ENERGY
Carver County Dairy Day Dinner awards excellence in the industry
By Austen Neaton Staff Writer
The 69th annual Carver County Dairy Day Dinner and Dairy Princess Coronation , which Mid-County Coop sponsors , took place March 25 at the Mayer Community Center .
Each year , the event serves as an opportunity for milk lovers in and around Carver County to meet and discuss their passion for dairy while eating a meal together .
Several awards are presented at the annual get-together , and attendees are also introduced to the county ’ s dairy princesses for the year .
Crowning 2023 Carver County Dairy Princesses
Each year at the Dairy Day Dinner , the county dairy princess coronation also takes place . The new and returning dairy princesses receive their yearly crowns during the coronation .
It also serves as an opportunity for the princesses to introduce themselves to the community . In addition , dairy princesses act as ambassadors for the dairy industry within the county . Each eventually has the chance to one day become Princess Kay of the Milky Way , the goodwill ambassador for dairy farmers across the state .
This year , Carver County has seven dairy princesses .
2023 princesses are :
• Amber Brueggemeier of Carver
• Greta Feist of Cologne
• Holly Feist of Cologne
• Bela Karels of NYA
• Hannah Olson of Mayer
• Jessica Tober of NYA
• Cadee Vinkemeier of NYA
Hoen Feist Scholarship
Every year , Dairy Princesses that are high school seniors or older and plan to attend college are eligible to apply for the Theresa Hoen Feist Memorial Scholarship .
The $ 500 scholarship can be awarded to an individual or individuals that the committee selects .
Greta Feist and Bela Karels were this year ’ s scholarship recipients and will both receive $ 500 .
Awards
Several annual awards were presented at the Dairy Day Dinner to dairy farmers and producers from Carver County for 2022 .
The Farm Bureau High Herd Award is given by the Dairy Herd Improvement Association ( DHIA ) to the Carver County dairy farm with the highest amount of milk and dairy components , such as butterfat and protein , produced by their herd of cows . Membership in the DHIA is required to win the award .
The Farm Bureau High Herd Award winners were Leonard Hoen Jr . and Steve Hoen of NYA .
The University of Minnesota Extension presents the Carver County Farm Family Award , awarded to a family active in the community and agriculture . The family does not necessarily have to own or operate a dairy farm themselves to be eligible for the award .
The 2022 Carver County Farm Family Award winners were the Harlan and Jan Kugath family members located in Cologne . Mike Kugath , next generation owner , accepted the award on behalf of the family .
Four awards were presented by the American Dairy Association ( ADA ) at the event .
The first was the Friend of Dairy Award , which is given to a business or person that is not necessarily a farmer themselves , but rather they do a lot of promotion for dairy farming and dairy foods .
The award is also known as the Milk Pitcher Award , and it was won by Heger Dairy , a milk distributor based in Chaska .
The second award was the Golden Butterknife Award , which is given to a restaurant that features many dairy items on its menu . Bongard Creameries won this .
The third award given by ADA was the Senior Dairyman Award , which is given to an older dairyman that is either still farming or recently retired . This award was won by Tom Luebke , who owns and operates Edgewater Meadows Dairy near Mayer .
The final ADA award given out was the Farm Woman Award , given to a woman involved with farm operations . Their involvement can take place on their family farm or as an employee of another dairy farm .
This award was won by Tom ’ s wife , Jody Luebke , who operates Edgewater Meadows Dairy alongside her husband .
Photo by Austen Neaton
Master of Ceremonies Tim Litfin welcomes the crowd of dairy enthusiasts to the 2023 Dairy Day Dinner .
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Photo by Austen Neaton
Edgewater Meadows Dairy owners Tom and Jody Luebke were awarded the ADA Senior Dairyman and Farm Woman Awards for their work on their farm .
Photo by Austen Neaton
2023 Carver County Dairy Princesses Hannah Olson , Bela Karels , Amber Brueggemeier , Cadee Vinkemeier , and Greta Feist pose with their new crowns .
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