Stephen Bauman won the first ever Western States Rodeo championship on Aug. 27, driving away with the 2011 Ford F-250 pickup truck grand prize and earning the title of best heavy equipment operator in the territories Western States serves. Bauman also won a Cat 226B3 skid steer for his sponsoring company; Pipe of Washington, Inc. "It was great to compete against the very best operators in the area and to be part of the first ever Western States Heavy Equipment Rodeo," said Stephen Bauman, project manager, Pipe of Washington, Inc. "I want to thank Tom Harris, my local CAT rep Jim Holland and the hard-working team at Western States and everyone involved in making this such a fun event, especially Dan Wiebold and his crew – driving away in a new Ford pickup was a thrill I'll always remember. Finally I want to thank my family and coworkers for their support, especially my wife and Cwentin Clifton who encouraged me and helped sharpen my skills as we prepared for the finals and the Lord for keeping my hands steady throughout the competition.”

Mary Zahurones, an 18-year-old college student from Pierz, Minnesota, was crowned the 58th Princess Kay of the Milky Way in an evening ceremony at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Aug. 24. As Princess Kay, Zahurones, who represents Morrison County, will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for Minnesota’s nearly 4,500 dairy farmers. She is the daughter of Chuck and Pat Tax of Pierz, and will attend the University of Minnesota Twin Cities this fall as a pre-med student studying biology and chemistry. Twelve county dairy princesses competed for the Princess Kay of the Milky Way title. Stephanie Kasper of Owatonna, Minnesota, representing Steele County, and Theresa Twohey of Stewartville, Minnesota, representing Olmsted County, were selected as runners-up. Twohey was also named Miss Congeniality. Scholarships were awarded to Erin Daninger of Forest Lake, Minnesota, representing Washington County, April Johnson of Heron Lake, Minnesota, representing Cottonwood County, and Emily Krekelberg of Le Sueur, Minnesota, representing Le Sueur County.

The National Guernsey Convention was held in Collinsville, Illinois, June 23-27. The convention has long been recognized for the many exciting activities and contests offered for youth. Young people from Florida to Washington and many states in between were represented this year, as more than 100 junior Guernsey members travelled to Illinois to compete in the many contests and recognition programs offered by the American Guernsey Association. The National Guernsey Queen and Princess are crowned each year at the convention. They serve as ambassadors for the Guernsey breed during their one-year reign, making appearances on behalf of the AGA, speaking with visitors to AGA trade-show booths and assisting at national shows. The queen and princess are selected based on their speaking ability, poise, knowledge of the dairy industry and their ability to serve as effective ambassadors for the AGA.