My life changed on May 19.
Stand-ing on stage with five other top candidates in Adams County, I was shocked when they ann-ounced my name as the 71st Alice in Dairyland. Since that moment, my schedule has been a whirlwind of events, interviews, tours and opportunities, and I’ve loved every mile traveled along the way.
Jan. 2 was a bittersweet day for me as applications for the 72nd Alice in Dairyland were released. It is hard not to be jealous of the next professional who will step forward to embrace this opportunity of a lifetime.
Since its founding, the Alice in Dairyland program has served Wisconsin agriculture while helping women develop personally and professionally. In 1948, Alice was a beauty queen fresh out of high school. The early Alice traveled 150,000 miles nationwide with a chaperone, most of it on airplanes, and made up to 1,000 appearances annually. Early Alice contests drew hundreds of entries. The selection criteria in the first year were simply “beauty and health, general personality and the ability to present herself and her message before large groups.”
The process of selecting the next Alice in Dairyland has certainly changed throughout the seven decades of the program. Today, Alice in Dairyland is nothing short of a marketing professional logging nearly 40,000 miles within the state. In the first round of the selection process, applications are evaluated on resumes, personal interviews and communications ability. If the criteria are met, an applicant becomes one of five or six top candidates who face a selection panel during the three-day finals. At the finals, candidates are evaluated on public speaking, personal interviews, television and radio interviews and agribusiness tours.
Many people I meet are surprised to learn Alice in Dairyland is a full-time salaried position offered through the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Alice’s service to agriculture is proven by her ability to garner more than $1 million worth of free airtime and print space for Wisconsin’s food, fuel and fiber industries.
I’m often asked what my favorite part of being Alice is, and I never know where to begin. In the first six months of my year, I drove 20,000 miles in Maizey, a flex-fuel vehicle provided by the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association. My travels helped me discover hidden gems of Wisconsin while making invaluable contacts with leaders in Wisconsin’s diverse $88.3 billion agriculture industry.
Although I am dreading the end of my year, I am thrilled to learn more about our generous host of the 72nd Alice in Dairyland Finals: Green County. What better place to select an iconic ambassador for Wisconsin agriculture than in a county that has 31 dairy processing plants, including 12 cheese manufacturers? Home to the most master cheesemakers in the nation, Green County produces more than 60 varieties of specialty, award-winning artisan cheeses including some that are not crafted anywhere else in the United States.
As someone who applied to be Alice in Dairyland twice, I can honestly say that those who apply can only gain from the experience. Being a top candidate is a chance to grow personally and professionally, explore unique industries in Wisconsin agriculture and put your foot in the door of agricultural opportunities. The first step is easy. Applications are due Feb. 4 and can be found at aliceindairyland.com. That website also has information about attending the finals and celebrating Green County agriculture. I hope you will meet me in Green County to congratulate the 72nd Alice in Dairyland from May 9 to 11.
— Kaitlyn Riley is the 71st Alice in Dairyland, Wisconsin’s agriculture ambassador who works with media professionals to educate consumers about the importance of agriculture to Wisconsin’s economy and way of life.
