Monthly Archives: August 2009

Leak & Spill

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I suppose most people would think that a large envelope with a return address label of New Pig, located on One Pork Avenue, must belong to the resident farm reporter.

The envelope was on my desk when I arrived at work this morning, along with my copy of the National Farmer’s Union News, a press release from Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson, and a lovely little note from the woman I interviewed last week about her century farm (the stationary depicted a lighthouse by the sea … she must like lighthouses too!)

Anyway, I opened the New Pig envelope to find the latest copy of the Leak & Spill Pigalog.

Pigalog? Yes, pigalog!

What do you suppose a pigalog carries?

Well, forget about ordering those steel watering nozzles pigs drink from, a tail docker or ear notcher … you won’t find any here.

As it turns out, the pigalog is filled with products to "help you respond quickly to tough leak and spill problems throughout your facility." There are leak blocker dikes, containment pallets, spill kits, leak diverters and drain blockers, among other things.

It certainly isn’t a pigalog for this farm reporter … although the cartoon pigs promoting products throughout the pigalog were kind of cute. And, with a $49 order to 1-800-HOT-HOGS, I could get a free sporksball (touted as a "dense foam porker that is safe on the field or in the office … the perfect throwable conversation starter.") Hmm, it would look great on my desk next to the little pink piggy cell phone holder I picked up at Minnesota Pork Congress a few years ago!

Maybe if the press guys next door need to place an order (I’m pretty sure this pigalog belongs to them), I can talk them into letting me have the sporksball.

No drooling on your keyboard!

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4-H members from across the region are at the Minnesota State Fair this weekend for the 4-H livestock encampment.

Oh, what fun times those are.

I earned trips to the State Fair several times … back then you could only take one thing, unlike the options available to 4-H youths today.

In my last year of 4-H, I had the choice of taking my needlework, my purebred Saanen dairy goat or my purple-ribbon-winning breeding pen of bronze turkeys.

It should be no surprise that I went with my dairy goat … and it was a good decision. White Haze earned grand champion Saanen senior doe that year. It took 11 years in 4-H and four trips to the State Fair, but I finally earned the coveted trophy … actually, Haze earned it.

Earning a trip to the State Fair was exciting for farm kids like myself. We spent four days at our home away from home … the 4-H Hilton, at the top of the hill on the state fairgrounds in Falcon Heights.

The 4-H Hilton was and still is the dormitory-style living quarters for hundreds of 4-H’ers during the 12 days of the Great Minnesota Get-Together. We had to lug our sleeping bag, pillow and luggage up three flights of stairs to get to one huge room filled with bunk beds that were, back then, stacked three high.

Afraid of heights, I always bargained with other kids from Nobles County to get the bottom bunk. It wasn’t too difficult – most wanted to be sleeping on the second or third tier.

In later years, we stayed at Bailey Hall on the University of Minnesota campus. We were packed four to a room – two kids on beds, two kids on the floor – and no air conditioning! Whether it was the 4-H Hilton or Bailey Hall, we all got a workout on our way to the livestock barns.

Of course, all that walking was a good thing, what with so much delicious fair food eating up our money. In my opinion, you can’t go to the State Fair without having the “About a foot long hot dog,” Sweet Martha’s baked-while-you-wait chocolate chip cookies, Danielson’s onion rings and an order of cheese curds from the Food Building. (I’d suggest not eating all of those in one day unless you’ve packed the Pepcid!)

Oh, I think I’m going to miss not going to the State Fair this year.

I hope all of this food talk hasn’t made you hungry … or made your stomach churn at the sound of all that grease … but I’m going to keep talking about food.

I received an e-mail a few weeks ago from the Minnesota State Fair touting the new food choices available this year … from treats on a stick to the zany and, frankly, not real appetizing-sounding fare. Judge for yourself….

The latest food-on-a-stick additions include Fiddlestix (premium vanilla ice cream hand sliced, skewered, dipped in chocolate and rolled in chopped nuts); foot-long dessert pizza (pizza dough, sweet cream cheese, cinnamon and sugar); the Fry Dog (a french fry encrusted deep-fried hot dog); Texas Steak Dinner on-a-stick; peach-glazed pork cheeks (grilled and marinated in garlic, herbs, spices and honey); and caprese salad (tomato, basil, mozzarella and balsamic vinegar).

What do you think so far? I would probably try the peach-glazed pork cheek or the foot-long dessert pizza, but the deep fried hot dog? No thanks!

New foods not served on a stick include beignets (sweet, fried dough); brat burgers (ground bratwurst patty served on a pretzel roll); breakfast and open-faced grilled Spam sandwiches; deep-fried Norwegian Banana Splits (banana rolled in lefse with ice cream and toppings); funnel cake fries (funnel cakes formed like french fries and served with chocolate dipping sauce); Krumkake (thin, crisp pastry made fresh, rolled into a horn shape and filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit); pot roast sundae (scoop of mashed potatoes covered with roast beef, gravy, corn and a cherry tomato); sunfish filets; the Tornado Potato (a deep-fried spiral cut potato); Swedish meatballs and gravy; and Texas Tater Dogs.

Most of the non-food-on-a-stick options actually sound quite good. I think maybe I’ll try making the pot roast sundae (sans tomato) this weekend at home and enjoy it while thinking about the State Fair.

The new Princess Kay is crowned

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It’s been an extremely busy morning and early afternoon for me, so I haven’t had a chance to post a new blog.

However, the information on the new Princess Kay came to my e-mail at about 11:20 p.m. Wednesday night … too late to get something in today’s paper. The press release is pasted below:

ST. PAUL - Elizabeth Olson, a 19-year-old college student from Hutchinson, was crowned the 56th Princess Kay of the Milky Way in an evening ceremony at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds August 26. This marks the first time two people have been named Princess Kay from the same family; Olson’s sister Sarah was crowned Princess Kay in 2002. Her other sister, Lana, was a finalist in 2005.

