What happens behind the scenes in the Minnesota State Fair's livestock barns?
Behind the fried foods and thrilling rides, farming remains at the heart of the Minnesota State Fair, where farm families work around the clock to get their animals ribbon-ready.
The livestock barns are one of my favorite attractions at the Minnesota State Fair. But for the farm families on-site, it's truly their home away from home.
What goes into caring for the animals at the fair? Good Question. We looked for answers at the cattle barn.
"It is continuous work the entire time we are here," said Holly Meimann. She's part of the Wagner Family Farm (unrelated to Jeff) from Black River Falls, Wisconsin. Joining them at the fair is their small herd of cows, 14 to be exact, plus two calves and a yearling.
"At home they go out and pasture and graze, and you're working on other things at the farm. But here, you are 100% taking care of them all day long to make sure that they stay clean, ready to do whatever," she said.
A shining example of that dashed past our camera mid-interview. Holly's daughter, Hope, noticed one of the cows starting to "use the bathroom" right above a cow that was laying down. She swooped in to prevent a mess.
"We didn't want the heifer to go (to the bathroom) on the cow because that would be very unfortunate. We'd have to wash the cow then and we don't really have time for that because it's show day," said Meimann.
Primping and prepping for showing is paramount, but most of the days are spent feeding and quickly scooping up what animals leave behind.
"In the morning, our crew is about six people. We get up at 4 a.m.," she said. After more cleaning and feeding, each cow gets a bath. One of her sons sleeps during the day so he can tend to the cows overnight.
That consistent effort can help the animals feel relaxed, which isn't easy in such a foreign environment. On top of that, there's a constant flow of strangers suddenly within arm's reach.
"(The cows) behave differently. You know, some get a little sassy. We always have to be in check with them," said Meimann. "But they do know that you're the person that they're familiar with. So, you're what they trust."
The Wagner Family is uniquely here all 12 days. But many farming families only visit for a 4-day stretch, meaning a big changeover happens on nights 4 and 8 of the fair.
"The barns close early on those days. And then the animals move out, and everything that you see here, all the bedding, any of the excess whatever, all of that gets removed and hauled away to composting," said Doris Mold, superintendent for the Milking Parlor and Moo Booth in the cattle barn. "Then a state veterinarian inspects the barns and makes sure that they're adequately cleaned and sanitized, and then the next group of animals moves in."
Farm families are required to bring their own feed for the animals. The fair does offer a unique service however for cows that are lactating. "They can come in and milk their cows in our milking parlor, and then that milk gets sold on behalf of the farmers," said Mold. The farmers then get paid for the milk that came from their cows.
More than 8,000 livestock competitors like the Wagners will fill the barns, along with more than 20,000 animals. A family affair passed from one generation to the next. "The work that goes into it is crazy, and it's neat to see my kids get to experience it all," said Meimann.
