Midwest Dairy was excited to engage with consumers at state fairs throughout the 10-state region. These popular state celebrations provide numerous opportunities for people to explore and learn about all things dairy. Many state fairs even saw record-breaking attendance this year. Midwest Dairy proudly showcased how dairy products are responsibly and sustainably produced to a wide audience through interactive booths, dairy displays, hands-on activities, butter sculptures, and more. A key highlight of the fair is participation by those who show their dedication and passion behind one of the Midwest’s most beloved industries.
Illinois
The Illinois Dairy Ambassadors went to work during the Illinois State Fair as hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans descended upon Springfield. Impeccable weather brought big crowds and record-breaking sales to the Dairy Building in 2024.
Fairgoers enjoyed the Cozy Cow Lounge that debuted at this year’s fair which helps fairgoers understand everything dairy farmers are doing to put cows first and ensure they are well cared for. Dairy farmers and staff engaged with fairgoers through games and activities such as cornhole, promoting “Cows Come First” messaging throughout the lounge. The Undeniably Dairy photo booth was another huge hit, with over 8,900 photos being sent via text message. The photo booth also incorporated the Cows Come First theme.
Another popular attraction was the Butter Cow. Sarah Pratt of West Des Moines, Iowa, carved the 2024 Illinois State Fair Butter Cow, which followed this year’s fair theme, “It’s Show Time!” and featured the iconic cow alongside her friend, a magician pulling seven scoops of ice cream out of a hat. This year’s Flavor of the Fair was Raspberry Crunch, a cold treat consisting of layers of vanilla ice cream, tart raspberries, and granola.
This delicious treat proved popular, with over 2,200 Raspberry Crunch shakes sold. The Illinois State Fair also was an excellent opportunity to build relationships with Illinois Dairy Farmers. Midwest Dairy passed out ice cream coupons at the exhibitor meeting, sponsored a pizza party for junior exhibitors, purchased the Land of Lincoln cow print at the Governor’s Sale of Champions, and sponsored lunch for the State 4-H dairy judging contest.
Iowa
Each summer, the Iowa State Fair becomes a vibrant celebration of the state’s agricultural heritage, drawing record visitors to experience the best of Iowa’s farming traditions. This year, the Iowa State Fair set a new all-time attendance record with 1,182,682 people attending the 11-day event.
A notable highlight of dairy farmer participation at the fair was the Farm to Fair Meal. This event provides 300 consumers a unique opportunity to connect directly with food producers. Held in the fair’s Pavilion, the meal highlights the journey of Iowa products from the farm to the fairgrounds. Guests enjoyed a variety of dishes made with locally sourced dairy ingredients. This event also featured educational components as five dairy farm families shared their stories and insights on dairy farming. The yummy dairy food did not stop there! No visit to the Iowa State Fair would be complete without indulging in ice cream at the Dairy Barn. The Raspberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt Flavor of the Fair stood out among the fair’s ice cream offerings.
To connect with a new generation of fairgoers, Midwest Dairy partnered with Iowa Corn, Iowa Beef Council, Iowa Turkey Federation, Iowa Soybean Association, and Iowa Pork to host Ag Trivia. More than 200 consumers participated in the event, answering questions about food, farming, and sustainability.
Another crowd favorite is the Butter Cow, carved by Sarah Pratt of West Des Moines. The Butter Cow celebrated iconic late-night celebrities Johnny Carson, Steve Higgins, and Jimmy Fallon, along with a sky glider seat to commemorate the 50th year of the Main Sky Glider. Lastly, the Iowa State Fair celebrates the dairy industry’s future through the Dairy Princess and Ambassador programs. During the fair, these leaders participated in kitchen demonstrations, volunteered with the Iowa Food and Family Project, and led Kids’ Club activities.
Kansas
During the 2024 Kansas State Fair, Midwest Dairy focused on sharing delicious dairy recipes with consumers. With 328,714 fairgoers attending the 10-day event, this was the perfect opportunity to connect with consumers and help them incorporate dairy into their kitchens.
Amanda Miller, a fourth-generation dairy farmer from Hutchison, Kansas, partnered with Midwest Dairy to share dairy’s sustainability story and nutritional benefits while demonstrating easy, delicious, dairy-centered recipes. Miller has conducted cooking demonstrations in her local community for almost 10 years. She uses Kansas-sourced products as much as possible and encourages consumers to do the same, including dairy products from their local grocery stores. Miller shared some of her favorite dairy recipes with fairgoers, including Chocolate Peanut Butter Cottage Cheese Ice Cream and Jammy Cheesy Yogurt Dip.
Minnesota
This great Minnesota get-together drew nearly two million visitors during the last weeks of summer—five of the 12 days of the fair broke all-time attendance records. Midwest Dairy’s presence emphasized the role of dairy farmers in sustainable nutrition and the goodness of dairy products.
The 71st Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Rachel Visser of Hutchinson, Minnesota, was crowned and officially began her reign. Visser participated in 39 media appearances, including trivia games and taste-testing with Twin Cities radio personalities. Along with the Princess Kay finalists, she participated in daily events, including Agri-lympics, dairy cattle shows, and the Moo Booth. Special guests at the famous butter carving booth included Governor and Vice-Presidential candidate Tim Walz, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and representatives from the Canadian Consulate.
