(Capitol News Illinois photo by Peter Hancock)
By PETER HANCOCK, Capitol News Illinois, and Fox Valley Magazine
It’s got its own webcam. Seriously.
In front of a herd of reporters and onlookers, Gov. JB Pritzker and Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II officially unveiled this year’s butter cow at the 2023 Illinois State Fair.
The dairy-based heiffer was sculpted by artist Sarah Pratt and inspired by dairy farmer Lorilee Schultz, from Mill-R-Mor Dairy in Orangeville, who is depicted harvesting milk from one of her cows. The theme of this year’s State Fair is “Harvest the Fun.”
This year’s display also features a second, smaller sculpture in a separate display case depicting Schultz’s daughter, Lucy, petting a calf.
Missing from this year’s presentation was a suggested companion piece, the State Corn Cob. Officials said the subject was moo-t. (No, there wasn’t really such a thing.)
“This year’s butter cow sculpture celebrates the Illinois dairy farm families like mine who harvest the fun of dairy every day on our farms,” Schultz said at the unveiling ceremony. “What is more fun than ice cold milk, creamy ice cream and gooey cheese made with milk produced on over 400 dairy farms across the great state of Illinois?”
The state’s whiskey distillers were unavailable for comment.
The sculpture will remain on display in the Dairy Building of the fairgrounds in Springfield for the duration of the fair, which runs Aug. 10-20.
