Promoting ‘The Jersey’ in the Fast Lane

From the rolling pastures of central Indiana to the precious green shavings in Louisville to the most prestigious speedway in America, “Oh the Places the Jersey Will Take You,” has been a fitting theme for this year’s National Jersey Queen.

Recently, the 2022 National Jersey Queen, Jackie Mudd, had the unique opportunity to showcase the Jersey amid the best race car drivers in the country. The Indianapolis 500 racetrack is a place where tradition thrives, and this year, Mudd had the opportunity to be directly involved in one of the racetrack’s longest standing traditions.

Jackie Mudd, a senior at Purdue University, proudly hails from the state of Indiana. She has been actively involved in the Jersey dairy industry for many years, advocating for the Jersey breed on many occasions. Last year at the All American Jersey Show in Louisville, Kentucky, she was crowned as the 2022 National Jersey Queen. This experience has given her a platform to advocate for the Jersey at many events, including community outreach activities, in elementary and middle school classrooms and at on-campus events. Most recently, she had the unique opportunity to promote the Jersey cow at the largest platform in the race car industry – the Indianapolis 500 racetrack.

The Indianapolis 500 race, famously known as the Indy 500, is the most prestigious automobile race in the United States. The inaugural race occurred in 1911 and since then, it has attracted crowds of millions, all gathering for the world’s best single day attended sporting event. And, just as important as it is to have the automobiles equipped for the race, the drivers must also have their minds and bodies prepared for the event. Although these athletes are some of the most respected in America, they, too, have race-day superstitions. Since 1936, milking a dairy cow prior to the race has been a notable tradition that many first-time Indy 500 race car drivers participate in. Since the onset of this tradition, it has been believed that this will be a signal of ‘good luck’ for the drivers before they begin their event.

Mudd attended the 49th annual Fastest Rookie of the Year Awards Luncheon at the Indianapolis motor speedway, sponsored by the American Dairy Association of Indiana. She connected with rookies and other race car enthusiasts by educating them on the Jersey dairy industry and sharing personal stories of her decade-long involvement with Jerseys. Mudd had the unique opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with professional racecar drivers, like Benjamin Pederson, R.C. Enerson and Agustin Canapino, where she shared the narrative of Jersey dairy farmers and the benefits of the Jersey cow.

“The rookie drivers believe that milking a cow before their first race on the Indianapolis motor speedway will give them a better chance on being awarded the coveted glass of ice cold milk for winning the Indy 500.” So, she gave rookie drivers Pederson and Enerson tips on how to milk a dairy cow for good luck for this year’s race.

“I believe that that Indy 500 highlights the importance of dairy in a well-balanced diet” said Mudd. “It was interesting hearing each driver’s milk preference.”

Of the 33 drivers that interacted with Jackie, nearly all of them showed favor to whole milk, while others were split between the choice of 2%-milk and skim milk.

The remainder of Mudd’s summer and fall schedule will keep her busy as she prepares to represent the Jersey dairy industry at the 2023 Annual AJCA-NAJ Meetings in Lacrosse, Wis., World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., and the All American Jersey Show in Louisville, Ky.