As Princess Kay, Olson, who represents McLeod County, will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for Minnesota’s nearly 4,700 dairy farmers. Elizabeth is the daughter of Loren and Laura Olson of Hutchinson, and is a sophomore at the University of Minnesota, majoring in animal science and minoring in applied economics.

Twelve county dairy princesses competed for the Princess Kay of the Milky Way title. Sarah Brauen of Foley, representing Benton County, and Emily Lahr of Sauk Centre, representing Stearns County, were selected as runners-up. Jessica Oelfke of Hamburg, representing Sibley County, was named Miss Congeniality. Scholarships were awarded to Olson, Brauen and Lahr.

One of Olson’s first duties as Princess Kay will be to sit in a rotating cooler for nearly eight hours on the opening day of the Minnesota State Fair to have her likeness sculpted in a 90-pound block of butter. Each of the 11 other finalists will have her likeness carved in butter during the fair, as well. Throughout her yearlong reign as Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Olson will make public appearances helping consumers make a connection with Minnesota dairy farm families who are dedicated to producing wholesome milk while caring for their animals and natural resources.

Princess Kay candidates are judged on their general knowledge of the dairy industry, communication skills, personality and enthusiasm for dairy promotion. The Midwest Dairy Association sponsors the Princess Kay program with funds provided by dairy farmers.

Make way for the new Princess Kay

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Bingham Lake’s Chelsey Fast, daughter of Chuck and Suzanne Fast, will take the stage of the Minnesota State Fair bandshell at 8:30 p.m. today in her quest to become the next Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

Fast was selected as one of 12 finalists in May for the title — and the opportunity to promote the dairy industry throughout the state during the coming year. She is already guaranteed to have her likeness carved in a 90-pound block of butter during the 12 days of the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

It was a few years ago that I sat in the audience, waiting for the crowning moment as two rural Worthington girls were among the final contestants for Princess Kay. Kia VanderKooi and DiDi Christopherson had been co-Nobles County dairy princesses — each the last in a line of sisters who reigned over the dairy industry locally. Between the two families there were eight girls, and one — Tae VanderKooi — served the dairy industry as Princess Kay of the Milky Way in 2003.

I’ve known both families for as long as I can remember. We grew up together in Bigelow Township and were members in the same Ocheda Beavers 4-H Club. As one of the neighborhood babysitters, I even took care of them from time to time.

And when it came time for them to get their likeness carved in a block of butter at the Minnesota State Fair, I made sure I was there to see the finished masterpiece.

I’ve only met Chelsey once — when I drove up to Mountain Lake in mid-May to interview her on her family’s dairy farm. She has done much to promote the dairy industry in Cottonwood County and, at a time when the dairy industry is hurting, the more positive news and product promotion that can be done, the better.

So, best of luck tonight Chelsey … I’ll have my fingers crossed and watch for the late-breaking announcement of the new Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

By the way, if anyone plans to go to the Minnesota State Fair, the butter sculptures can be viewed in the Dairy Building, located at the corner of Judson Avenue and Underwood Street on the fairgrounds. The Dairy Building is also the place where you can get an awesome malt or sundae. The tasty dairy treats are available in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, apple-caramel, raspberry, caramel, blackberry, pineapple and, new this year, rhubarb-strawberry. Also available for purchase are ice cream cones, cheese sticks, milk and yogurt.

The Monday morning torture

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For the past two Mondays, the county commissioners have decided to have 7 a.m. meetings with the city. Last week, the school board was also involved … and the subject was law enforcement.

Fellow newsroom reporter Justine Wettschreck graciously offered to cover last Monday’s meeting, which was fine with City/School beat reporter Laura Grevas and myself.

This morning, however, I drew the short end of the stick.

Well, not really. I’d like to say Laura and I played Rock, Paper, Scissors to hash out the 7 a.m. meeting detail … but, I volunteered.

What was I thinking?

To make matters worse, there was a little switcheroo with night duty and, well, I’m still at the office at 10 p.m. I did manage a bit of a break this afternoon, so I’m not actually working a 15-hour day … although it seems like it!

Alarm clocks should not be allowed to go off at 5:20 a.m.

I looked out my kitchen window around 6 a.m. to see the rest of the homes on my block completely in the dark … as they should be! The only movement was from the Schaap Sanitation garbage trucks a block away.

I left so early this morning that my newspaper hadn’t even arrived … that’s early!

Now, I realize there are people who have to be at work by 5 a.m., and I feel sorry for them. I know I could never do it.

I’m not a morning person. Come to think of it, I’m not a night owl either. I think I’m more of an afternoon person! Fifteen years as a newspaper reporter has pushed me into a routine where I’d rather get to work by 9 or 9:30 a.m. and work until 6 or 6:30 p.m. In this business, the day I’d decide to get to work by 8 a.m. is the day that all heck breaks loose in the afternoon and I end up working long after I had intended.

Anyway, getting back to the early morning meeting … we in the newsroom like to complain about them because we have to cover them.

Tonight, while chatting with Laura after her night City Council meeting (the City Council members had a long day today too!), I came to the conclusion that those early morning meetings aren’t so bad. The discussion is swift because council and board members have things to do … like go back home and take a nap! (Just kidding! I would have liked to go home and take a nap, but I had work to do too.)

As Mayor Al put it, today’s 7 a.m. meeting was a productive brainstorming session.

I’m quite excited about a new library-senior center combination, and if it takes more 7 a.m. meetings between the two entities to wrangle out the details, you can count on the Daily Globe being there to report on it. Just look for Laura’s byline on the next one!