Get to know Idaho: History of the Meridian dairy days

MERIDIAN, Idaho —

Sure, Idaho is thought for potatoes, however the Gem State can also be the third largest-producing dairy state within the county, simply behind California and Wisconsin.

Nevertheless, as of 2020, there are solely 437 dairy farms throughout the state, most of that are within the Magic Valley area. However again within the day, Meridian was truly the dairy heart of Idaho. 

This weekend, hundreds will take over downtown Meridian as a part of the Meridian Dairy Days. 

An occasion that started off as a celebration in 1929, and rapidly morphed into an annual gathering of not solely dairy farmers, however the Meridian neighborhood. 

“It is most likely going to be unusual for individuals who simply moved right here, and ‘why do we have now dairy days? I am unable to discover a dairy wherever,’” mentioned Hans Brujin, the president of Meridian Dairy Days. 

However that wasn’t the case 100 years in the past. The truth is, it was almost 93 years in the past to at the present time that Meridian Creamery opened amidst rising issues of a Nice Melancholy. 

“At one time, this was the dairy capital of Idaho. We had the creamery right here proper in Meridian the place metropolis corridor is now and there have been dairies each sq. mile, most likely had 4 dairies,” Brujin mentioned. 

At one level, greater than three thousand farmers despatched their milk to the Meridian Creamery. In 1948, the creamery integrated a dairy present to its yearly celebrations, and one yr later, the celebrations moved to the dairy grounds, now often called the Meridian Speedway. 

“You already know, individuals introduced their animals, their cows, to indicate their neighbors how good their cows have been,” Brujin mentioned. 

Immediately, the dairy present is reserved only for college students in FFA and 4H to indicate off their dairy cattle and dairy goats. The present continues to be held within the infield of the Meridian Speedway. 

However the place do they hold the cattle? 

“In all probability lots of people do not know that, however the North grandstand, as they name it, is the dairy barn,” Brujin mentioned. “That is the place they used to home, I feel as much as 200 head of dairy cows for the present.” 

All of the proceeds from the Dairy Days inventory present go in direction of offering scholarships to the FFA and 4H college students. This Spring, they have been in a position to give away ten-thousand {dollars}. 

“We nonetheless must eat, and though there’s nonetheless not that a lot farmland left right here, we hope that these youth will come again and assist out the agriculture in Idaho,” Brujin mentioned. 

Although the dairy present has remained a continuing over the previous couple of many years, Brujin mentioned they proceed so as to add extra sights through the years, issues like stay music, a carnival, pageants, and a parade. Brujin even mentioned the dairy days parade has turn out to be a sufferer of its personal success, yearly it retains rising. 

This yr they’re anticipating almost 100 floats to parade downtown, adopted by a fireworks present. 

The creamery, by the way in which, closed round 1970, when the milk was shipped to Caldwell for processing. In 2008, the Meridian Metropolis Corridor was constructed as an alternative.