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Dark damp conditions full of decaying plant material – sounds like the perfect place, right? Well, maybe not for you, but it’s just what your favorite mushrooms need! In general, a mushroom is neither a fruit nor a vegetable, but rather the fleshy, spore-bearing body of a fungus, typically produced above ground. There are dozens of edible mushrooms that grow wild in Wisconsin but cultivating mushrooms is becoming more and more popular. According to the USDA, the United States produced more than 650 million pounds of mushrooms in the 2022-2023 growing year, with Pennsylvania growing more than half of that! The agaricus, or button, mushroom is the most common mushroom grown and is what most consumers probably think about when buying mushrooms at the grocery store. Other mushrooms, like Shiitake and Oyster, are classified under “specialty mushrooms” and are the mushrooms behind the boom in popularity. In 2022-2023, growers of specialty mushrooms saw an increase of nearly 37% in the value of sales when compared to 2020-2021 data. Like many other types of farming, mushroom farming doesn’t need to be done on a large scale to have a positive impact on you and your family. With the increase in mushroom growing popularity, there are countless resources and tools available to help anyone try out mushroom farming. One of the best things about growing mushrooms is being able to utilize otherwise unused space like a shed, under a tree, or even on a tabletop! According to mushroomag.com, mushrooms can be grown indoors with high humidity and temperatures between 55 and 75° Fahrenheit. Oyster mushrooms grow the best indoors and typically grow in a medium like sawdust. It is important that any indoor growing has good ventilation, as mushroom spores can spread indoors and cause irritation. Cultivation isn’t limited to indoors though, and many types of mushrooms thrive outside on hardwood logs. Find a shady spot that is protected from rain and wind, as well as from direct sunlight and drying winds. You’ll want to keep the logs moist, but not soaked. Other mushrooms may grow well in mulch, like the wine cap mushroom. For more information on getting started growing your own mushrooms, the Wisconsin Mycology Society (wisconsinmycologicalsociety.org) has resources on deciding which mushrooms to grow with supplies you may already have at home. If growing your own mushrooms isn’t for you, you can explore countless varieties of mushrooms from farmers across Wisconsin. You can visit the Something Special from Wisconsin™ program at somethingspecialwi.com or visit your local farmer’s market to find a mushroom producer near you!

February may be a short month, but I sure made the most of it! My first event of the month was the Wisconsin Corn and Soy Expo and their annual Porkapalooza event. I enjoyed visiting with attendees, sharing a few remarks about Wisconsin agriculture, and assisting with the auction to benefit youth in the pork and agriculture industries. The Brown County Taste of Wisconsin event sure was a delicious and heartwarming one to attend, too! All of the vendors in attendance prepared delicious food and drink options raised and produced right here in Wisconsin, and I loved hearing the stories behind their businesses. The products offered certainly support the local community in Brown County and beyond, contributing to the strength of Wisconsin agriculture while supporting our state’s farmers and processors. Create Waunakee hosted the inaugural “A Ball of Creativity” event in February. All proceeds from the event, the first and only of its kind in the Waunakee area, will benefit local artists. There are so many different kinds of art, including singing, dancing, drawing, painting, woodworking, live theater, photography, videography, sculpting, and writing, among others. But there is also an art in agriculture, too, such as how we raise our animals, cultivate the land, take care of our natural resources, and produce the highest-quality products. I enjoyed sharing more about Wisconsin’s agriculture industry and how agriculture is an art all its own. For Valentine’s Day, I celebrated with a homemade charcuterie board and visits to media outlets around the state to promote a handful of Something Special from Wisconsin™ members’ products. This mini campaign, cleverly titled “Something Special for Your Special Someone,” was a great way to share Wisconsin goodies to gift to the ones you love. February 15 was also a special day, as it was Wisconsin Day! This day is a time to celebrate the cheese, cranberries, green beans, ginseng, potatoes, pumpkins, Christmas trees, and hundreds of other plants, animals, and products that are raised and made here in Wisconsin. National FFA Week was also cause for celebration, providing a good excuse for me to take a trip down Memory Lane while sharing the impact the National FFA Organization has on our future farmers, scientists, processors, or consumers. I was able to celebrate FFA Week, the Alice in Dairyland Finals, and agriculture in person with a handful of Door County students too. All throughout the month, I was visiting schools to share information about Wisconsin agriculture. I visited 10 different classrooms all throughout the state, and while they were all unique and enjoyable, one of them was extra special to me. I had a full circle moment when visiting Zion Lutheran