From calves to a crown

MILROY, Minn. — A lack of a milking herd did not stop Elizabeth Coudron from being involved in the dairy industry. Along with her four siblings, Coudron raises dairy heifers during the winter months. Elizabeth is also the first in her family to become a Redwood County dairy princess and now a Princess Kay finalist.

Elizabeth is the daughter of Ron and Jennifer Coudron, who sold their herd of 90 Holstein cows in 2012 when Elizabeth was 6. However, the dairy industry remains at the center of her life.

“I did not grow up milking cows my whole life,” Coudron said. “But I still have a love for the industry, and I am so grateful for the experiences that the dairy industry has brought me.”

Dairy farming reaches back in Coudron’s family to her great-great-grandfather.

“I want the opportunity to share my dairy story and the industry in general,” Coudron said. “It’s important because not everybody believes that you can be involved in the dairy industry if your family does not directly milk cows.”

When the Coudron siblings first began custom raising heifers, they accepted young calves and then bottle fed and raised them through breeding age for Maas Dairy. Today, the Coudrons raise heifers for D & S Hilltop Dairy. The heifers arrive after weaning in the fall and remain on the farm until spring, when they return to pasture.

“My duties are the daily care and management of the calves that we raise,” Coudron said. “That includes feeding them, checking for health and maintaining clean, comfortable housing.”

Coudron and her siblings also grew up showing dairy cattle for 4-H. They leased heifers from family friends to remain active in the dairy project.

Coudron has completed her sophomore year at South Dakota State University, where she is majoring in animal science and agricultural science with minors in marketing and agricultural business. This summer she is serving as the marketing and communications intern for First District Association, a role she hopes will prepare her for a future career in agricultural communications.

“I want to work in marketing communications at an agricultural company, preferably dairy,” Coudron said.

For the past few years, Coudron has been her county’s only dairy princess, but this year, two other girls are serving with her. She said she remembers looking up to a Redwood County dairy princess as a child and hopes to inspire today’s young dairy enthusiasts in the same way.

“I like interacting with kids,” Coudron said. “They are so excited to see a princess, especially young girls. I relate to that because that was me when I was younger.”

Coudron and most of her family watched the finalist announcement livestream together at home. As the finalists were being announced, she was excited that a close friend was selected. Moments later, she realized her own biography was being described.

“They mentioned, ‘Ice cream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream,’” Coudron said. “I had written about how my roommates and I like to go on sweet treat runs after long days of class, so I knew it was me. Honestly, the tears started coming. I was so excited.”

Coudron said becoming a Princess Kay finalist came as a complete surprise.

“I didn’t think it was real at first,” Coudron said. “I was so incredibly excited and grateful.”

If crowned Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Coudron plans to focus on helping consumers better understand the people behind dairy products.

“My main message is that 97% of dairy farms are family owned,” Coudron said. “I want people to know the families that are behind the dairy products that are on their table every day.”

Coudron believes farmers are more similar to consumers, than people realize.

“I want people to know that agriculture is relatable and that it is people just like them producing the products they enjoy every day,” she said.