Stearns County trio advances together

Standing in the kitchen, Daisy Zimmermann, her parents, Mike and Lori, and little sister, Tina, gathered around Mike’s phone listening closely to each word Malorie Thorson, Princess Kay of the Milky Way, spoke. Thorson was describing each of the top 10 Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalists.

“I was like, ‘Oh my god, that is me,’” Zimmermann said. “Then Princess Kay finished my description and I started crying. My mom asked if I was OK and I said through the tears, ‘I’m a Princess Kay finalist.’ I was just so happy and so surprised.”

The finalists were announced May 17 via Princess Kay’s Facebook page. Of the 10 finalists, three were from Stearns County: Zimmermann, Isabella Schiffler and Jaiden Smith.

“I was ecstatic to hear that Jaiden and Isabella were also named finalists,” Zimmermann said. “We all rode down together and we were all teasing each other, saying, ‘You are going to make finalist, no, you are going to make finalist’ so to have all three of us be named finalists is pretty special.”

Schiffler agreed.

“Before the judging we said to each other, ‘You know what guys, we just have to give it our all and be confident in there,’” Schiffler said. “We are all very grateful that we all got it and that we are able to go through the process together.

Dozens of county dairy princesses attended the May Leadership Event May 15-16 in the Twin Cities. During the course of the day, dairy princesses from across the state had the opportunity to compete for the top 10 finalists, who will compete again for the title of Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

Over the course of the two days, county dairy princesses participated in workshops and heard from keynote speakers about sharing their dairy story with consumers. Along with the workshops and sessions, some of the young ladies participated in interviews and gave speeches to compete for the chance to run for the title of Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

2026 finalist, Schiffler, said the day went smoothly.

“The workshops were really helpful,” she said. “I was really nervous and anxious leading up to it, but after it was over, I felt pretty good about how it went, although there were a lot of other strong candidates there.”

For the princesses who chose to compete in the judging process, they were judged in a mock media interview and a professional interview and gave a speech.

“I was a little nervous going in, but once I was in the room, I really didn’t think it was that bad,” Smith said. “I actually really enjoyed it. The judges were super nice and it felt like you were talking to a friend.”

In addition to Zimmermann the other top 10 finalists for the 73rd Princess Kay of the Milky Way are Kalley Christen of Lester Prairie, representing McLeod County, daughter of Keith and Angela Christen; Elizabeth Coudron of Milroy, representing Redwood County, daughter of Ron and Jennifer Coudron; Stephanie Dykstra of Bigelow, representing Nobles County, daughter of Steve and Ester Dykstra; Claudia Frenchick of St. Martin, representing Meeker County, daughter of Amanda Frenchick; Jena Hanson of Owatonna, representing Steele County, daughter of Steve and Suzie Hanson; Morgan Morrow of Princeton, representing Benton County, daughter of James and Tina Morrow; Isabella Schiffler of Albany, representing Stearns County, daughter of John and Kristie Schiffler; Gracie Sellner of Sleepy Eye, representing Brown County, daughter of Loran and Heidi Sellner; Jaiden Smith of Melrose, representing Stearns County, daughter of Jeremy and Emily Smith.

The 73rd Princess Kay of the Milky Way will be crowned Aug. 26 at the Minnesota State Fair Bandshell Stage on the eve of the Minnesota State Fair.

Schiffler, who grew up on her family’s 260-cow farm, Schiffler Dairy near Albany, said being named a finalist is a dream come true.

“I’ve been going to the state fair ever since seventh grade to watch the coronation,” Schiffler said. “Seeing the girls walk across the stage and watching one of them being crowned became a highlight. I never thought that, one day, it could be me.”

Smith, who grew up on her family’s 45-cow dairy near Melrose, said dairy princesses play an important role in the industry.

“Through the dairy princess program, I can be an advocate for farmers to help correct misunderstandings and promote the benefits of dairy in our daily lives,” Smith said.

Zimmermann helps on her family’s 125-cow dairy near Sauk Centre and was not familiar with the dairy princess program until a few years ago. Once Zimmermann learned about the program, she knew this was something she wanted to pursue.

“I love advocating for the dairy industry,” Zimmermann said. “The more I learned about the program, the more I wanted to be a Princess Kay, a finalist, or even just a county dairy princess, so that I can advocate for the dairy industry.”