Each October, Wisconsin serves as the meeting place for the world’s dairy industry, and more than 50,000 people travel from over 100 countries to gather, learn, educate, and celebrate all things dairy at World Dairy Expo in Madison. This year, from October 1 to 4, Expo featured seminars, judging contests, the latest technology and implements, and of course, cattle shows on the famous colored shavings.
Alice in Dairyland usually wears a few different hats at World Dairy Expo, resulting in a very fulfilling week. Ahead of the show opening to the public, as contests were underway, I met with Expo staff, toured the grounds, and recorded a segment welcoming attendees to the 57th World Dairy Expo. Youth and young adults from across the country participated in a variety of contests, showcasing their skills in fitting, which is grooming the cattle for the show ring by washing, brushing, clipping hair, or using other techniques, showmanship, and cattle judging.
Tuesday brought the first day of the trade show and many more activities! I spent the morning in the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW) booth, sharing more about my role as Alice and Wisconsin dairy with attendees. After a quick on-site lunch, I explored the trade show and learned about some advancements in the dairy industry that help ensure cow comfort and care, reduce environmental impacts, and produce nutritious, high-quality products. Winners of the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest were auctioned off at the Dairy Products Auction Tuesday night, with proceeds benefitting scholarships, collegiate judging contests, and more. The contest provides processors of cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, gelato, cottage cheese, fluid milk, whipping cream, sour cream, and whey with a valuable opportunity to showcase their products in a prestigious national competition. It’s always so much fun to see the top products and their makers together in one place.
From across the globe, right down to our very own fourth-grade classrooms, people from all over come to World Dairy Expo, and I got to spend time with quite a few of them! On Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, local fourth graders and their chaperones visited locations throughout the grounds to learn more about dairy in Wisconsin. When they came to the DFW station, they did a scavenger hunt that took them to all areas of a dairy farm, from the milking parlor to the maternity area, to learn about cattle care, sustainability, and feeding the world. Thursday evening, I attended the International Reception with attendees from nearly 100 countries! It was fascinating hearing about dairy in other countries and the many similarities our industries share. It’s not too often that you can be in a room with such a diverse representation of countries present, and it’s an experience I won’t soon forget. After some brief remarks on stage, I bid my farewell to our international guests and headed over to the Dairy Innovation Hub reception, showcasing research results from UW-Madison, UW-Platteville, and UW-River Falls, through their partnership with the Hub. The Hub is a brand new partner to the Alice in Dairyland program, which was announced during Expo, making the reception a great opportunity to share more about the partnership and really see the impact the Hub has on dairy research.
At the end of Expo each year, a supreme champion is named, selecting the best overall animal at World Dairy Expo that year. The ceremony is impressive and popular, with people packing nearly every seat in the Coliseum. As Alice in Dairyland, I was tasked with walking the envelope containing the winner’s name across the colored shavings, under just a spotlight, to the announcers. The crowd fell silent as the announcers opened the envelope and declared Stoney Point Joel Bailey as the 2024 World Dairy Expo Supreme Champion! The ceremony served as the perfect close to an amazing week.
Between all of these exciting events, I was thankful to browse the barns, catch some of the shows live from the Coliseum, meet with members of the media, Alice fans, friends, and people from across the world, enjoy a grilled cheese or two, and overall celebrate Wisconsin dairy on a global stage, right here in Madison. To catch up on all of the happenings from this year or plan next year’s visit in advance, visit www.WorldDairyExpo.com.
— Halei Heinzel is the 77th 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. She can be reached at halei.heinzel@wisconsin.gov.
