The Dairy Princess Banquet :)

Miss Meridian, Genevieve Nutting, (also a former MIOT) invited me to yesterday evening's Dairy Princess Banquet at the Hampton in Meridian. When I found out about this, I was immediately fascinated... I mean who wouldn't want to go check out a Dairy Princess Banquet??! This is an annual ceremony put on by the United Dairymen of Idaho as a part of Meridian Dairy Days! I did not know what to expect at all, and found out that it was much different than any other pageants I have ever gone to. There were a total of 12 girls, 8 competing for Senior Dairy Princess and 4 competing in the Junior category. Each girl gave a well planned out and rehearsed presentation about the dairy industry and why they would be a good representative for Idaho's Dairy Farmers. Some girls even made cooking presentations! There was one girl named Becky that was actually from my good-old hometown of Marsing... it was a nice reunion:) She did her presentation on how to dunk an Oreo Cookie into a glass of milk! The girls also had to give an answer to an onstage question... I know how that is, I even felt the nerves for them but sent them good vibes:) When we were awaiting the results, the hostess of the evening had Genevieve and I come up and get interviewed! It was my very first time-filler interview and I was a little nervous at first but was immediately calmed down when I realized that there was no need to have nerves at all. I was even able to talk about my platform of Healthy Girls Today, Healthy Women Tomorrow and how that tied in with getting your 3-a-day of dairy! In the end, the adorable Miss Courtney Pape from Kuna won Jr. Princess and the beautiful Miss Lauren Clark of Meridian won Sr. Princess!! Yay! All the girls that night were wearing gorgeous gowns and gave fabulous presentations. I really enjoyed seeing the products of the hard work these girls put into this competition and into their educations. These are smart and driven young women who are doing big things for Idaho. I learned a lot about the dairy industry, the products they produce, and how to judge a healthy cow from an unhealthy one. I have been going to county fairs for years and used to attend 4-H meetings with my brother Trent and never did I learn as much as about cows as I did last night. Where I live, in Marsing, there are many dairies surrounding me and it is always fun to take my friends and family from other parts of the state or country to visit these amazing establishments. The United Dairymen of Idaho do a lot for the youth of Idaho, making several scholarships. The most prestigious scholarship being the Distinguished Student of the Year Award. The Dairy industry is the #1 industry in Idaho and Idaho is #4 in the nation for dairy business! As Idahoans we I feel it is very important that we learn about all that the dairy industry does for us, in both our education and our health. We should not only celebrate this during Meridian Dairy Days but every day as we are getting our 3-a-day!

Your Friend,

Katy