Dairy Farmers Connecting Communities, From Music and Farming to Iowa Dairy Royalty

Community music, raw milk sales, new Iowa dairy royalty and a longtime county fair tradition are among the stories featured in today's episode. First, we hear from father and son Jeff and Steve Schmitt, who operate Windy Hill Dairy in Iowa, while also playing in a community band on Wednesday nights during the summer. Both play the trumpet, and their time in the band gives them an opportunity to strengthen their connections with others beyond the farm gate. Then we hear from Sarah Fitzgerald, who was on the cusp of starting her career as a dairy farmer when her family had to sell their cows a few years ago. Now, she milks six cows in Illinois and has a permit to sell raw milk and also makes bars of soap from her cows' milk. Then we hear from two soon-to-be college roommates who will spend the next year representing Iowa's dairy industry after being crowned Iowa dairy royalty. The newly named 2026-27 Iowa Dairy Princess Hannah Hagen and the Iowa Dairy Princess Alternate Mae Wedemeier have known each other for years through shared interests ranging from dance to FFA. This fall, they will both attend Iowa State University to pursue agriculture-related studies while living together and serving as ambassadors for Iowa's dairy farmers and the industry. Today's final conversation highlights a county fair tradition that has been going strong for nearly 40 years. Reynold and Vivian Dittbenner have been serving sweet dairy treats to attendees at the Brown County Fair, showcasing the many delicious possibilities of dairy. The dairy delights have become a staple that many look forward to enjoying each fair season. New episodes are released every Monday after the newspaper is published, sharing the many conversations from the dairy community! Send story ideas and your comments to [email protected]. Subscribe to the podcast for reminders of episodes — next episode will be released on September 14 — about the dairy community and leave a review! We look forward to bringing you this brand new way to consume Dairy Star. This is Dairy Delivery. All dairy, all the time.