Gabi Miyoshi takes honors at Pageant

By Connor Linskey
Posted 3/4/21

Orange County Dairy Princess Gabriella Miyoshi, 18, a resident of Maybrook and a freshman at Mount Saint Mary College, won several contests at this year’s American Dairy Association North …

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Gabi Miyoshi takes honors at Pageant

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Orange County Dairy Princess Gabriella Miyoshi, 18, a resident of Maybrook and a freshman at Mount Saint Mary College, won several contests at this year’s American Dairy Association North East’s (ADANE) 58th Annual New York State Dairy Princess Pageant.
There are 24 dairy princesses from counties around the state. They advocate for dairy farmers by engaging with and educating consumers on the nutritional benefits of milk and dairy products, how farmers care for their cows and their land in order to produce a sustainable product and the importance of the dairy industry to the state’s economy. This is done via school programs, farmer meetings and through public relations placements.
To be considered a dairy princess candidate at the county level, a young woman must be between the ages of 16 and 24. Young women in this age group whose parents derive a major portion of their income from dairy farming can also enter the pageant. In addition, a candidate can be the daughter of a dairy farmer or someone employed in a dairy-related industry. A dairy princess candidate must also possess the knowledge, poise and speaking ability necessary to carry out her duties throughout the state.
Before a candidate can compete in the annual state competition, they must first win their county pageant. Young women are interviewed, present a speech and answer impromptu questions. Judges evaluate candidates’ performances before naming a dairy princess for the county. After capturing the county title, a dairy princess can compete at the state level.
In this year’s pageant, dairy princesses from 12 counties competed for the state crown at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Syracuse Destiny USA. They participated in a two-day pageant, which included a personal interview, impromptu questions, a prepared adult speech, a product knowledge exam, writing skills and informal interaction with others. Judges evaluated the contestants on their communication skills, knowledge of the dairy industry, poise and personality. The coronation of the 2021-2022 New York State Dairy Princess Court was live-streamed on the ADANE Facebook page on Tuesday, Feb. 16. Shelby Benjamin of Chenango County was named the state’s dairy princess, while Holly Niefergold of Erie County and Elizabeth Hyman of Jefferson County were named first and second alternates respectively.

Though Miyoshi did not win the title of state dairy princess, she came away with several awards. The Class of 2020 Valley Central High School graduate won the product knowledge award, after excelling on an exam that tested her knowledge of the dairy industry. Miyoshi was also the winner of the pageant’s written communication category. She was tasked with writing a short speech that gave a quarterly update regarding the American Dairy Association and the New York State Dairy Princess’ contributions to the dairy industry. For winning these contests, Miyoshi received $200 in scholarship funds. She is humbled to have competed in dairy pageants at both the county and state levels, as she cares deeply about the dairy industry.
“I’m very proud and honored to be a part of both because either way I’m promoting the industry that I care a lot about and I feel that farmers oftentimes go underappreciated,” she said. “Just being able to educate the public about how farmers are taking care of their animals, what they’re doing for the community, how they’re helping the environment and how nutritious milk is for you means a lot to me. It’s not necessarily the title, it’s educating the public.”
Miyoshi’s love for the dairy industry began at a young age. As a child, she always wanted to milk a cow at the Orange County Fair, however she was always too late. Around the age of 10, Miyoshi became involved with the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Dairy Program, where she leased her two cows and showed them at the 4-H Park in Otisville. Through the 4-H Dairy Program, Miyoshi also competes in knowledge-based competitions for dairy and animal science.
Her love for the dairy industry motivated her to compete for Orange County Dairy Princess, a title she has owned since 2019. Miyoshi competed for the state crown in 2020 as well, where she was named the 2019-2020 Robert S. Turner Dairy Promoter of the Year. This award recognizes a county dairy princess that has done an outstanding job promoting milk and dairy products. The award is presented in memory of Robert S. Turner, a former American Dairy Association and Dairy Council chief executive officer and dairy farmer, who was a strong supporter of the dairy princess program.
Miyoshi received the award, as she and her court presented 476 school programs, seven farm meetings and had 40 public relations placements. For her achievements, ADANE and the Turner family awarded $500 to Orange County Dairy Promotion.
Since last year’s pageant, Miyoshi has spent time raising money for ADANE’s Fill a Glass with Hope Program. The money raised for this effort goes toward providing food pantries in Orange County with milk for the families they serve. Miyoshi helped raise approximately $1,200 for this program in 2019-2020.
Miyoshi is looking to help people for a living, as she is a history major, seeking certifications in elementary and special education. She noted that her time in the dairy industry will shape her career as an educator.
“I feel that everything I’ve learned in the dairy industry and the dairy princess program could help me a lot with my career because children, especially the next coming generation, need to know where their food comes from,” Miyoshi said. “They need to know how much work farmers do to take care of their animals and their land, how they provide healthy, nutritious food, how important milk and dairy is to their diet and how much they need to appreciate farmers. When I am a teacher, I plan to include agricultural and dairy education in my curriculum.”