Six finalists will be vying for the 69th Alice in Dairyland May 5-7 in Dodge County.

The six top candidates ­were announced at a press conference held at Crave Brothers Farmstead near Waterloo in Dodge County in March.

ALICE FINALISTS: From left, first row, are Joanna Wavrunek and Ann O'Leary. Middle row are Victoria Horstman and Kristin Klossner. Back row are Emily Selner, the 68th Alice in Dairyland Teyanna Loether and Jenna Braun.

“While the end destination is naming the 69^th Alice in Dairyland, the journey through the coming weeks is one in which each top candidate will gain from this professional development experience,” said 68^th Alice in Dairyland Teyanna Loether. “The various components of the extensive interview process allows each woman to showcase communications and public relations skills required for being the ambassador of Wisconsin’s $88.3 billion agriculture community. The personal growth they will experience from this process will carry far into their future careers.”

The candidates are:

Jenna Braun, Mayville, is a field representative for a local canning company, where she works with area farmers to raise peas and sweet corn. She developed a passion for agriculture while raising state certified seed potatoes on her family’s fifth generation corn, soybean and potato farm. Braun graduated from North Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications and a minor in food safety. As a freshman in college, Braun served on the State FFA Officer team. She continues to volunteer with FFA students and enjoys working with and promoting all facets of agriculture.

Victoria Horstman, Sparta, grew up working on her family dairy. In May 2015, she earned her bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in journalism and public relations. There she was active in the Public Relations Student Society of America and was a member of Kappa Tau Alpha National Honor Society. As a candidate for the 69^th Alice in Dairyland, she plans to focus her efforts on educating others on the processes by which food is grown, processed and eventually consumed. She also intends to highlight Wisconsin products’ large economic impact by using new media to target younger audiences.

Kristin Klossner, New Glarus, resides on her family’s 257-acre dairy farm. She currently is a sales associate at the West Revenue Generation Services in their financial sector. Klossner graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and minors in dairy science and athletic coaching. Klossner credits her love of agriculture to growing up showing livestock through 4-H, FFA and the Wisconsin Holstein Association. Klossner gives back to these organizations today by serving on leadership boards, coaching dairy bowl and hosting the John Klossner Memorial Fitting Contest at the Green County Fair.

Ann O’Leary, Evansville, grew up showing Jerseys and Holsteins at the county, district and state level. She was heavily involved in the Rock County Jr. Holstein Association and the Rock County 4-H Program and served as the 2009 Rock County 4-H Fair Queen. O’Leary studied biology and neuroscience at Carthage College and graduated with All-College Honors in May 2014. She currently works at Epic as a corporate recruiter, volunteers with the Rock County 4-H Program and serves on the Carthage College Alumni Council. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, water skiing and spending time with family.

Emily Selner, Denmark, hopes to apply her diverse experience in the agricultural and food industry as Wisconsin’s agricultural ambassador. Growing up, Selner was active on her family’s dairy farm, where they milked registered Holstein cows. Later this month, she’ll complete her bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and life sciences communications at UW-Madison. At UW-Madison, she is president of UW’s Association of Women in Agriculture, chaired the World Dairy Expo Cheese Stand and is active in Collegiate Farm Bureau. She currently works at the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association. She plans to attend law school in the future to become an attorney serving Wisconsin’s agriculture industry.

Joanna Wavrunek, Denmark, is the fifth generation of her family involved in the farming industry. Agriculture has and continues to be the foundation around which she has built her life. Her passion led her to serve as the State FFA reporter and work as a facilitator for the National FFA Organization. She promoted the agriculture industry while building leadership, civic engagement, and career success to thousands of students. She graduated from UW-Oshkosh where she majored in communication studies with an emphasis in rhetoric and public advocacy. Wavrunek currently works on her family’s dairy farm and at WIXX as a radio personality.

Alice in Dairyland is a one-year, full-time public relations position with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The official start date for the 69^th Alice in Dairyland is June 6.

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 in Dairyland 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 activities, with Dodge County serving as the host county this year. The 69^th Alice in Dairyland will be selected at the conclusion on the three finals program, May 5-7.

The public is welcome to attend three public events during the Finals in Dodge County:
*Candidate Discussion Panel, Friday, May 6, Barn at Windy Pine, Waterloo, 5:30 p.m. ($15);
*69^th Alice Finale Banquet & Program, Saturday, May 7, Turner Hall, Watertown, 4:30 p.m. Social Hour, 5:30 p.m. Banquet; ($25);
*69^th Alice Finale Program Only, Saturday, May 7, Watertown High School, 7 p.m. (Afterglow Reception to follow) ($5).

For all event information and ticket sales, visit aliceindairyland.com.

Source: Wisconsin DATCP