School at Wayside. This is the school where my grandpa, grandma, dad, aunts, and uncles all attended grade school or taught at, and I loved the chance to visit current students and share more about Wisconsin agriculture. During all of my school visits, students learn about everything from the Farm to School program and butter making to specialty crops and agricultural careers! Not all youth education takes place in a classroom, however, and a recent Girl Scout lesson was the perfect example of that. “Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner: Beef & Beyond,” was a lesson co-created by the Wisconsin Beef Council. The lesson focused on careers in the meat industry, shopping for various cuts of meat, preparing and cooking with beef, and the nutrition benefits of beef consumption. We also had our final installment of the Badgerland Girl Scouts lessons through the program “Adventures in the Milky Whey!” this month as well. This lesson was held at Sassy Cow Creamery in Columbus, where Girl Scouts learned about entrepreneurship and practiced their math skills through building their own ice cream shop. We also made sure to enjoy some delicious ice cream during our time together! While serving this year as the 76th Alice in Dairyland, I have had so much fun meeting Girl Scouts in the Madison area and sharing more about Wisconsin’s dairy and beef industries with these bright and excited young ladies! On my final day of the month, the Alice in Dairyland team headed up to Door County to prepare for the announcement of the 77th Alice in Dairyland Top Candidates! We stopped by WDOR Radio and Door County Daily News to share more about the upcoming 77th Alice in Dairyland Finals and to recap the adventures I have had in Door County over the last several months. Other excursions on this visit included lunch at the Door County Sandbox, a new restaurant in Sturgeon Bay that opened this past December; and Henschel’s Maple Syrup and Country View Farms Maple Syrup to tap my first tree of the season! Be sure to view the announcement of the 77th Alice in Dairyland Top Candidates and follow along for the rest of their journey at aliceindairyland.com and on my social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Wisconsin is home to over 1,200 licensed cheesemakers, but only a small group of the elite earn the title of Master Cheesemaker. The program is rigorous, takes several years to complete, and is no easy feat. According to the Center for Dairy Research, “The Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker® Program was established as an advanced education program for experienced cheesemakers through joint sponsorship with the Center for Dairy Research, UW-Extension, and the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.” The purpose of the program is to formalize the steps and courses that lead to the Master Cheesemaker title, add value to products crafted by a Master Cheesemaker, and give the cheesemakers the knowledge and skills needed to compete in the domestic and international markets. Even just being accepted into the Master Cheesemakers program takes years of commitment. Before a cheesemaker can even apply, applicants must be making cheese in a Wisconsin plant, have had their cheesemakers license for at least ten years, need to have five years of experience producing the cheese they want to be certified in, and must complete two courses – Advanced Cheese Technology and an elective. Master Cheesemakers need to be certified in each variety of cheese they want to be able to put their Master’s Mark® on. It takes two years and eight months from the time they are selected to the program until graduation. During that time, they will take courses on food safety, cheese grading, pasteurization, and more. The hopeful cheesemakers also submit samples of their cheese throughout the almost three-year-long process. After a final written exam, the cheesemaker joins the elite group and officially becomes a Master Cheesemaker. Wisconsin is the only place outside of Europe where one can earn the Master Cheesemaker certification. There are currently fewer than 100 Master Cheesemakers in Wisconsin, but more are added every year. The 2023 class earned certifications in cheddar, blue cheese, mozzarella, and curds. During my travels as the 76th Alice in Dairyland, I have loved the chance to meet our Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers through industry tours and events, such as World Dairy Expo and the Art of Cheese Festival. Through conversations with Master Cheesemakers like Sid Cook of Carr Valley Cheese, Pam Hodgson of Sartori Cheese, and Tony Hook of Hook’s Cheese Company, I get a sense of the love and commitment these individuals have for cheese and the cheesemaking process. Our Master Cheesemakers are dedicated, passionate, and incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to creating delicious Wisconsin cheeses, and they are one of the many reasons we are known as America’s Dairyland and recognized all over the world for our high-quality products! With such dedication towards perfecting a craft, it’s safe to say the future of cheese in Wisconsin is looking bright. For more information about the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker program, visit cdr.wisc.edu/master-cheesemakers. You can learn about some of Wisconsin’s Master Cheesemakers at wisconsincheese.com, under the “Our Cheese” section.

