The first six months as Wisconsin’s 77th Alice in Dairyland have just flown by! In the first half of my year in this role, I have had the opportunity of a lifetime, visiting farms, touring agribusinesses, attending events, stopping by media, and engaging with schools! In the second half of my year, I will continue to be involved in industry and community activities and will also be on the search for our next Alice in Dairyland!
Candidates hoping to be selected as our 78th Alice in Dairyland experience one of the longest job interviews they’ll ever have. After submitting their applications, resumes, and cover letters and going through a preliminary interview, a group of top candidates will emerge. They will develop their skillset over the next few months, culminating in the Alice in Dairyland Finals, May 15-17, 2025.
The top candidates will be announced to the public during a press briefing in early March. Afterward, they will meet weekly to learn about marketing, communications, the Alice program, and more that will come in handy while serving as Alice in Dairyland. In addition to attending the educational meetings, each candidate will develop components for the final selection panel to review. Each of these components is designed to mimic the responsibilities Alice has during her time serving. From article writing to short-form video creation and media interviews, the skills I worked on during the selection process are ones I continue to hone now as Alice and will no doubt use in my future career.
Recognizing the work that goes into the selection process for each candidate, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection has created a Marketing and Communications Certificate that the candidates can use to better leverage their experience as a top candidate when looking for future roles, whether or not they are selected to serve as the next Alice.
Along the way, candidates will receive feedback and fine tune their components ahead of the three-day-long Alice in Dairyland Finals. Once the candidates’ final component has been submitted, all eyes will turn to Crawford County! Serving as this years’ host, the Crawford planning committee has been putting in the hours to make sure they highlight what makes their county great. I’ve been visiting them once a month to learn more about Crawford’s agriculture and help build excitement around the event, and I can’t wait to see even more with the candidates.
The three-day finale event will test everything the candidates have learned through their previous experience and over the preceding few months. Our top candidates complete Facebook Live session, television and radio interviews, a question-and-answer session, on-stage presentations and more during the event, while the selection panel reviews all the materials carefully, knowing their decision is a big one.
The public is welcome to attend two portions of the Crawford County Finals: the Commodity Showcase and Question-and-Answer session on Friday night, and the Saturday night Final featuring the selection of our 78th Alice in Dairyland. Tickets will be available this spring.
Alice in Dairyland applications are open from January 2 to January 31, 2025, and are available at www.aliceindairyland.com. Contact DATCPAlice@wisconsin.gov if you have any questions about the application process or the 78th finals.
— 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.
