Milwaukee County is hosting the 80th Alice in Dairyland Finals, May 13-15, 2027. In preparation for the finals, I am visiting Milwaukee County at least once a month to highlight agriculture in this part of the state!
This is an incredible location for the finals as the Alice in Dairyland program reaches eight decades of age, especially because the very first Alice in Dairyland was selected in Milwaukee County! The program began in 1948 as part of Wisconsin’s centennial celebrations. Margaret McGuire was selected amongst hundreds of applicants to represent Wisconsin agriculture as Alice in Dairyland. Today, the Alice in Dairyland interview process culminates in a three-day finals event that rotates to a new county each year.
This year, “Something Historic is Coming Home” to Milwaukee County. Exploring Milwaukee County’s unique agricultural landscape has been extremely interesting! In July, I visited Purple Door Ice Cream, a locally sourced ice cream shop in Milwaukee that creates one-of-a-kind flavors with natural colorings and is invested in the growth of the community.
August started with 11 days in West Allis at the 175th Wisconsin State Fair! Organizations such as the Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board actively engage with fairgoers to share the story of Wisconsin agriculture! As far as agriculture goes, dairy farms are not the most prominent in Milwaukee County. In fact, the Milwaukee County Zoo has the only working dairy farm in Milwaukee! During A La Carte at the Zoo, I joined the Family Farm staff for a full tour of the farm and learned about their work to educate people about agriculture.
September brought a wide variety of locations and visits! I started the month at Trimborn Farm in Greendale for their Harvest of Arts & Crafts event. This historic site is home to a Cream City brick farmhouse, which is one of the last and largest stone barns in Wisconsin. An exciting new development is the Heritage Hen Collection, which is bringing hens back to the chicken coop on site!
My next visit was to Aromatic Acres, an urban flower farm in Wauwatosa. They grow thousands of specialty cut flowers and foliage on less than half an acre at the Firefly Ridge Community Gardens. We stopped in for a quick scoop of custard from Gilles Frozen Custard, which is Wisconsin’s oldest frozen custard stand! It was delicious!! To close out the month, I attended the Bayside Fall Fest. This community event celebrates the fall season in Wisconsin with a village picnic, petting zoo, live music, and many other ways to engage!
Along my journeys in Milwaukee County, I also have the opportunity to connect with a very special group of people. The 80th Alice in Dairyland Finals Planning Committee is a group of volunteers who are passionate about the Alice in Dairyland Program and Milwaukee
County. I love hearing their plans for the finals and I can’t wait for the details to be revealed as the year continues!
Join us for the 80th Alice in Dairyland Finals! Friday and Saturday evening are ticketed events open to the public. Friday includes four impromptu questions for each of the Top Candidates to answer, and a Commodity Showcase where the candidates share a product they made using a Wisconsin commodity while educating attendees. Saturday includes the final introductions, impromptu speeches, prepared presentations, a farewell speech from the outgoing Alice in Dairyland, and concludes with the announcement of the next Alice in Dairyland!
Learn more about the 80th Alice in Dairyland Finals and how to become Alice in Dairyland at AliceInDairyland.com.
Alice in Dairyland is a one-year, full-time public relations professional employed by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). Each year, Alice in Dairyland travels over 45,000 miles, promoting Wisconsin agriculture, as authorized by Wis. Stat. § § 93.07(3), 93.40(1)(e), and 93.44(1)). Alice in Dairyland conducts hundreds of media interviews, speeches, and school presentations in her position.
— Anastasia Poull is the 79th 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 anastasia.poull@wisconsin.gov.