American ginseng, or Panax quinquefolius, grows wild in Wisconsin’s shady, deciduous forests. According to the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau Report (WLRB) on this herb, Wisconsin farmers were harvesting and selling wild ginseng to supplement their farm incomes by the 1870s. Unfortunately, over-harvesting across the U.S. impacted the species enough that by the 1970s, wild ginseng was designated as an endangered species. Wild ginseng is hard to find, and restrictions are placed on its harvest, so ginseng is primarily cultivated underneath shade structures to mimic its natural environment. Ginseng was first cultivated near Hamburg, Wisconsin, starting with brothers Walter, Edward, John, and Henry Fromm in 1904. By 1919, Wisconsin became the leading ginseng producer in the nation. Much of Wisconsin’s ginseng has been exported primarily to Hong Kong and China. Ginseng trade thrived from the 1960s to the mid-1990s. Today, farmers keep the tradition strong, harvesting about one million pounds per year. Growing ginseng is truly a labor of love. It takes four to five years, specialized equipment, and hours of hands-on labor. Also, the plant can only be grown on each piece of land one time, leading many farmers to lease land that is used for more traditional crops as part of a crop rotation. To mimic their natural growing environment, ginseng is grown under artificial shade made with black mesh or wood lattice, which must be custom-built for each new plot of land planted. After an October harvest, the root will spend 10 to 20 days in refrigeration to alter the sugar and starch content, giving it a better texture. The roots will then be washed and dried, then packaged into boxes or barrels for shipping or storing for years. Most of Wisconsin’s cultivated ginseng is grown in Marathon County. Growers cite their success to the region’s cool climate and high quality, rich, and well-drained topsoil. As you drive through Marathon County, you’ll notice the shade cloths first, followed by the strawberry-like foliage of the plant, which may have small red berries in the fall. The true hero in the plant is quietly developing its iconic flavor under the soil. The most desirable ginseng roots are those shaped like people, with thick bodies and leg-like roots. In fact, the name ginseng comes from the Chinese term “jen-shen”, which means “in the image of a man”. Between soups, main dishes, breads, salads, baked goods, and so much more, Wisconsin ginseng can be used in a variety of ways. It is often sold dried, sliced, ground into a powder, or in capsule form. During a recent campaign promoting ginseng, I enjoyed a Cherry Morning Smoothie using Wisconsin ginseng powder with bananas, spinach, shredded coconut, vanilla extract, Greek yogurt, blueberries, and cherries. I also tried a Kimchi Pork Belly Stir Fry that used sliced ginseng and only took 20 minutes to prepare. If you’d like to try to incorporate Wisconsin ginseng into your meals, visit realwisconsinginseg.com for some inspiration.

