Princess Kay finalists named in Minnesota This year’s finalists for the title of Princess Kay of the Milky Way have been named. Princess Kay is crowned each year the night before the state fair opens. Twelve young women from dairy farm backgrounds were selected after a three-day event for county dairy princesses held in St. Joseph, Minnesota. The finalists are Kelsey Buss, Valerie Grimm, Victoria Haler, Meg Hintzen, Kirsten Meier, Laura Mesenburg, Kelsey Mussman, Elizabeth Nix, Christine Reitsma, Laura Rosenhammer, Aly Schwartau and Maggie Stiles. —From Midwest Dairy Association news release North Dakota dairy producers to lead AMPI Young Cooperators Mark and Angie Qual, dairy farmers from Lisbon, North Dakota, were elected the 2012 Young Cooperator (YC) chairpersons for Midwest dairy cooperative Associated Milk Producers, Inc. (AMPI).

Michael and Steve MacLaren Plainfield, Vermont Brothers and third-generation dairy farmers Michael and Steve MacLaren have been receiving national news coverage for closing their dairy farm, which – until recently – was the last one still milking in Plainfield, Vermont. The MacLaren farm had been in business for more than 70 years. Click here to read the Associated Press article. Ron Gibson West Weber, Utah Hamblin Dairy Syracuse, Utah The Standard-Examiner, out of Ogden, Utah, has recently run two stories about struggling dairy farms.