“You can’t spell Kayla without the (Princess) Kay” . . .  and a crown follows.

Cute t-shirts sporting this message will be seen on family and friends of Kayla Leiding of Fountain this summer – especially at the Minnesota State Fair. Twin sister Haely and many more will be showing their support for her.

Two dairy farms in Fillmore County are on the annual list of top Minnesota dairy herds with low somatic cell counts (SCC) released by Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson this month in honor of June Dairy Month.

It's June Dairy Month, the perfect time to visit a local dairy farm to see just how dairy products originate. Attending Dairy Night on the Farm is the perfect opportunity to see a working dairy in action while visiting with local dairy producers. This year, Redalen Holstein Farm in rural Lanesboro is hosting the event on Saturday, June 27, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Twin sisters Haely Leiding and Kayla Leiding of Fountain were crowned together as Fillmore County Dairy Princesses this year. It’s a role that will see them promoting the importance of dairy products through appearances and media activities.

For the Heusinkvelds, farming and family go hand in hand.

“Cows give us healthy stuff and some of them can be really nice,” said the rural Fountain Fillmore County Dairy Ambassador, promoting the four-legged gals in the Mulhern dairy barn. 

“It’s amazing how many people are asking for string cheese instead of candy. If there’s a candy float ahead of us, they don’t want the candy. They want string cheese,” Eli said.

LeRoy and Darleen bought the small dairy farm in 1967. They started out milking 36 cows. As their family grew to 13 children, the dairy farm grew as well. By the late 1970’s, four of the Johnson’s six sons (LeRoy Jr., Jim, Mark and Brad) expressed a desire to continue farming with their parents and a corporation was formed. The dairy herd was now 85 cows strong and the farrow to finish hog operation was expanded as well.