Minneapolis (August 28, 2017) — Charles Miller, a 17-year-old native of Kasson in Dodge County and Mikayla Schlosser, a 15-year-old from Maple Plain in Carver County, were granted Gold’n opportunities on Sunday, August 27, after being crowned as the eighth-annual Poultry Prince and Princess. The scholarship program of Minnesota 4-H and Gold’n Plump^® recognizes the industry knowledge, leadership and skills of Minnesota’s up-and-coming poultry experts by awarding two teenagers with poultry ambassador titles and $1,000 academic scholarships.
From August 24 through 27, 2017, eligible Minnesota State Fair 4-H poultry participants competed in the contest at the State Fairgrounds. Mikayla and Charles stood out among the contestants, claiming the title after ranking highly in the qualifying rounds of the 4-H Poultry Interview, Quiz and Showmanship competition; the 4-H Chicken BBQ Contest; and the Q&A and Stage Presence final round. Runners up included:

•    Isaac Tesch from Mayer in Dodge County
•    Kari Myhran from Schafer in Chisago County
•    Gabe Otto from Delano in Wright County
•    Jessica Waldron from Elk River in Wright County

“We’re thrilled to see the Poultry Prince and Princess Program celebrate its eighth year at the Minnesota State Fair,” said Rory Bidinger, senior brand manager for Pilgrim’s, the company behind the Gold’n Plump brand. “Each year youth from across the state participate in friendly competition with their peers to show their knowledge of Minnesota agriculture and specifically the poultry industry.”

Sunday’s finals required the top six contestants to showcase their poultry knowledge with strong stage presence and personality, answering questions such as, “How often do most hens lay eggs?” and “How do you protect your chickens from Minnesota’s heat in the summer and cold in the winter?” 

Along with $1,000 scholarships, the Poultry Prince and Princess will have the opportunity to expand their speaking, interview and presentation skills through industry and publicity appearances during their year-long term and will receive royal portraits created by the official State Fair artist, Ta-coumba Aiken. They also had the chance to participate in the State Fair parade on Sunday.

"We’re proud to see this program continue to be a staple at the Minnesota State Fair,” said Brad Rugg, 4-H director of fairs and animal science programs for the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development. It’s a wonderful showcase of the talent and passion Minnesota 4-H’ers have for poultry.”

About Gold'n Plump^® Chicken | Good Chicken is Our Mission^®
Gold'n Plump^® is distributed nationally by Pilgrim’s Pride. The Gold’n Plump brand's good chicken mission centers on being truly all natural, highly trimmed and free of unwanted solution, skin and parts. The Gold'n Plump All Natural line also boasts attributes of No Antibiotics-Ever and American Humane Certified^TM farm program seal. To learn more about the Gold'n Plump brand and its products, as well as find great recipes, general cooking and safe handling tips and nutrition information, visit www.GoldnPlump.com. Find Gold’n Plump on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.

About Extension 4-H
4-H empowers youth with skills to lead for a lifetime. 4-H is Minnesota’s largest youth development organization, growing leaders in every part of the state. Youth in 4-H collaborate with caring adults to explore hands-on projects in areas like science, health, agriculture, citizenship, and the arts. Mentors provide a positive environment where youth learn by doing. The 4-H experience is delivered by a community of more than 150 staff and 11,000 volunteers across Minnesota. Last year, 69,000 youth participated in Minnesota 4-H programs.

The 4-H experience grows leaders with life skills like confidence, independence, resilience and compassion. Youth in 4-H are 2x more likely to make healthy choices, 4x more likely to contribute to their communities and 2x more likely to be civically active. 4-H grows true leaders. Discover more at extension.umn.edu/youth/mn4-H. For the latest on 4-H, find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Learn more about the 2017 Poultry Prince and Princess Contest online at http://z.umn.edu/4hpoultryprinceprincess and view photos of last year’s contest and portraits at Gold’n Plump’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GoldnPlump.