HURON, S.D. – More than 220,000 consumers will experience dairy at the South Dakota State Fair this year. From engaging in conversations with local dairy farmers and ambassadors to meeting Dairy Princess Ytsje Andringa and tasting hand scooped ice cream, malts and all-you-can-drink milk, fairgoers will get a closer look at how dairy not only delivers enjoyment but is also nutrient-rich and produced locally and responsibly by farmers who are highly dedicated to their work.
“The Dairy Bar has been updated with new Undeniably Dairy signage and messaging to help connect customers to real dairy enjoyment,” said Tom Peterson, Midwest Dairy’s South Dakota State Fair project manager. “The ice cream products served at the fair are sourced from local processors which helps provide a direct tie to the local farmers producing these delicious treats.”
Ytsje Andringa, 18, daughter of Sietse and Aafke Andringa of Clear Lake, South Dakota, was crowned South Dakota’s 64th Dairy Princess in Sioux Falls at the Central Plains Dairy Expo in March. She will be available at the fair on Saturday and Sunday to meet fairgoers, answer questions about dairy farming and serve customers at the Dairy Bar.
Ytsje was selected based on an application, answers to essay questions, her interview skills, and ability to advocate for dairy farmers. She has been spending the year serving as the official ambassador for the state’s dairy farmers advocating and educating on their behalf. She will be making public appearances that include media interviews, classroom appearances, dairy events and fairs.
Delicious dairy foods will be front and center at the Dairy Bar which is one of the State Fair’s most popular concession stands and is owned by the state’s dairy farm families. The building, located at in the Dakota Marketplace Building on Livestock Avenue, is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Dairy Bar serves hand-scooped ice cream, malts and all-you-can-drink and single-serve milk. In 2018, more than 10,000 ice cream treats were served throughout the fair.
Each year, the South Dakota State Fair celebrates the more than 170 dairy farms in the state who are contributing an overall 12,511 jobs and economic impact of $3 billion. To learn more about dairy farming in the Midwest, including South Dakota visit MidwestDairy.com.
Editor’s note: Interview opportunities with a local dairy farmer, the South Dakota Dairy Princess or other state dairy ambassadors involved in the fair are available. To make a request, please contact Tom Peterson at 605.251.2439 or tpeterson@midwestdairy.com.