After some time with friends and family over the holidays, I jumped right back into business as usual in January. The first order of business was the opening of the 77th Alice in Dairyland applications. I traveled to groups around the state to share my Alice in Dairyland experiences, encouraging others to be agricultural advocates. Over the next few months, applicants will be narrowed down to the Top Candidates, who will attend a press briefing, join weekly marketing communications trainings, submit components showcasing their skills, and then bring it all together for the 77th Alice in Dairyland Finals, to be held in Door County May 2-4, 2024. Tickets will be available at aliceindairyland.com soon. In addition to recruitment visits, I traversed the state visiting media to share information about two of Wisconsin’s top crops: ginseng and potatoes. Wisconsin is the top producer of cultivated ginseng in the United States, producing 95% of the nation’s supply. Ginseng is used in many recipes, and I showcased (and enjoyed) a cherry smoothie made using bananas, spinach, shredded coconut, vanilla extract, Greek yogurt, blueberries, cherries, and Wisconsin ginseng powder. This took place ahead of the Chinese New Year, which runs February 10 through February 24, a time when ginseng is often given as a gift. More potatoes are grown in Wisconsin than in any other state east of the Mississippi River, and we are third overall in the nation for potato production. To celebrate this delicious and nutritious staple, I visited with schools as part of the Wisconsin Potatoes in the Classroom program, made possible by the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary. I shared information about the history of potatoes worldwide, different varieties of potatoes grown in Wisconsin, and more about how we grow potatoes. Students weren’t the only ones learning about potatoes this month, as I visited media sharing my Cheesy Chili Stuffed Baby Red Potato Bites using ingredients such as baby red potatoes, chili, cream cheese, shredded Cheddar cheese, and sliced green onions as a way to level up your next gathering. Continuing with the theme of education, the Badgerland Girl Scouts and I focused on science and dairy product processing. We learned more about where milk comes from, what milk can be processed into, and the science behind how dairy products are made at Seven Acre Dairy. Together with the local Girl Scouts troops, we practiced making cheese and even tried the homemade cheese curds. They were a big hit! My monthly visit to Door County was another memorable one. I learned so much at each tour and am getting more excited for the Door County Finals with each visit! Salmon's Meat Products, located in Luxemburg, started in 1915 as a way to offer smoked meat products to the local community. The Ebert family purchased the business in 2020 and are carrying on the tradition of producing high-quality meats like sausage, ham, bacon, and seasoned raw beef. The Ebert family of Ebert Enterprises raise dairy and beef at the highest standard of care. Located in Algoma, Randy and Renee Ebert are sixth generation farmers, while their children, Whitney and Jordan, are the seventh generation. We had the opportunity to tour their cattle harvesting facility and visit the farm, which includes an 80-cow rotary milking parlor. We also visited Olson Family Farm, started in 1872 in Sturgeon Bay. Rich Olson and his brother, Eric, along with their families, are the fifth generation on the farm raising registered Holstein dairy cows. We had the chance to see dairy technology in action, watching their cows being milked in a robotic milking system. Highlighting specialty crops, a visit to Country Ovens, LTD in Forestville was a treat! They were established in 1987 by Mike and Kathy Johnson and are well known in the Door County area for their Cherry De-Lite Natural Dried Tart Cherries, as well as other products, such as their chocolate covered dried cherries, pie filling, cherry juice, BBQ sauces, and more. We concluded the day at Homestead Kitchen & Tap in Algoma. Also owned by the Ebert family, Homestead establishes a “farm to fork” connection with the local community through each step of the farming process. Rounding out the month were a few community events to help celebrate agriculture. I attended the first annual WRJC Farmer Appreciation Dinner in Juneau County. This event shows support for the area’s incredible farmers and ranchers to produce wholesome food and other products for us to enjoy. The event featured Charitee Seebecker with the Midwest Farm Report, along with representatives of the Juneau County Farm Bureau, Juneau County Land and Water Department, Mile Bluff Medical Center, Farm Well Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Farm Center, and Compeer Financial. I loved the chance to catch up with many familiar faces and foster new connections in agriculture. I attended my first Janesville Jets hockey game at their annual Ag/FFA/4-H Night. Sponsored by Blain’s Farm and Fleet, this event was a great way to connect with local community members and hockey fans about Wisconsin agriculture. 4-H and FFA members and I connected during the game and intermissions. I also caught a ride on the Zamboni in between game periods, where I learned truly how fast a Zamboni can go! It was quite an honor to attend the 100th Wisconsin Association of Fairs Convention. The day’s activities included presenting to the Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs contestants about Alice in Dairyland and Wisconsin agricultural commodities, attending their evening banquet, and seeing the newest Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs, Kelsey Henderson, be crowned! On to February to bring more education, celebration, unique opportunities, and memorable experiences. I cannot wait!

