A dream come true, thanks to you

One year ago, I stood on the stage on the evening before the opening day of the Minnesota State Fair along with nine incredible dairy women about to start a journey that I had dreamed about for my entire life. Our first adventure was battling the heat of the 12 days of the state fair together. Cheering each other on as we each stepped into the butter booth to have our iconic butter sculptures completed and laughing with each other after each day at the fair will always be happy memories for me. This has been a year of amazing experiences and stories that I will remember for a lifetime. For example, when I met one of the coolest Kindergarten teachers at Lake City elementary or when I celebrated the 75th anniversary of  Dairy Queen that invented the dilly bar.

Throughout my days as Princess Kay there were many stories that I collected from past Princess Kays. One of my favorites was told to me at the state fair by a granddaughter of a past Princess Kay. She said that her grandmother took a calf with her to visit the president in the White House. She showed me the picture of her grandmother leading a calf up onto an airplane.

When I met Princess Kay six at Adams Dairy Days, she shared some of her experiences as Princess Kay. In fact, she was so busy promoting dairy that she took an airplane from an event in southern Minnesota to one in northern Minnesota. The Princess Kay program has changed throughout the years, and also consumers’ perception of dairy throughout Minnesota and the world. Princess Kay number one visited France to boost dairy sales, and Princess Kay 48 advocated for a Princess Kay finalists’ orientation in July so the finalists could get to know each other and prepare for their state fair appearances.

I have been so lucky to have spent the year following in the footsteps of all the Princess Kays that have come before me and also make my own unique mark on the program. As I transition into the role of cheerleader for Princess Kay 71, I will again look at the women who have come before me and how they support the Princess Kay program. I vow to continue advocating for the dairy community just as the past Princess Kays of the Milky Way continue to do.

Finally, I have so many to thank for serving as your 70th Princess Kay of the Milky Way. First, thank you to all of the Midwest Dairy Staff that I have had the honor of working with this year, but especially Jenna Davis and more recently Shannon Watrin. Thank you for listening to my crazy ideas and adjusting them to be more workable and impactful than I could have ever imagined. A huge thank you goes to my amazing coordinator Janet Bremer. Thank you for organizing all my events and the event details this year and also for always being there for me both as Princess Kay and as a friend.

Of course, thank you to all the dairy farmers in Minnesota. You are what kept me motivated. Thinking of everything that you do for us is nothing short of amazing. I wanted to represent dairy farmers both in the stories that I shared and also my attitude. I wanted to display the work ethic, dedication, and passion that you also live by every day.

Last but not least, I send a huge thank you to my family. Thank you for being there for me this year. To my grandmas, thank you for being my cheerleaders. To my sister Kelsey, thank you for helping me navigate events in the Twin Cities and for always cheering me on through my events.

To my brother Keegan, thank you for encouraging me to be my best in everything that I do. Mom, thank you for always listening to me talk through my ideas, and also coming with me to events this year. You have taught me to be a strong woman who represents the dairy community well. Dad, thank you for teaching me all that there is to know about dairy. I will always love the time that we spend in the barn together and also seeing you have as much fun at the events that you attended with me. You have shown me what it looks like to truly love dairy farming.

As my reign as Princess Kay number 70 comes to an end, and another young woman’s dream of becoming Minnesota’s dairy goodwill ambassador comes true, please encourage and welcome our soon-to-be-named 71st Princess Kay of the Milky Way. She has a wonderful legacy to continue, and that means telling your story — the Minnesota dairy farmer’s story!

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.