Posted: 10.17.2011

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is now accepting bids for a Wisconsin county or counties to host the 66^th Alice in Dairyland Finals in May 2013. Local economic development groups, county agriculture organizations, and community visitor bureaus are encouraged to consider this opportunity.

“As I travel the state promoting Wisconsin’s dynamic $59 billion agriculture industry, I continue to be impressed by the diversity of agriculture from county to county,” said Katie Wirkus, the 64^th Alice in Dairyland. “I encourage counties across the state to explore the possibility of hosting the Finals, because it allows you to feature your agriculture industry, provide the finalists a hands-on learning experience, and teach area consumers about where their food is produced.”

Each year, the Alice in Dairyland Finals rotates to a different county. This year’s Finals to select the 65^th Alice in Dairyland will be May 17-19, 2012 in Grant County. The Finals includes a two-day briefing and three-day final selection process. During the two-day briefing, a press conference is held to announce the candidates. Included in the three-day final selection process are interviews, agri-business tours, a Question and Answer Session, and the Finale Program. The Question and Answer Session and Finale Program are open to the public.

“Hosting the Alice in Dairyland Finals gave us the opportunity to showcase Rock County agriculture to all of Wisconsin,” added Sandy Larson of Larson Acres and Co-Chair of the 2010 Alice in Dairyland Finals. “From media coverage to the community learning about agriculture through public events, the Finals are a unique and wonderful event to showcase agriculture and Wisconsin’s agriculture ambassador.”

Over the program’s six decade history, 36 different counties have hosted the Alice in Dairyland Finals. The Alice in Dairyland Finals is a long, public job interview for the one-year contractual position at DATCP. Alice in Dairyland conducts a large number of media interviews with television, radio, and print publications. She develops and delivers speeches for numerous urban and rural events, and also gives presentations at over one hundred schools. Alice in Dairyland travels nearly 40,000 miles throughout the state and surrounding areas promoting Wisconsin’s agricultural industry during her year.

“Through the Alice in Dairyland Finals, we brought together volunteers with an array of talents to rally and promote the important business of agriculture,” concluded Ken Williams, a UW-Extension Agriculture Agent and Co-Chair of the 2011 Alice in Dairyland Finals. “The public events and bringing Alice in Dairyland into the county helped us feature the importance of agriculture to the economy of Waushara County and educate consumers.”

Interested counties will be asked to provide details on their interest for hosting the event and the resources in their county. The deadline is December 15, 2011. For more details or to obtain a bid application, contact Nicole Breunig, Alice in Dairyland Program Manager, at 608-224-5080 or DATCPAlice@wisconsin.gov.

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