In preparation for the selection of the 75th Alice in Dairyland, we’re giving you a chance to meet the candidates.
The Alice in Dairyland Finals will be held May 19-21 in Dane County. The 75th Alice in Dairyland will begin her term on July 5. The Mid-West Farm Report sat down with the six top candidates after they were announced earlier this month.
One of the top candidates getting ready for the 75th year of Alice is Samantha Schuessler. If selected as Alice, Schuessler will use her food chain expertise to connect consumers to Wisconsin producers.
“Since I was young, I looked up to Alice in Dairyland as the positive image that represented Wisconsin agriculture,” says Schuessler. “As Alice, I will be able to share my Wisconsin stories while also learning and sharing other Wisconsin agriculture stories with the public.”
Schuessler enjoys sharing her agriculture story with everyone she meets. She has a passion for agriculture that was cultivated on her family dairy farm in Antigo. Her favorite memories were feeding the calves and having her kittens follow her around the barns during chores as a young girl.
Growing up she was heavily involved with 4-H and FFA and was often showing horses, sheep, swine and dairy cattle. Samantha graduated from California Polytechnic State University in June 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in dairy science and a minor in agricultural communications.
During college, Schuessler was on the Cal Poly Dairy Judging Team, involved in the Los Lecheros Dairy Club, and interned for CentralStar Cooperative in the summer of 2019. She has experience in all aspects of the food chain from working on the farm to making cheese and selling chocolate. At Sartori Cheese, Schuessler produced wheels of cheese and took on sales. She now works for The Hershey Company as a retail sales representative.
Leading up to the finals in Dane County, the top candidates will prepare for an extensive interview process. The three-day Alice in Dairyland Finals includes agribusiness tours, media interviews, an impromptu question and answer session, individual interviews, and candidate presentations.
