The inside story of the Minnesota State Fair’s Miracle of Birth Center

St. Paul, Minnesota – It is one of the busiest buildings in the Minnesota State Fair for animals and people.

“My day job is teaching. I am a high school teacher at Forest Lake Area High School in Forest Lake, Minnesota,” said Mike Miron.

Even though classes don’t start for a few days, Miron is already in teaching mode. He is a manager and consultant at the Miracle of Birth Center.

“We actually prepared for this fair during the last fair,” said Miron.

You work like a farmer from sunrise to sunset, and there’s a lot of work involved in preparing a building for use as a super animal breeding station.

“Our day usually starts at 6 a.m., we usually go home at 10 p.m.,” Miron said. “We have sheep lambing, we have pigs farrowing, we have eggs hatching.”

It has been that way since 2001, when the idea of ​​Miracle of Birth was born. It began as a collaboration between FFA, the University of Minnesota, and the Veterinary Medical Association. The animals and volunteers then moved to their current location in 2006. About 200 calves, lambs, and piglets are now born in this building each year.

It is estimated that at least half of all fair attendees visit the Miracle of Birth Center, making it one of the most popular and educational exhibits at the fair.

“Some good teaching moments. Many people want to know when the animals were born. What their names are,” said Michaela Olson.

Olson is one of the volunteer veterinarians who work and sleep here.

“It’s hard, but you set the alarm and check on them every hour. A few of us sleep here and check on the animals. That’s the miracle of birth, you never know exactly when it’s going to happen,” Olson said.

The volunteers had barely prepared the bedding when the first residents arrived two days before the fair began. A few turkeys from Northfield.

“They’re puffing themselves up here as they settle down and get used to their surroundings. Then they start strutting around for the State Fair,” said Peter Scharp of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association.

When birth and hatching begin, it is important to keep the animals cool.

And it’s also about teaching visitors that caring for farm animals is important. Not just during the Great Minnesota Get-Together, but all year long.

“We work hard to give our show guests all the answers they need when they arrive so that when they leave they have even more information about agriculture here in Minnesota, especially livestock,” Miron said.

The animals you see come from farms across the state and return home after the fair. The CHS Miracle of Birth Center has no dairy cows this year However, due to concerns about bird flu, you can still see calves. The exhibit is located next to the Lee and Rose Warner Coliseum.