What makes me who I am today? The short answer, Wisconsin. Why? That’s a longer story. Hi everyone, my name is Grace Schroeder, and I am a young woman with many titles. I could be called a farmer’s daughter or a soon-to-be college graduate; however, my favorite title is the reason I am writing this blog post. I am a Top Candidate for the 73rd Alice in Dairyland. I am in this position because of my connection to and my love for Wisconsin agriculture. Wisconsin has a thriving agriculture industry that encompasses everything from award-winning cheeses to unique crops like cranberries, ginseng, mink pelts, dry whey, and much more. Our Wisconsin farmers produce high-quality products for consumers

Days before starting first grade, my family moved to Wisconsin and purchased a small farm in Chippewa Falls. Although all three of my sisters and I had many interests, our lives revolved around the farm and the work that had to be done there every day. Feeding calves,[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelH

During my childhood, I found myself falling in love with all the Disney princess movies just like any other girl. I began to look up to them because I admired the certain characteristics of each princess. As I grew older, I realized I too possess some of the same qualities as these timeless characters. Belle from Beauty and the Beast always had her nose in the books. Much like her, I followed my dream of attending college to begin my career in agriculture. In December, I graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business with a finance emphasis. I plan to utilize my degree by becoming an agricultural loan officer to

For the last time, chocolate milk does not come from a brown cow! Have you ever found yourself explaining where food comes from to someone who doesn’t know much about agriculture? Perhaps it’s on something more complex than chocolate milk and brown cows. People are becoming more and more removed from the farm, but there is no shortage of jobs in the ag industry as a whole or people to feed. As that on-farm knowledge fades among our population, it’s important that people understand where their food comes from and how it’s produced. As a rural girl in an urban world, that is something I find myself doing regularly – and enjoy it! I graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in life sciences commu

In a world of constant hustle and bustle, it’s important to take the time to soak in your surroundings. I often stand in the footprints of my ancestors to acknowledge the land they tended to and pieces they’ve left. What still stands on the acreage my family cleared is a barn and three silos—a view I will never get tired of. My family provides a long-lived legacy in Wisconsin agriculture which has sparked a passion in me. Deeply rooted in agriculture, I have spent my youth and early career immersing myself in Wisconsin’s diverse agriculture industry only to find that the view of my family’s homestead embodies everything I hold dear. As I admire the beauty in our 167 year-old, weathered barn,

When you picture a Wisconsin barn, what does it look like? They come in all different shapes and sizes across our state. From the red barn at your grandpa’s farm, to your uncle’s 1,000 cow dairy, there is a place for all in Wisconsin agriculture. My barn didn’t look the same as most of my peers. My barn ranged from physical structures to a state of mind. My sister told me that you have to be irrationally in love with it to want to do it. You have to be so invested in what you love that even after you lose, you want to keep going. That kind of passion is born in a barn. My first barn sat on County Road A near Juneau, Wisconsin. My earliest memories include playing in the grain wheelbarrow, na