Royalty coming to Princess Kay's farm on June 16

By Carol Stender
cstender@agrinews.com

Date Modified: 06/18/2012 2:26 PM

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PIERZ, Minn. —Chuck and Pat Tax will host royalty on their Pierz dairy farm during the Morrison County Breakfast on the Farm on June 16.

Their daughter, Princess Kay of the Milky Way Mary Zahurones, the 2012 Princess Kay finalists and the Benton and Morrison county dairy princesses will greet the public at the event.

During the 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Breakfast on the Farm, visitors will eat pancakes, sausage and scrambled eggs and take rides around the farm.

A shuttle bus will carry visitors from Pierz to the farm, Pat said. The bus riders will see a film featuring Zahurones describing the farm and its operations.

The Pierz Lions Club will prepare breakfast. Cost is $5 and 12-year-olds and younger eat for free.

Hay rack rides through the farmyard include stops at the irrigation system, feed station and barn. Extension educators, nutritionists, veterinarians and farmers will describe the day-to-day activities.

The tour will also include a stop at the Gold'n Plump broiler barn. The Tax family raises around 50,000 birds over a six to six-and-a-half week time period. They have six flocks throughout the year.

Youngsters can take part in a sanctioned pedal tractor pull. Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders will promote the dairy association's "Fuel Up to Play 60" program with a barnyard Olympic course. A corn cob toss, bales to climb over and a fence to crawl under will also be among the activities, Zahurones said.

The Farm Bureau's safety wagon will be on site to focus on farm safety.

Visitors can see and touch livestock at the animal contact area and have their pictures taken with animal cut outs. Youngsters can color farm scenes at the educational center.

"I'm just so excited," said Pat about the event.

The farm has been a great place to grow up, said Zahurones who hopes the public can catch of glimpse of the great lifestyle it provides.

She recalls how the words "barn night" brought excitement to her and her brother, Jake.

"Those words were like magic," Zahurones said.

Barn night was a competition between the two to do their chores as efficiently and quickly as possible. There were rap nights when they made up rap lyrics while feeding cows. On trivia nights Pat, while milking the herd's 61 cows in the tie-stall barn, would quiz the two on current events.

The barn didn't have a radio, Pat said.

The farm was a dream come true for Chuck. He always wanted to milk and had purchased a farm near Genola in 1978 before buying the family's current operation near Pierz a year later.

Pat and Chuck met in 2002 and married. Zahurones was in fourth grade when she came to the farm. Chuck took her and Jake on many farm activities. It wasn't long before they took active roles in the farm's day-to-day life.

The couple added onto the barn in 2002 with a barn cleaner, maternity pen and new ventilation. A year later they added a grain bin system where they custom dry grain.

They farm more than 250 acres and raise soybeans, corn and alfalfa.

Pat grew up on a Mayhew registered Holstein farm. She handles milking while Chuck farms and works with son, Greg, in a flooring business.

Brothers Ron and Paul Grittner work on the farm. Ron takes care of feeding while Paul works at the chicken barn and with the young stock.

They have six children, Greg, Marie, Dave, Nick, Jake and Mary and six grandchildren.

The Morrison County ADA has been instrumental in planning it's second breakfast event. Community groups and area farmers are taking part.