The only thing missing from the Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center on the St. Paul campus Wednesday was cookies.
Representatives from 10 St. Paul campus student organizations competed in the Milkmaid Competition, a contest to see who could get the most milk in 30 seconds.
The milking was performed to popular songs whose lyrics were rewritten by students to reference agriculture and milking cows.
Participants parodied artists such as the Steve Miller Band, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Tobey Keith and the Baha Men and were awarded points for the best song and costumes.
Cara Soper, the Minnesota royal queen, milked her cow to choruses of, “milk that dairy cow now, Cara, milk her for the Minnesota Royal tonight” to the tune of Wild Cherry’s “Play that Funky Music” sung by members of the Farmhouse Fraternity.
“I’m hoping she was empty because I wasn’t getting much milk out of her,” Soper said.
Soper, a College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences sophomore, said she’d never milked a cow before and it’s not as easy as it looks.
The event attracted approximately 150 people, event organizers said.
The event was part of Minnesota Royal week, a week of contests, performances and presentations on the St. Paul campus.
Most of these events are part of a competition between the 10 student organizations, involving approximately 300 students, from the St. Paul campus to be named the Minnesota Royal overall winner.
Points will be added up at the end of the week, once winners for the competitions have been announced, to determine the overall winner.
The theme week was meant to celebrate agriculture and its contribution to the University, said Beth Lauwagie, chairwoman of the Minnesota Royal planning committee.
“We wanted to unite students, staff, faculty and the community through agriculture, our foundation of life,” said Lauwagie, a College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences senior. “After all, this University was founded on agriculture.”
Carissa Schloesser, an organizational representative for Beta of Clovia sorority, said her sorority is hoping to be named the overall winner for the second year in a row.
Schloesser, a College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences junior, said she is looking forward to bragging rights and another trophy for the Beta of Clovia mantle.
“Minnesota Royal is a really good time for us to pull together to win and enjoy a break from classes,” Scholesser said.
This year’s theme is “Oink, Moo, Bah for Ski-U-Mah!,” said Mike Gintner, events chairman of the Minnesota Royal planning committee.
Gintner, a College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences senior, said the theme was meant to pay homage to the University fight song.
“We thought it sounded catchy and would be very reminiscent of the University,” he said.