ALBANY, Minn. – Gripping the halter of her first show calf, Hopscotch, Hailey Frericks stepped into the show ring for the first time and instantly fell in love. At the tender age of 6, Frericks decided dairy was a passion she would pursue.
“My involvement in dairy was completely my choice,” Frericks said. “I couldn’t just walk out my front door and see cows. I had to make the effort to go to a farm to see them.”
Frericks’ decision as a young girl has led her to advocate for the dairy industry as a county dairy princess and now as a Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalist. She will be competing against nine other women from across the state of Minnesota, including her identical twin sister, Kallie Frericks, for the title of 69th Princess Kay of the Milky Way.
Frericks, the daughter of Steve and Tammy Frericks, hails from Stearns County near Albany.
The 19-year-old grew up immersing herself in the dairy industry despite not growing up on a farm herself. She began leasing cattle for 4-H to show at the county fair and state fair. To learn more about the dairy project beyond the show ring, she became involved in the Stearns County dairy judging and project bowl teams.
Showing at the Minnesota State Fair and watching the Princess Kay coronation on the eve of the state fair every year inspired Frericks to run for Princess Kay and represent Minnesota’s dairy industry as the state’s goodwill ambassador.
“Year after year, I would go to the coordination and go to the butter booth to see the sculptures of the finalists,” Frericks said. “I knew I wanted to be one of the finalists and ultimately would like to be Princes Kay.”
As Frericks grew older, she expanded her interest in dairy by becoming involved in FFA and the Minnesota Junior Holstein Association. She has served on the MJHA board of directors for the past three years which has encouraged her to show at higher caliber shows like the Minnesota Holstein State Show and even World Dairy Expo.
“Showing has really broadened my exposure to dairy,” Frericks said. “I have met so many incredible people and have been able to really become a part of the dairy community. I am no longer an outsider looking in but an insider looking out.”
The more Frericks became involved in dairy, the more she was passionate about the industry. She decided to become a dairy princess in hopes of using her indirect connection to dairy as a way of relating to consumers.
“I have a different avenue to dairy, but that allows me to connect with people in different ways,” Frericks said. “My view point is valuable. I can bring new ideas and skills. Being a non-dairy farmer yet still choosing dairy bears a lot of weight with consumers.”
Frericks credits her experiences as a dairy princess in helping her with personal and professional skills she will use in her career.
“I have gained skills like public speaking, confidence, being able to maintain a level of professionalism and much more,” Frericks said.
As Frericks prepares for interviews later this summer, she is busy attending parades and princess events, helping her parents at their family’s strawberry patch, Strawberries Galore and More, showing in her last year of 4-H and interning with the Minnesota Holstein Association.
Frericks is a sophomore at South Dakota State University studying agriculture business and marketing. She is involved in the dairy club where she is the secretary and the new editor of the Dairy Digest.
The advocate enjoys combining her hobbies of graphic design and photography with advocating for dairy. If crowned Princess Kay, Frericks hopes to use her skills to broaden the program’s social media outreach.
“You’re not going to reach everyone face to face,” Frericks said. “Social media allows us to connect with more people than ever and expose us to a new audience.”
With a full summer ahead for Frericks and the chance to represent the state’s dairy industry as Princess Kay, she has come a long way since first stepping into the show ring.
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