schroht of Owatonna.

Homuth, 20, is a sophomore at Saint Mary’s University in Winona where she is studying to become a nurse. She belongs to the Green Bandanna Group and is part of the Student Activities committee. She works at Schmity Holsteins where she assists with chores and getting animals ready for show. She also works at Ecumen Brooks as a nursing assistant. She is the daughter of Jon and Casey Homuth.

Murphy, 20, is a sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She participated in showing livestock through 4-H and now Open Class. She lives on the family’s dairy farm where they currently milk 260 cows. She is the proud owner of her own herd of 12 Jerseys. She is most proud of winning grand champion twice at the fair. Her future plans are to get a degree in elementary education. She is the daughter of Kim and Jon Schmidt.

Schultz, 18, is a freshman at University of Mary in North Dakota where she is involved in run club, intramurals, concert choir and bible study. A major accomplishment took place in her senior year at Owatonna when she set personal records during track season. She started with Cow Camp and continued with 4-H. She works at Nelsonway Dairy. She wants to become a licensed occupational therapist. Her parents are Grant and Julie Schultz of Owatonna.

Also returning this year is Slater, 20, who works at Birchwood Cottages and plans to work as a vet tech after completing a degree. Her favorite accomplishment is attaining Intermediate Champion Female at the District Show with her cow, Saige. Her family’s farm has been operating since 1884. She is the daughter of Chris and Andrea Slater of Owatonna.

This year’s junior dairy ambassadors (grades 4-11) include: Claira, Eliza and Penelope Balzer, Emerson and Jada Braund, Ava Cox, Ethan and Isaac Demmer, Emma and Kortney Dempsey, Breanna Dulas, Evan and Lukas Halla, Alexandria Herget, Mackenzie and Olivia Jacobsen, Milo Kasper, Charley Kietzman, Liam Linge, Andy and Cali Nelson, Armand Orfei, August and Weston Schroht, Colin Schultz and Allison, Cameron and Jayden Wencl.

The Dukes and Duchesses (K-3) are Emma Dobberstein, Finley Erdman, Jace Halla, Lucy Kasper, Kenlee Nelson, Devon and Sawyer Sanford, Marlowe Schroht and William Souba.

Several awards were presented during the annual banquet. The Rysavy family of Owatonna received the lifetime award while Gail Zollner of Owatonna picked up the Youth Development Award and Casey Nelson of Ellendale received the Pull Together Award. Times Publisher Rick Bussler was honored with the Milk Pitcher Award.

The scholarship award of $500 went to Madi Murphy.

Jon Schmidt of Owatonna is the chairman of the ADA Board while Casey Nelson serves as vice chair.

This year’s Breakfast on the Farm will be at the Schmity Holsteins near Owatonna on Saturday, June 6. Bus transportation will be provided from both the Steele County Fairgrounds.