Refueling with dairy

MELROSE — As an athlete, Jaiden Smith uses chocolate milk in her post-workout routine. As a dairy princess, Smith encourages others to do the same.

“Dairy (products) are so healthy for you,” Smith said. “I drink milk and eat Greek yogurt pretty much every single day. When it comes down to it, (you need to ask), are you getting more nutrition from a gallon of milk than most other snacks?”

Smith is one of 10 Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalists. She is the daughter of Jeremy and Emily Smith. The Smiths milk 45 cows at their organic farm near Melrose.

Being a naturally competitive family means that daily chores with her four siblings can even include a competition, Smith said. They will connect a phone to a Bluetooth speaker and play Disney songs for music trivia barn-style. The goal is to guess the song, singer, movie, and then, if the whole song can be sung, that determines how many points are received. The family also does dance competitions.

Smith is currently a student at the University of North Dakota, majoring in nursing and minoring in nutrition. After college, Smith would like to work at a rural hospital in the intensive care unit to gain experience before going back to school to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

“In college, I have met so many people who don’t know anything about dairy,” Smith said. “This industry is so important to all of us.”

Smith has served as a Stearns County Dairy Princess for the past three years, and this year, she decided she was ready to compete for Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

“With how fast information can spread and social media, it is so easy for incorrect information to spread,” Smith said. “Being able to reassure people that dairy is safe, nutritious and delicious is important for me.”

Smith said she gave it her all during the May Leadership Event, in which county princesses compete to be chosen as a Princess Kay finalist.

“I was cautiously optimistic,” Smith said. “I did my best, but you never know how the other girls do during their judging.”

When the video announcement was made naming the top 10 finalists, Smith was at her sister’s swim meet and stepped out with her mom to watch.

“I started crying, I was so excited,” Smith said.

Until Smith started her journey as a county dairy princess, she assumed everyone knew where milk comes from.

“Stearns County has so many dairy farms, I didn’t fully understand how important the job of a dairy princess was,” Smith said. “I like talking to children because they ask a lot of questions, and I know that kids like to share with others what they are learning about. So, they are going to share the information we provide, and that can reach even more people.”

Smith also works part time at a local nursing home and often makes appearances to nursing homes as a dairy princess.

“It is nice talking to that generation because so many of them grew up on farms,” Smith said. “I like sharing with the older generation and the younger generation about my experience on the farm.”

Being raised on a dairy farm gives Smith firsthand experience, knowledge and stories to share with consumers.

“I want to be that advocate for others to come to with questions,” Smith said. “If someone has a question, then there are others out there with that same question. Every year that I have been a dairy princess, I have gotten new questions. I love answering all of them.”