In Michigan this year, where dairy workers and herds have fallen ill from bird flu, a pair of unlikely prized cows are being prepped to take the state fair stage.
State fair organizers are this year featuring Milkshake and Buttercup, two life-sized fiberglass cows complete with rubber teats and water-filled udders, for a popular milking demo.
The head of the Minnesota State Fair’s Moo Booth came up with a similar work around for its hands-on milking event: a fake dairy cow named Olympia.
“Normally, we’d have a real cow out there,” said Jill Nathe, the fair’s deputy general manager of agriculture and competition. “We just can’t do that right now.”
As avian influenza continues to spread, infecting cattle herds for the first time this year as well as four dairy workers, U.S. state and county fair organizers have been forced to reimagine nostalgic summer traditions long celebrated by city and rural folk alike.
For farmers and students eager for blue ribbons and bragging rights, the outbreak has forced them to navigate new testing rules and manage logistical headaches in order to obtain a clean bill of health for animals before entering the show ring.