Todd Clennon won the 2002 Mower County Fair-American Dairy Association cow milking contest.

Sponsored by the Mower County ADA the third annual contest pitted three candidates for Mower County Sheriff against each other.

Clennon, an Austin Police Department officer, won the contest. Michael Cherney, Adams, and Terese Amazi, Austin, finished tied for second.

Cherney, an Adams City Council member, is a Lanesboro police lieutenant.

Amazi is the Mower County Sheriff's Department chief deputy.

So close was the finish for the three sheriff candidates that sponsors of the contest had to remeasure the milking contest and decided it by a measure-off with Eugene Anderson, ADA treasurer, serving as arbitrator.

True to form, the ADA organizers, Lynn and Jane Sathre, of rural Adams, entertained spectators. Each candidate had to fill a squirt gun with milk.

But Cristy Sathre, Mower County's reigning dairy princess, and Tanya Miller, dairy princess attendant, put all the three sheriff candidates to shame with their cow-milking skills.

The two young women filled buckets with cow's milk, while the "amateurs" struggled to fill cups.

The star of the contest was Hannah, a four-year old registered Holstein dairy cow owned by Lynn and Jane Sathre.

She finished fourth overall at this year's Mower County Fair dairy show and qualified for a trip to the 2002 Minnesota State Fair dairy show.

Last year, Hannah was a purple ribbon winner at the State Fair and she has been shown in competition as a calf, yearly and 2-, 3- and 4-year old dairy cow.

Carmen May, Mower County's other dairy princess attendant, could not compete as she is recuperating from surgery.

Popular place

The six days of the 2002 Mower County Fair were an opportunity for the Mower County ADA to promote dairy farming.

The cow milking contest was one example, but the Mower County ADA's popular malt stand was another.

For 25 years, the ADA has leased one of eight trailers made available by the sate ADA organization. The trailer is used during the annual Adams Dairy Days celebration in June and the

Mower County Fair in August.

According to Eugene Anderson, rural Sargeant dairy farmer and treasurer of the Mower County ADA, "This is our most successful fund-raiser throughout the year."

The ADA's members also promote dairy with visits to stores and cheese and other dairy giveaways as well as farm tours and the annual Dairy Princess pageant.

Lynn and Jane Sathre, who organized the milking contest Sunday are co-presidents of the Mower County ADA.

Money earned from dairy sales at the malt stand helps the ADA give away scholarships and otherwise perform community service in Mower County all in the name of dairy producers.

Malts are the biggest-selling dairy item,

but ice cream cones and milk also tempted fairgoers.

One person is hired, during the county fair and the other helpers are all volunteers.

The Mower County Dairy Princess, Cristy Sathre, and her attendants, Tanya Miller and Carmen May are regulars in the malt stand concession, during the county fair.

According to Anderson, the trailers cost $13,000, but are equipped with another $26,500 in equipment and machinery, plus electrical and refrigeration equipment and an ice cream maker.

Throughout the year, the eight state ADA trailers visit 102 events, where they promote dairy products.

The state's dairy producers pay for the trailers and their equipment through the checkoff program.

On a hot, summer's day at the Moser County Fair, the county ADA volunteers will prepared 1,000 malts for thirsty customers. Chocolate and strawberry remain the most popular flavors.

Crystal Anderson was this year's only paid attendant in the malt stand.

One of the reasons the malt stand remains so popular is its prices: ice cream cones are still only 50 cents and malts, $2.

According to Jane Sathre, the prices have not changed for the last five years.

(Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at

lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com)-