Filled with anticipation

Malorie Thorson, 72nd Princess Kay of the Milky Way

Matt Addington/Midwest Dairy

Happy March, everyone. In my opinion, February went by in the blink of an eye. Now, I do realize that February is the shortest month of the year; however, that is not the reason I believe it flew by. Throughout this past month, I always had a Princess Kay event I could look forward to, which is a different feeling of anticipation compared to previous years.

Before Princess Kay, my February was marked by slightly above zero temperatures, slightly longer days and a kickstart to spring. When the soil starts to slowly thaw, so do the dairy farmers. As a community, we change our perspective from preparation to anticipation as we pull out the planter to dust off or start researching what the soil needs. On my farm, I saw this change in perspective mostly in my grandfather. He would spend his days moving manure to our stacking slab so it was easy to access when it was time to apply it to the fields. Additionally, he always called my father and asked for daily updates on machine maintenance, seed varieties, crop rotations and so much more.

Advocacy in action

My grandfather’s anticipation creates a sense of productivity on the farm that I have learned to appreciate over the past couple of years. As I looked at my calendar this past month, I was filled with anticipation for all the school visits and interactions that were to come. The anticipation turned into action as I visited Hancock School during the second week of February. During this all-day event, I was able to present about dairy to preschoolers all the way up to high school students. Whether that was done by reading a book, playing quiz-based games or creating a cow’s diet, it was a full day of fun and applicable learning to students of all ages. It was also amazing to see the classrooms participate in an “adopt a calf” program, as it helped the students connect to the topics I was presenting.

The following week, I was provided the opportunity to celebrate February as “I love to read month” with my favorite dairy novels. At the beginning of the week, I joined Minnesota Ag in the Classroom for their virtual farm and food book month. After reading “Tales of the Dairy Godmother,” students from classrooms all across Minnesota asked me a variety of questions. One of the favorites that stuck out to me was a student asking me what dairy farmers do with milk that has been treated with antibiotics. It was an amazing question that I happily clarified.

Toward the end of the week, I traveled to Eagan to read “Click, Clack, MOO” to four kindergarten classrooms and showed them on-the-farm artifacts. I also visited students in the lunchroom while handing out stickers and asking them how they incorporate dairy in their diet. To no surprise, the most loved dairy product was cheese, and they like having it as a snack after school.

Finally, to close out February, I visited Tri-City United High School’s agriculture department during National FFA Week. While there, I spoke to three food-focused classes asking them how they can be sustainable when purchasing dairy. I also visited an animal science class about dairy calf and cow care. To end my visit, I helped pass out ice cream alongside the chapter FFA members during their lunch period. My Tri-City United visit not only served as a close connection but also a way to showcase how agriculture organizations are connected with schools and the surrounding community, including dairy farmers.

As I look back and reflect on the month of anticipation for all the school visits, I am reminded of my grandfather, the man who turned his anticipation into action so he could better serve the people and community around us. It’s a lesson I will never forget. As we start anticipating the weather and acting on our equipment or soil, we are cultivating a community within the soil and the classrooms.

Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Malorie Thorson, serves as the Minnesota dairy community’s goodwill ambassador. Malorie grew up in Waverly, Minnesota. She attends South Dakota State University majoring in Dairy Production with plans to return to her family farm as the sixth generation. Malorie loves trying out new recipes and baking, swing dancing, reading, and spending quality time with her family during early morning milking shifts. Her parents are Andrew and Colette Thorson.

Princess Kay is active doing school visits and events representing dairy farmers, and sharing the importance of dairy farming and dairy foods at appearances across Minnesota.