Six final candidates for the state’s agriculture ambassador position, Alice in Dairyland, have been announced.

 

“It is unbelievable that my year as Alice in Dairyland is almost over; it has been an amazing experience. It is a bittersweet day announcing the finalists, yet very exciting as one of these candidates will carry on the program’s great tradition. They are all highly qualified and will do an excellent job promoting Wisconsin's $59.16 billion agriculture industry,” stated Cheryl O’Brien, 62nd Alice in Dairyland.

 

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection announced the names of the candidates, one of whom will be selected as the 63rd Alice in Dairyland during a series of public events highlighting agriculture in Rock County, May 20-22. 

”Rock County is an impressive venue that features hundreds of farms, businesses and industries that process, market and deliver food, fiber and fuel to consumers. They provide a dynamic impact to the county with 8,569 jobs and $1.1 billion in economic activity,” said Rod Nilsestuen, Secretary of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. "We are very proud of the county members volunteering to make this event possible and look forward to selecting the next remarkable spokesperson for Wisconsin agriculture in the Gateway to America’s Dairyland."

 

The 2010 Alice in Dairyland finalists are:

 

Christa Behnke, Clintonville, grew up on her family's third generation dairy farm. This fostered her enthusiasm for agriculture and passion to learn about the industry. She further explored other aspects of agriculture working on a strawberry farm and at a landscaping garden center. Currently a senior at the University of Wisconsin - Madison majoring in Agricultural and Applied Economics with a certificate in Environmental Studies, Behnke plans to graduate this May. On campus she is active in the Association of Women in Agriculture where she is the organization’s vice president and the general chair of the Breakfast on the Farm event in April. Additionally, she serves as president of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Ambassadors. 

Andrea Bloom, Loyal, grew up next door to her grandparents' dairy farm, which fostered her involvement in 4-H and developed her as a leader in the Loyal FFA Chapter. Her passion for agriculture, agricultural education and public speaking led her to a year of service as a Wisconsin state FFA officer in 2005-2006. Bloom graduated with distinction this past December with a degree in agricultural journalism from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. She gained marketing and communications experience during internships with the Wisconsin FFA Center, Wisconsin State Fair and Elanco Animal Health. She currently works on the marketing team at Vita Plus while completing her editorial internship with Agri-View.

 

Christine (Lepple) Lindner, Fall River, was raised on her family’s 80-cow dairy farm near Beaver Dam. She graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2006 earning a degree in agricultural journalism. Some of her first-hand experience in marketing and communication stems from serving as the publicity co-chair for the 2009 Wisconsin Farm Technology Days, promoting agriculture education as a Wisconsin State FFA Officer and her internships at Agri-View, Alto Dairy Cooperative, Filament Marketing, Wisconsin State Fair and Fort Dodge Animal Health. Lindner is currently the marketing manager for ANIMART and responsible for the company’s dairy and livestock marketing, communications and public relations initiatives.

 

Sheri Nelson, East Troy, grew up showing hogs and poultry and helping on her family's crop farm. Nelson served as the 2005-2006 Wisconsin State FFA Vice President and in 2007 was the 41st Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs. Nelson graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in December of 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in life sciences communication with an emphasis in business. Nelson currently works as the Internship Program Coordinator for Food Export Association of the Midwest, works for the National FFA facilitating leadership workshops to middle and high school agricultural students around the nation and also started her own non-profit, WaterDrops of Hope.

 

Katie Reichling, Darlington, was raised on her family's 325 cow dairy farm, Reichling Homestead. In 1995 her family experienced a barn fire that forever changed her life and the way she viewed agriculture. This experience stimulated her to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science with a dairy emphasis from the University of Wisconsin - Platteville. After her family’s herd dispersal this past August, Reichling continued her dairy work as a part-time herd manager for Endless Horizons and is also a substitute teacher. Additionally she volunteers with WDMP 99.3FM as a spokesperson for agriculture promotion. Reichling was named the 2009 Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation's Young Farmer and Agriculturist Excellence in Agriculture Contest.

 

Rochelle Ripp, Lodi, is deeply-rooted in agriculture, having grown up on her family’s dairy and cash crop farm. Her passion and experience have been cultivated through multiple internships and involvement in the agriculture industry. Ripp is a 2009 graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in agribusiness with an emphasis in communications and marketing. Her campus involvement included promoting the university as a UW-Platteville Student Ambassador, developing strategic marketing plans as part of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), along with serving as team captain to the UW-Platteville Women’s Varsity Volleyball team. She is an associate marketing executive at Filament Marketing.

 

The public is invited to attend the Impromptu Question and Answer Session on Friday, May 21st at the Beloit Ironworks in Beloit, Wis. and the Alice in Dairyland Finale Selection on Saturday evening, May 22nd at the Pontiac Convention Center in Janesville, Wis. The Finale program will also be live on the web at www.wisconsinagconnection.com. Tickets for the Alice in Dairyland Finals events are available by calling Pat Larson at 608-373-6146 or can be purchased in Janesville at M & I Bank’s100 N. Main Street location. Additional event information and a ticket request form is available by visiting www.aliceindairyland.com.

 

Following their announcement, candidates toured Rock County and were welcome by a gift bag to remember their visits. Among them was a garden tote with tools from Rotary Gardens to remember their morning at the internationally themed botanical garden, a cookbook from the Janesville Senior Center to acquaint them with the tastes of Rock County and featuring some of the vegetables they saw packaged at Seneca Foods Corporation, a glass pheasant ornament from MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. to mark their time at the largest pheasant farm in North America, and a Rock County Alice in Dairyland polo shirt will help them to spread the word about the upcoming Finals set for May 20-22.