Preparation for the Dairy Cow Quadricentennial
Celebrating the 400th Anniversary of the Dairy Cow Arriving to the Plymouth Colony
Every school year hundreds of FFA members across the state of Minnesota review the U of M’s 4-H knowledge manual “All About Dairy” to prepare for a knowledge test about the dairy industry as part of their Dairy Evaluation Career Development Event. One fact they need to know is that the dairy cow first came to Plymouth Colony in 1624. Thus a celebration is needed to commemorate the fact that 2024 is the 400th anniversary of the dairy cow coming to Plymouth.
Come join the Triton FFA Chapter, Triton FFA Alumni Chapter and the Dodge County FFA Chapters of Blooming Prairie, Byron, Hayfield, Kasson-Mantorville, Kenyon-Wanamingo, Pine Island and Stewartville as we host a dairy show open to all Minnesota FFA member grades 7 through graduate level on June 6 and 7th, 2024 at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Kasson, Minn. The event will start on June 6th with stalling and health checks of animals in the morning, followed by a fitting and showmanship contest in the afternoon. Evening events include an open to the public Burger Bash meal, an awards ceremony for the day’s events and recognition of our sponsors after the meal. Friday June 7th will be the Holstein and All Other Breeds shows, Supreme Drive, and the release of animals upon completion of the show. Registration for the show will be open January 1, 2024 and close May 1, 2024. Utilize our show website https://tinyurl.com/Dodgecountydairyshow to complete registration.
Show Manager Cadence Spearman is organizing the show, developing the registration website and managing the events along with other duties as part of her senior project to graduate from Triton High School. All Triton graduates are required to do a project that gives them practical experience in a career field that they are interested in pursuing after high school. A minimum of 15 hours needs to be completed along with record keeping, working with a mentor and putting together a presentation to show community members their learnings from the project.
To put on a celebration such as this requires support from local, regional and state businesses, organizations and individuals. Donors will be recognized at the awards ceremony on June 6th. Sponsorship levels include participant, blue, champion, grand champion and supreme champion. Please refer to the chart below:
| Mail Sponsorships to: Triton FFA Alumni C/O Triton High School 813 West Highway Street Dodge Center, MN 55927 | Sponsorship Levels: Participant- Up to $150 Blue- $150 Champion- $250 Grand Champion- $500 Supreme Champion- $1000 or Higher |
Minnesota has a strong tradition of being one of the country’s leaders in the dairy industry. According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the state is the 7th largest dairy production state with 460,000 cows producing 10.4 billion pounds in 2022 at a value of $2.6 billion. In Southeast Minnesota, the counties of Houston, Fillmore, Mower, Dodge, Olmsted, Winona, Wabasha, and Goodhue have 100,700 head of dairy cattle contributing to 22% of the state’s dairy herd.
FFA is an intra-curricular student organization for those interested in agriculture, food and natural resources industries career pathways. It is one of the three components of agricultural education. The FFA is committed to each individual student, providing a path to achievement in premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. If you are interested in celebrating our youth and the 400th anniversary, please contact Triton FFA Co-Advisors Mrs. Tyffanie Heublein at 507-429-9018 or theublein@triton.k12.mn.us or Mr. Robert Ickler at 715-441-6949 or rickler@triton.k12.mn.us. Donations can be made out Triton FFA Alumni and sent in care of Triton FFA 813 W. Highway St. Dodge Center, MN 55927. We look forward to you joining us in our celebration of the dairy cow June 6 and 7th in Kasson, Minnesota.