Close

Recent Posts

Archives

The History of the Dairy Festival Milking Contest

The History of the Dairy Festival Milking Contest
  • PublishedJune 7, 2023


The annual Bobby McDonald Milking Contest has been a favorite part of the Hopkins County Dairy Festival for many of the attendees. In 2023, it will take place at 3 p.m. at the Hopkins County Civic Center arena. Hot air balloon pilots, dairy pageant contestants, and their parents all participate in this famous local tradition that has been happening in Hopkins County for the past 63 years. 

Hopkins County’s Dairy Festival began in 1959, and one year later in 1960 the milking contest began under the direction of Chamber of Commerce president Jim Anderson and Mrs. Z.L. Bell. Just as today, cows had to be reserved in advance to have enough for the contest. Interestingly, the Fall Festival also once featured its own milking contest, but this fell by the wayside. 

In 2017, the milking contest was re-named in honor of Bobby McDonald, a local dairy farmer and long-time member of the dairy festival committee. For several decades, McDonald also provided the cows used in the milking contest. This honor now falls to Kris and Miki Koon and their Jersey ladies. 

The milking contest has always included participants in the Dairy Pageant. In recent years, the parents of Dairy Pageant contests and later hot air balloonists were added to the contest. The Jersey cows used for milking are halter broken and used to being led. Contestants have a preliminary milking practice 2-3 days before the actual contest at the Koon Farm.

“It’s a lot of fun and it’s something the girls will always remember,” said Dairy Festival Committee member Carolyn McKinney. 

Although contestants of the Dairy Pageant are required to participate in the event, they do not score points that can be used during the pageant. Just as the contestants are volunteers at the Dairy Airs Hot Air Balloon Rally, the milking contest is considered part and parcel of what it means to be a queen contestant.

Contestants, parents, and balloonists are not allowed a stool and must squat by the cow for all three minutes of milking. Milk is measured by weight, and buckets the contestants use are standardized. The crowd at the Civic Center arena can often get quite vocal while cheering for their favorite contestant. 

“It’s just something fun for all of us to come together,” McKinney noted.

By Taylor Nye. Photos 2022 Milking Contest by Amanda Tredway and Taylor Nye. Historical photos from Hopkins County Echo



Written By
Taylor Nye

Taylor Nye is the editor of Front Porch News. She has degrees from the University of Wisconsin in human biology, Latin American studies, and public health. She has previously worked at the Wisconsin State Journal, Tucson Weekly and Sulphur Springs News-Telegram. As a sixth generation Hopkins County resident, she loves celebrating our heritage and history.