Nicollet County princess is a Princess Kay finalist
By Janet Kubat Willette
jkubat@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 08/09/2010 3:29 PM
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NICOLLET, Minn. — Ashley Swenson told herself she wouldn't be emotional when the Princess Kay finalists were announced.
But her stomach got all jittery when the emcee read the activities of the seventh Princess Kay finalist and she broke out in tears.
"It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience," said Swenson, 18, a Nicollet County dairy princess and 2010 Princess Kay finalist.
She is the fifth Nicollet County dairy princess in her family and the first Princess Kay finalist.
This is Swenson's second year as a Nicollet County dairy princess, but it's the first year she ran for a finalist slot. She was a Nicollet County dairy ambassador for three years prior to becoming a princess.
Dairy ambassadors go through the same training as princesses and help at events, Swenson said.
Those events include handing out dairy products at customer appreciation events at businesses, giving out samples at grocery stores and riding in parades.
Little girls in grocery carts will shout "it's a princess" when they see her in crown and sash, which generally attracts parents to come up and visit with her. Talking with people she doesn't know comes easy for her, Swenson said.
Her favorite activity thus far has been visiting libraries. She'll lug in her gray tote filled with posters, pencils, coloring books, a calf bottle, balling gun and bags filled with samples of cow feed. She'll read "Extra Cheese Please," and many times she'll make butter with the children. It's always a good opportunity for children and parents alike to ask questions, Swenson said. The giveaways remind the young people of the visit, making it more than a one-day experience, she said.
Swenson, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota, was recently accepted into the U of M VetFAST program. The program fast tracks students who want to be veterinarians. Swenson hopes to be a large animal veterinarian. She credits her family's farm veterinarians for sparking her interest in a veterinary career.
Swenson's home farm is Forest-Lawn Holsteins, the oldest registered Holstein herd in the state. The family celebrated 125 years of registered Holsteins on July 17 with a community Breakfast on the Farm, a milking contest and a Minnesota Holstein Association field day. About 700 people visited the farm that day, she said.
Her great-great-great grandfather Swen Swenson Junior bought the family's first registered Holstein in 1885 from a cattle company in Iowa. The family now has 200 registered milking Holsteins.
Swenson helps milk, feed calves and bed cattle. She is a certified artificial insemination technician. The family has one full-time employee and three part-time employees. They milk twice a day, at 4:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Forest-Lawn Holsteins has two bulls that are proven in artificial insemination studs. The family also sells breeding stock. Some of their best genetics were sold at a July 17 sale on the farm, Swenson said.
She and her older brother, Christopher, have introduced Brown Swiss to the herd. The two of them own 12 head.
Swenson will be showing Brown Swiss and Holsteins at the Nicollet County Fair, Aug. 11-15. She doesn't know if she'll be showing at the state fair. If she is named Princess Kay on Aug. 25, the night before the state fair opens, she won't have time to show.
"We're hoping I don't get to show," Swenson said, smiling.
Being Princess Kay goes beyond a crown and sash, she said. It's about reaching out to little girls in grocery carts and their mothers. It's about answering questions from consumers. It's about representing the dairy industry wherever one is.
Swenson spent three weeks studying abroad in Italy and found herself talking about dairy products there.
"People are interested, they are curious," Swenson said.
Princess Kay crown or not, Swenson will celebrate her 19th birthday at the Minnesota State Fair on Aug. 26. She's celebrated her birthday at the fair ever since she was old enough to earn a trip. Her family brings cake and celebrates with everyone from the county.