What does it take to get cows ready for the Minnesota State Fair spotlight?
Jill Nelson is from Olmar Farms near Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. Her family has been showing off their cows at the Minnesota State Fair for eight decades.
"I think our family has been showing here since the 1940s or early 50s," Jill Nelson said.
She's been coming to the fair since she was a kid, and this year her family had the showcase herd — which means they brought 14 of their cows for milking demonstrations and other events.
"It's kind of a year-round thing to get them ready because you have to get them in the right physical condition," she said. "Just like any athlete is going to train year-round, we do the same with our dairy cows."
The ladies get a special feed and they also go through a sort of makeover. Kind of like cosmetology for cows.
"When it comes time to going into the ring, we're going to brush them off and gloss them up and put on a little bit of dazzle," she said.
Her son, Isaac, is a fifth-generation dairy farmer.
"Just like I might throw some gel in my hair later, we're going to throw a little bit on the cow to make them shine just as much," Isaac Nelson said.
And because much of the herd is at the fair, the Nelsons are getting extra help.
"They've been very instrumental in making this whole thing happen," Issac Nelson said.
One of those helpers is Mao Nagai, who's at the fair as part of a Japanese trainee exchange.
"Mostly I milk cows on the farm, and sometimes I help Jill clip the cows," Mao said.
But she is also learning about "the Great Minnesota Get-Together," and the thrill of being a part of the big show.
"It's very fun. I like cows so it's very fun for me," she said.
The Nelsons' dairy cows all participated in the open show, and they finished with a number of top 10 places.