Farm connections

SAUK RAPIDS, Minn. — Growing up on a dairy farm has led Heidi Montag, a Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalist, to work toward a dream she has had since she was little.

Montag, alongside many dairy princesses across Minnesota, competed May 16 and 17 for a chance to be named one of the 10 Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalists. The results were released May 18 via video on Facebook. To Montag’s surprise, she was named as a finalist.

“I was at work, actually,” Montag said. “I’m a waitress, and when I heard that ‘This finalist likes to recommend cheese curds to her customers,’ I just started sobbing. I gave the chef a hug, and I was crying. It took me a little bit to compose myself.”

Montag is the daughter of Brian and Christa. She works on her family’s dairy farm, where they milk their herd in a 12-swing pit parlor.

“It was super awesome to grow up on my parents’ dairy farm,” Montag said. “I learned a lot about responsibility and hard work and got a really good connection with all my family members, since we all worked together and we had to cooperate, no matter what: rain, shine or snow.”

When Montag was younger, she got the role of counting rags and refilling the teat dipper for her mom and dad as the duo milked cows. Eventually, Montag graduated to feeding calves, and ultimately, in high school, she helped her mom milk cows.

Montag’s dairy ambassador career began at the age of 15. A former county board member reached out to her mom, asking if she would be interested in joining the program. Since that encounter, Montag has been in the princess program for five years — two years as a county ambassador and three years as a county princess.

Growing up, she always saw the Princess Kay of the Milky Way coronation on television and wanted to be a finalist one day, Montag said. But she did not know how to get there, as none of her family had ever been involved in the dairy princess program.

“It was awesome that (the former county board member) reached out, and I’m forever grateful for that,” Montag said.

Montag said in her first year as an ambassador, two of the older girls helped teach her. Since then, Montag has helped younger girls as they start in the program.

Montag said she enjoys going to parades and classrooms to talk to kids about the dairy community. Advocating for dairy farmers also has been important, Montag said.

“I think it’s really cool to see all these family farmers, and I hope that they can continue to be family farmers for generations to come,” Montag said.

During the next couple of months as a Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalist, Montag hopes to enhance her communication with consumers. She also wants to share the importance of dairy farmers to consumers.

“It’s not just an industry,” Montag said. “It’s a whole community. It’s like a family when you’re on the farm, and most farms are family-owned. So, I think it’s cool for me to be able to talk to other people about my family’s farm and our experiences and how it’s such a part of our lives.”

She said she is also hoping to take in the experience, meet new people and build a connection with the other nine finalists who have similar experiences to hers.

Montag just finished her sophomore year at St. Cloud Technical & Community College with an undeclared major. She also participates in her local youth group and is a member of the Benton/Mille Lacs County Farm Bureau Board.

Growing up on a farm, Montag learned about agriculture and cultivated relationships with her family along the way.

“Having a strong connection with my family (was my favorite),” Montag said. “I was working with them every day, so my brothers were my best friends, (along with) my grandpa (and) my par-ents. My family have been my best friends since I can remember because we’ve always been together.”