73rd Alice in Dairyland top candidates announced

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DELAVAN – The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has announced the six top candidates for the 73rd Alice in Dairyland, moving one step closer to the selection of the next Alice.

Following an extensive interview process over the next eight weeks, the 73rd Alice in Dairyland will be selected from among the top candidates at the conclusion of the Alice in Dairyland Finals, scheduled for May 14-16 at various locations throughout Walworth County.

Alice in Dairyland is a full-time communications professional serving as Wisconsin’s agricultural ambassador. Each Alice is employed by DATCP for one year and travels thousands of miles across the state, presenting to students, completing media interviews and attending community events to promote the state’s agriculture industry. The 73rd Alice in Dairyland will begin serving June 1, 2020.

“The Alice in Dairyland selection process is unique in that it takes your communications and interpersonal skills to the next level and allows each candidate to showcase the public relations skills required for being Wisconsin’s agricultural ambassador,” said 72nd Alice in Dairyland Abigail Martin. “The personal growth the top candidates will experience just by being a part of the process will carry far into their future careers.”

One of the top candidates is Kaitlin Konder of Glenwood City.

Kaitlin Konder found her love for the diverse world of agriculture, specifically the dairy industry, at a young age as the fifth generation to be raised on the family dairy farm. Growing up, Konder was heavily involved in 4-H and FFA, where she showed dairy at both the county and state fair. After graduating from high school, Konder served as a Wisconsin State FFA Vice President, where she traveled the state promoting agriculture and FFA to thousands of students. Two years later, she was selected as the St. Croix County Fairest of the Fair, where she served as a public relations professional for both the fair and agriculture industry. Konder recently graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business with a Finance emphasis. Konder plans to utilize her degree by becoming an agricultural loan officer to help farmers grow and succeed financially.

“It has been a goal of mine to become Alice in Dairyland since I was in my teens,” said Konder, “It would be a great honor to share my excitement and love for the agriculture industry by telling the story of all farmers and processors across the great state of Wisconsin!”

The other five top candidates are: Rachel Gerbitz of Milton, Erica Helmer of Plymouth, Stephanie Hoff of Thorp, Julia Nunes of Chippewa Falls and Grace Schroeder of Cashton.

About the Alice in Dairyland program

In this highly visible and fast-paced position, Alice in Dairyland travels throughout the state teaching rural and urban audiences of all ages about Wisconsin’s extensive agricultural industry. In the position, Alice cultivates relationships with television, radio and print media outlets; writes and delivers speeches; and utilizes social media to tell the stories of Wisconsin agriculture. Additional duties include developing and executing marketing plans, delivering classroom presentations, and networking with industry professionals.

Each year, a different Wisconsin county hosts the Alice in Dairyland interview and finals activities, with Walworth County serving as the host county for 2020. For event information, visit aliceindairyland.com.