The education booth engaged consumers with trivia and giveaways, each providing a different method of spreading sustainable nutrition messaging. Princess Kay finalists held one-on-one conversations about cow care, the dairy industry’s sustainability achievements and goals, and the concept of “poop to power.” Farmers also got a chance to interact with consumers at one of the State Fair’s most popular attractions, the CHS Miracle of Birth Center. While H5N1 concerns meant no calves in the barn, dairy farmers brought their experience and knowledge into conversations with fairgoers. All farmers who volunteered had previously graduated from Midwest Dairy’s Dairy Experience and Agricultural Leadership program.
Lastly, the fair encountered unexpected challenges, including power outages and severe storms. Despite these challenges, sales at the Dairy Goodness Bar hit record-breaking revenue, reflecting a 3% increase from 2023, while the All You Can Drink Milk Stand saw a 17% increase in sales.
Missouri
The 2024 Missouri State Fair in Sedalia allowed Midwest Dairy to introduce something new this year — a Flavor of the Fair ice cream treat. Missouri Governor Mike Parson personally selected the inaugural Flavor of the Fair, Kingdom Crunchdown. Served for this fair season only, the winning combination featured layers of vanilla soft serve ice cream, strawberries, and crunchy milk chocolate candy, topped with chocolate syrup and gold sprinkles. Fairgoers raved about this yummy flavor, and one fairgoer noted, “It’s worth the price of admission!”
This year’s butter cow sculpture, a well-known Missouri State Fair attraction with a 19-year history, used nearly 600 pounds of unsalted butter. Returning sculptor Ander Weis carved the “Lost in a Dairy Tale” sculpture, which took 100 hours to complete.
Midwest Dairy’s partnership with the Missouri Wine and Grape Board brought dairy to unexpected places like a Wine 101 pairing class. This class attracted 400 participants who sampled Applewood Smoked Cheddar and a Taco Cheddar cheese curd from Hemme Brothers Creamery. Participants left with a cheeseboard inspiration handout to bring the dairy experience home.
Finally, the Kansas City Mom Collective partnered with Midwest Dairy to promote the State Fair as a family-friendly day trip. Kansas City Mom Collective is committed to creating an encouraging and supportive online and offline community for the moms of Kansas City. One mom and online creator took the Collective’s followers on a fun-filled day at the fair, encouraging them to visit and learn about dairy. The social media outreach, including an Instagram reel, Facebook post, and article, reached more than 26,000 people. Featured fair stops included the butter cow and food from the Gerken Dairy Center for her 22,000 followers, directing them to the article “Mom’s Guide to the Missouri State Fair.”
Nebraska
With the support of partners, Midwest Dairy reached consumers through various activations that helped build trust during the 2024 Nebraska State Fair.
Over Labor Day weekend, Chef Nadar of Billy’s Restaurant in Lincoln provided four cooking demonstrations. Partnering with the Nebraska Pork Producers Association, Midwest Dairy hosted Deliciousness with Dairy & Pork and served nearly 500 sample food boats to a packed crowd.
Nebraska’s Largest Classroom, a three-day event, welcomed 3,400 elementary students during the fair. Midwest Dairy staff, dairy farmers, advocate volunteers, and Nebraska Dairy Ambassadors shared dairy’s sustainable nutrition story at the dairy exhibit in the Raising Nebraska building. During the dairy presentation, students enjoyed cold milk from Nebraska State Fair partner Hiland Dairy. Fair attendees visited the Undeniably Dairy Booth, which featured various messages about the sustainable nutrition story of dairy through handouts, QR codes, and dairy swag. The dairy display showcased all seven dairy cow breeds managed by the “Moo Crew,” which is comprised of dairy farmers and advocates. The “Moo Crew” provided highly attended milking demonstrations in the milking parlor 52 times over the 11-day fair. During the demonstrations, attendees could ask questions, and more than 150 coupons for the ice cream parlor were distributed. These ice cream coupons included scan codes directing them to the Undeniably Dairy site for more information about the health benefits of dairy. In collaboration with the milking demonstration, Prairie Promise Lean Beef provided more than 1,700 string cheese sticks as a nutritious snack for fair attendees.
South Dakota
Midwest Dairy continues to partner with the South Dakota State Fair to reach fairgoers of all ages. Last year, this partnership led to updated signage on the Dakota Marketplace, home to the Dairy Bar, where fairgoers enjoy ice cream and all-you-can-drink milk. Additional updates kept the dairy space modern for this year’s fair. In 2024, utilizing Midwest Dairy’s Undeniably Dairy grant funds, a local artist painted a mural of various breeds of dairy cows on the dairy barn at the South Dakota State Fair for all to enjoy.
Continuing its partnership with Discover Dairy, Midwest Dairy provided dairy education resources and signage to over 50 teachers through the State’s Largest Classroom program. Midwest Dairy also donated over 700 cartons of milk to be enjoyed in students’ lunches.
Midwest Dairy sponsored several events throughout the fair, including an ice cream social at the Value-Added Ag Day, ice cream bars at the 4-H Leaders Appreciation Evening, and malt coupons at the Farm Bureau Centennial Farms Presentation. Midwest Dairy and Valley Queen Cheese provided milk and cheese sticks to dairy exhibitors and those watching the dairy shows. Dairy was also featured in the scavenger hunt hosted by the Farm Bureau, where over 750 ice cream coupons were given as prizes.