Dairy across the world

From school visits to a trip south of the equator, January was a month full of opportunities and new experiences. As Princess Kay, I was excited to attend the First District Association Winter Conference, the Bold and Bright Festival and visit Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Elementary School. Outside of my role as Princess Kay, as a college student, I had the incredible opportunity to take a 6-day trip to Argentina to learn about agriculture in a new region of the world.

I enjoyed seeing many familiar faces at the First District Association conference and hearing from various speakers on nutrition, genetics and current market trends. The Bold and Bright Festival included an outdoor parade in St. Cloud and was a fun way to enjoy the winter weather.

In Dilworth, Minnesota, 700 students from preschool to fourth grade were eager and excited to learn about dairy farms and how their favorite dairy products travel from the farm to their tables. In addition to sharing photos of my time on the farm, reading the students a book about dairy farming, and answering their many questions, I have enjoyed utilizing virtual farm tours during my visits. This is a fun and interactive way to help the students feel like they have visited a dairy farm. For students who may not understand where their food comes from, this is a memorable experience for them and one that sparks their curiosity about the dairy community. The virtual farm tours are on the Midwest Dairy website, and I encourage you to check them out to share with people in your communities.

In between events in January, I was excited to embark on a new adventure as a University of Minnesota student. As an agricultural and food business management student, I am currently participating in a research project through the UMN Department of Applied Economics. This project allows me to explore current market trends in the dairy industry and further understand milk prices. In addition, through the project, I spent some time in Argentina, learning about agriculture in South America and touring Buenos Aires.

During the first three days, we spent time in Trenque Lauquen, a city about five hours west of Buenos Aires. Here, we enjoyed a tour of a 12,000-acre crop and beef farm. Corn, soybeans, wheat and sunflowers are among the most common crops in this central region of Argentina, and in January, the sunflower fields were beautiful.

Following our visit to the rural agricultural area, we headed back into the city of Buenos Aires. Here, we toured the downtown area, the Central Market and La Serenísima, a dairy processing company. The Central Market, the largest fruit and vegetable marketing center in Argentina, and the dairy processing plant were two highlights of the trip. At the processing plant, we learned that the largest importer of dairy products from Argentina is Brazil. The facility that we toured is one of nine La Serenísima plants and produces various kinds of cheese, fluid and powdered milk, butter, and dulce de leche, a milk-based caramel that is common in Latin America. As Princess Kay, I was excited to see “3 lácteos al día” on the wall at the plant which translates to “three dairy products a day.” No matter where we are, there are so many unique ways to consume dairy products, and the goal of producers around the world is the same: to sustainably produce healthy, wholesome dairy products.

As Princess Kay and as a college student, I cannot think of a better time to take part in such a memorable experience to combine my education and love for the dairy community. I cannot wait for the adventures that the coming year holds and am excited for every Princess Kay appearance coming up.

Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Rachel Visser, serves as the Minnesota dairy community’s goodwill ambassador. Rachel grew up in Hutchinson, Minnesota working on a neighboring dairy farm. She attends the University of Minnesota double majoring in Agricultural Food and Business Management and Agricultural Communications and Marketing. Her favorite dairy food is cheese sticks. Her parents are Barry and Shannon Visser. Princess Kay is active doing school visits and events representing dairy farmers, and sharing the importance of dairy farming and dairy foods at appearances across Minnesota.