Erickson Sisters Have Memorable Experiences at Minnesota State Fair

Fertile, MN — Sisters Catie and Sidney Erickson both had quite the memorable experience at this year’s Minnesota State Fair. Sidney earned not only a purple ribbon, but also Grand Champion for British Bred Slick Shorn Steer that she raised herself. She went into the State Fair expecting to do well, but never anticipated grand champion. Sidney says getting the opportunity to make it to the big premium auction was quite an accomplishment for the small-town kid.

Once Sidney was selected for the Champion Auction, the work wasn’t over yet as she had twenty four hours to raise a minimum of $5,000, the market value for her steer. Hitting the phones and social media, she was able to nearly double that goal. Sidney explains the auction process and how it works.

Erickson says the one thing she’s learned from this experience is that if you stay positive and work hard, good things such as Grand Champion can happen.

Sidney’s older sister Catie also had a memorable experience at this year’s State Fair. Along with a purple ribbon in sheep showmanship, she volunteered to work at the Miracle of Birth Center as part of the FFA. Catie says for more than a week, she worked from sun up until sundown educating people about the animals and agriculture.

Catie adds that like many experiences in the FFA, one of the best parts of her time at the Miracle of Life center was the memories and new friends that she made during the process.

Sidney is a freshman and Catie is a Senior at Fertile-Beltrami this year and both are members of the Fertile 4-H organization.