The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has named the six top candidates for the 75th Alice in Dairyland position. They are Amber Cafferty, Amelia Hayden, Courtney Moser, Taylor Schaefer, Samantha Schuessler and Charitee Seebecker.
Prior to being selected as top candidates, applicants completed an application and preliminary interview. Over the next seven weeks, the six top candidates will prepare for the three-day Alice in Dairyland Finals, scheduled for May 19-21 in Dane County, Wis. The three-day process includes agribusiness tours, media interviews, an impromptu question and answer session, individual interviews, and candidate presentations.
The selection of the 75th Alice in Dairyland will be announced live at the conclusion of the finals on May 21. The 75th Alice will be crowned by 74th Alice Julia Nunes. The 75th Alice in Dairyland will begin her term on July 5. Following are brief biographies on each of the candidates:
Amber Cafferty grew up on her family’s dairy and poultry farm in western Wisconsin. She was active in 4-H and FFA. Cafferty attended the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where she was involved in the Gopher Club, Beta of Clovia sorority, National Grocers Association, and Agriculture Education and Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow Club. Internships with Minnesota 4-H in Wright County, The Dairy Alliance and the Minnesota State Fair Competition Department allowed her to further develop her agriculture knowledge. Cafferty graduated in May 2019 with bachelor’s degrees in agricultural communications and marketing and animal science. After graduation, she returned to her family’s farm before accepting a full-time position with Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin as a marketing and development coordinator.
Amelia Hayden has always loved finding ways to give back to her community through agriculture. She was active in 4-H and FFA. Hayden grew up showing at the Walworth County Fair and was an officer in her local 4-H club and the Walworth County 4-H Junior Leaders Association. In FFA, Hayden sought out every opportunity to inform others about agriculture. This work led her to become a national winner for her projects related to agriscience research and agriculture education. Hayden served as the 2017-18 Wisconsin state FFA vice president and 2018-19 Wisconsin state FFA president. As a student at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Hayden has served as president of the Agriculture Education, Communication and Marketing Club; an active member of the Agricultural Business Club; and a Teach Ag Ambassador. While in college, she interned with Vivayic Inc. She is graduating in May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education. Hayden intends to become a high school agriculture teacher.
Courtney Moser grew up on her family’s registered Holstein dairy farm, Dream Prairie Holsteins, and it was there her love for the dairy industry and wider agriculture community began. Her passion further developed through her dedicated involvement with 4-H, FFA and the Wisconsin Holstein Association. At the age of 12, she earned first place in the WHA junior speaking contest. Her interest continued to grow as she promoted registered Holsteins and the dairy industry as the 2017 WHA Princess. After graduating from Westby Area High School in May 2017, Moser furthered her education at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Her studies included an internship in Jerome, Idaho, with Progressive Publishing as an editorial intern for Progressive Dairy. In December 2020, she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and communication. She is currently serving as the 2021 Vernon County Fairest of the Fair. For the past year, she has been employed as the digital marketing strategist for Valley Fudge and Candy in Coon Valley, Wis.
Taylor Schaefer’s fondest memories stem from her family’s beef and crop farm, where raising livestock and serving as a youth leader in the Racine County 4-H program ignited her passion for agriculture. Schaefer went on to study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was involved in the Association of Women in Agriculture, Badger Dairy Club and the University of Wisconsin Marching Band. In 2021, she interned with Mayer Beef and Folk Song Farm, where she broadened her knowledge of the Something Special from Wisconsin program and connected with consumers. She has since joined the Animal and Dairy Sciences Department at UW-Madison as a digital media intern and the Mid-West Farm Report as a farm assistant. In May 2022, Schaefer will graduate with bachelor’s degrees in animal sciences and life sciences communication and a certificate in digital studies. Upon graduation, she has accepted a position with the Mid-West Farm Report in Madison.
Samantha Schuessler enjoys sharing her agriculture story with everyone she meets. Schuessler has a passion for agriculture that was cultivated on her family dairy farm in Antigo, Wis. Growing up, she was heavily involved with 4-H and FFA and was often showing horses, sheep, swine and dairy cattle. Schuessler 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, she 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. Schuessler has experience in all aspects of the food chain, from working on the farm to making cheese to selling chocolate. She worked for Sartori Cheese making wheels of cheese and sales in the Midwest. She now works for The Hershey Co. as a retail sales representative.
Charitee Seebecker of Mauston, Wis., grew up on her family’s registered Holstein dairy farm. Feeding calves and milking were just a couple of things that helped keep her busy. She was active in FFA and 4-H. Wanting to share agriculture’s story, Seebecker obtained a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business with an emphasis in communications and marketing from UW-Platteville. In 2016, she shared her knowledge of agriculture while serving as the Juneau County Fairest of the Fair. Throughout college, she was active in the Pioneer Dairy Club, Agriculture Business Club and Ceres Women’s Agricultural Fraternity, and served as co-president of the National Agri-Marketing Association. Upon graduation in May 2018, Seebecker served as an Ameri-Corps Farm to School specialist for Juneau County. She currently works at the Wisconsin Holstein Association as the director of sales and membership and as a news broadcaster at Hometown Life News in Tomah, Wis.
