Spreading knowledge about dairy

BIGELOW, Minn. — Stephanie Dykstra knows the importance of educating people about the dairy industry, a responsibility she takes seriously as a Nobles County dairy princess.

“We don’t have a lot of dairies in our county, so when I was running for dairy princess, I was the only one at the time,” Dykstra said. “Prior to me being a dairy princess, there were a few more — my older sister being one of them, so I’m following in her footsteps in a way.”

Dykstra, the daughter of Steve and Esther Dykstra, was selected as a Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalist. While growing up on her family’s dairy farm, she lived and worked alongside her five siblings — Carl, Karen, Trent, Paula and Lanae. The family milks around 330 cows in a double-12 herringbone parlor near Bigelow.

Dykstra first began helping on the farm by feeding and working with calves, a chore she still favors to this day. She continues to help by scraping pens, driving tractors, pushing feed for cows and hauling and bagging alfalfa.

“I just love working with the calves; they’re really cute to see bright and early in the morning,” Dykstra said.

Dykstra has also been active in her county’s 4-H program for the past 11 years. She is currently training several cows and plans to show them at the county fair.

An incoming sophomore at South Dakota State University, Dykstra is majoring in agricultural sciences. She is also minoring in animal sciences, agribusiness marketing, agricultural business and land valuation and rural real estate. After graduation, she hopes to get into land appraisal and rural real estate while still being involved in her family’s dairy.

“I wanted to have a broad degree and learn as much as I can while I’m there,” Dykstra said.

She first became interested in running for Nobles County dairy princess after witnessing her sister, Karen, serve for several years.

“I got to watch her do the parades, interact with people, talk on the radio (and) educate people about the dairy industry, all the dairy products and nutrition, and I thought, ‘This is something I would love to do,’” Dykstra said. “Growing up on a dairy farm, it’s important to share my story of how farmers care about what they do and share it with people who want to know more or have maybe not heard about it.”

Dykstra has been a county dairy princess for three years, with this being her first run for Princess Kay. She was encouraged to run by several individuals in her community, including Deb Vander Kooi, the Nobles County Dairy Association’s county princess coordinator.

“My parents are always encouraging me to go after the things I want and pushing me to do big things that you wouldn’t always expect you’d be capable of doing,” she said.

When the 10 finalists were announced, Dykstra was sitting with her family watching the announcement video — all eagerly awaiting as names were called.

“I was just all smiles,” she said. “We saw my name pop up…that was very exciting. It’s an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Dykstra, along with the other finalists, will have her likeness carved into a 90-pound block of butter at the Minnesota State Fair. While plans for use of her butterhead are not yet finalized, Dykstra said she has ideas to host a sweetcorn feed or use the scraps for holiday baking.

She said she would love to give back to the people who have supported her during the journey — people in the industry, in her area and community — in some way, perhaps with a community event.

With only a few weeks until coronation, Dykstra is looking forward to educating others about the dairy industry while learning new lessons and skills.

“There are some misconceptions out there that farmers maybe aren’t dedicated to what they do, or they’re in it for the wrong reasons, and that’s not true,” she said. “Farmers really do care about their animals. Happy cows equal happy farmer.”