Which Wisconsin specialty crop is still planted and harvested mostly by hand, has been bottled since 1860, and has been thrown 80.5 feet for a place in the Guinness Book of World Records? Why, it’s none other than the humble horseradish, of course, according to horseradish.org! The University of Wisconsin Division of Extension shares that horseradish is native to southeastern Eastern Europe and western Asia but is now cultivated worldwide. About 3,000 acres are cultivated in the United States each year, primarily in California, New Jersey, Virginia, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Today, after nearly 100 years in business, Huntsinger Farms in Eau Claire is the world's largest grower and processor of horseradish. Huntsinger Farms says in the early days of horseradish growing, Ellis Huntsinger prepared and bottled the horseradish by hand in an old milk shed behind his house, selling it locally to help augment his income during Wisconsin’s long cold winter months. He discovered that the addition of fresh sweet dairy cream helped further enhance the flavor, heat, and longevity of prepared horseradish, a discovery that helped him expand his horseradish sales to markets throughout the United States. Prepared horseradish is traditionally ground and mixed with vinegar as a natural preservative since the fresh root, once washed and grated, would otherwise soon turn dark and lose its characteristic bite. Refrigeration is necessary to keep prepared horseradish white in color and to retain its sharp flavor. Horseradish plants love Wisconsin's winters, utilizing the cold season to develop their tap root. The Old Farmer's Almanac says that the best flavor comes from the roots that have endured multiple frosts. Here are some tips from the almanac for growing horseradish right at home: Aspiring horseradish growers can obtain root cuttings - sometimes called “starts” or “sets” - from seed companies, local garden supply stores, farmers’ markets, and sometimes even supermarkets. Plant horseradish in full sun. Horseradish will tolerate partial sun, but yields will not be as good. Soil must be moist, fertile, and loamy, or the roots can’t grow down (similar to carrots). Prepare the soil by tilling eight to 10 inches down and clearing out any roots or rocks that could impede the horseradish growth. Add a shovel full of compost. Plant horseradish sets—small pieces of horseradish root—in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked, or in fall. Horseradish requires a long growing season, so plan to harvest in the fall (just before a freeze) or in early spring of the following year. Learn more about growing your own horseradish at almanac.com/plant/horseradish. Now that you're ready to grow your own horseradish, it's time to start planning out how to use your harvest! Don't worry, though; if your green thumb isn't the best, these recipes work just as well with store-bought horseradish. Horseradish goes well with a variety of ingredients, and Silver Spring, a subsidiary of Huntsinger Farms, has recipes for every course, as well as tried and true family recipes. Their Cranberry Horseradish Brie Bites combine several classic Wisconsin products into one quick and delicious appetizer! Simply place pieces of brie onto a cracker of your choice, drizzle with Cranberry Horseradish Sauce, sprinkle with lemon zest, pecans, and thyme, and serve!

