The month of May was a busy one

We were always told that April showers bring May flowers. Well, in my opinion, something must have gotten lost in translation because it seems like a lot of showers this May did not bring many flowers. From what I have seen on my travels this month, it seems like this is true all over Minnesota.

May has been a busy month but also a very fun month. I have officially moved back from college onto the farm for the summer. This is not only good for me to be able to spend some quality time working on the farm with my family, but it also gives me the opportunity to really focus on my Princess Kay opportunities. I am excited to share with you all that I was able to do the month of May as Princess Kay.

I started out the month at Cub Foods in Rochester for their grand opening. At this event I had a great time talking with people at the store, and I was able to help hand out samples of the new blue Star Wars milk. I was even able to try some of it! I was a bit skeptical when it was offered, but it was vanilla flavored and tasty. I think that it is a great way to encourage kids to include dairy in their diet.

The next day I had the opportunity to attend the St. Paul Saints baseball game where I had a radio interview and also threw out the first pitch. I was joined at this event by two Midwest Dairy ambassadors and many of my family members. It was a great way to enjoy a Friday evening this spring.

The next week I presented at Urban Ag Day. At this event I met hundreds of third-grade students from elementary schools in the Twin Cities area. I had a great time at this event. We talked about different dairy foods and why they are good for us. We also identified some tools that we use on our dairy farms to care for our cows. Some of the things that we looked at were a calf bottle, a dip cup and an ear tag. After that, I visited the other stations at Urban Ag Day. It was fun to see how many high school students and different organizations in agriculture were there to make this event possible.

The same week, I attended Forest Lake Ag Day. At this event I helped hand out dairy samples and was able to speak with many of the high school students about dairy. I had a great time getting to know the students and seeing all that the Forest Lake agriculture program had to offer.

After this event I was off to Minneapolis for the Dairy Princess May Leadership Event. I was joined by nearly 40 dairy princesses and ambassadors from all over Minnesota, as well as the Iowa dairy princess. We listened to presenters on a variety of topics who helped us learn how to share our dairy stories with consumers. But I think the best part of the whole weekend was getting to meet so many young women who are also passionate about dairy!

The last couple of weeks have been busy as well with eight events in the last two weeks alone. These events included a visit to Immanuel Lutheran School in Lewiston, the Coborn’s Grocery June Dairy month filming in Sauk Rapids, a visit to Valley View Elementary in Bloomington, a Standing Rock Ranch kindergarten tour in Mora, Bridgewater Elementary Ag Day in Northfield, filming the 4-H Ag Learning Lab with former Princess Kay finalist Kelsey Erf, and the State Fair Milk Run held on the grounds of the Minnesota State Fair.

Although this month has been busy, I stay motivated knowing that when days are long, the dairy farmer’s day is longer. So, thank you for your hard work and for all that you have done to support me as Princess Kay this year.

I am not the only one who would like to thank you all this month. From Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Elementary, Blair said, “Thank you dairy farmers. The milk that you give us is good. We have to thank you because you make us healthy because of the milk you give us, so thank you.”

Another student said, “Thank you for the milk and yogurt food. I really appreciate that you farm.”

The final thank you is from Maci. She said, “Dear Dairy Farmers: Thank you for the milk that me and my healthy family drinks. Thank you very much.”

Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Emma Kuball, serves as the Minnesota dairy community’s goodwill ambassador. Kuball grew up in Waterville, Minnesota, working on her family’s sixth-generation dairy farm. She attends the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, studying agriculture education, and looks forward to becoming an FFA advisor. She enjoys reading, crocheting and baking. Her parents are Nate and Shannon Kuball.

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