December always seems to fly by between holiday celebrations, school, community events, and the onset of winter, and this December was no different! After finishing up the Something Special from Wisconsin Timeless Holiday Traditions media campaign, I shifted focus to butter while visiting media around the state. I shared tips and tricks to storing and using different types of butter, information about Wisconsin’s butter production, and recipes using butter and other dairy products. I also stopped by Professional Dairy Producer's The Dairy Signal to chat about butter, cheese, and dairy trends. Visit Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or X to learn more about Wisconsin butter. My monthly trip up to Door County was another educational and exciting visit! I participated in a wreath workshop at Anchored Roots Vineyard & Winery, hosted by Lucky Stars Flowerfarm; attended the Door County Christkindlmarkt in Sister Bay; and visited the Merry-Time Festival of Trees at the Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society, Inc. in Sturgeon Bay. Each visit to Door County while serving as Alice in Dairyland offers new opportunities to meet the amazing people and businesses who live in this part of Wisconsin. The chance to learn new things about Door County agriculture is also a rewarding experience toward preparing for the Alice in Dairyland Finals, which will take place in Door County in May. I celebrated National Maple Syrup Day with Secretary Randy Romanski of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection by making (and eating!) some pancakes topped with Wisconsin maple syrup. Wisconsinites collected 443,000 gallons of maple sap from 920 taps across the state in 2022! I also spent a day celebrating all things flakey and buttery with Flakey Jo's Homemade Pastries, where I tried my hand at making sugar cookies and cranberry scones. I think I'll leave the baking to Mary Jo, though I'll volunteer as a taste tester any day. Each person that serves as Alice learns so much more about Wisconsin agriculture during their year. I recently had the opportunity to learn about maritime exporting for the first time on a tour of the new Agriculture Maritime Export Facility! This facility, located on Jones Island in Milwaukee, was made possible in partnership between Port Milwaukee and The DeLong Co., Inc. This facility is one of the first to transport various agricultural commodities, such as dried distillers grains, by trucks, trains, and international vessels on the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Seaway system. Dried distillers grains are a byproduct from ethanol used as an animal feed supplement, and the facility will also export Wisconsin soybeans, corn, and grain in the future. Thank you to the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board for the opportunity to tour this incredible facility and to learn how it will offer Wisconsin agriculture new opportunities in international markets! These past six months have provided me with countless opportunities for growth, education, and connection, none of which would be possible without our partners, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Kettle Moraine Mink Breeders Association, Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board, Midwest Jewelers Association, Wisconsin Potato Industry Board, Ginseng Board of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Beef Council. I am so appreciative of their continued support. Some memories with each program partner were shared on the Alice social media accounts recently, if you would like to learn more about how Alice partners with each of these organizations. If you would like to serve as Wisconsin's 77th Alice in Dairyland, applications are being accepted through January 31, 2024. Visit aliceindairyland.com/becoming-alice-in-dairyland for more information.

For many people, the winter season means cozying up in front of the fire, drinking hot chocolate with friends, and doing anything they can to stay warm. Farmers with livestock, however, will be outside braving the elements to take care of their animals. No matter the weather forecast, road conditions, or if it’s a holiday—farmers have to be out in the elements, taking care of their animals. Winter animal care is a necessary consideration for Wisconsin farmers. Wisconsin’s all-seasons climate is nearly ideal for your average dairy cow, even the colder winter months. Dairy cows prefer temperatures between 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, though they are well-insulated to thrive in temperatures lower than that. While driving through the state in the winter, you may see cows outside with snow on their backs. The fact that the snow has not melted off of them is evidence of their body’s great insulation, preventing their body heat from melting the snow.  Additionally, when cows are lactating, they naturally produce excess heat, making barns comfortable at lower temperatures. When temperatures or wind chills drop even further, farmers can make necessary adjustments to their facilities, feed, and daily routines to keep their animals comfortable. Farm facilities in Wisconsin are typically built to keep animals comfortable whether in the summer heat or the winter chill. Oftentimes, barns will have curtains or windows that can be opened to keep cool air flowing in the summer or closed to prevent chilly drafts and hold in heat in the winter. Some doorways will also have flaps that allow free movement of the cattle, while keeping the wind out, similar to a dog door you may have at your house. Keeping animals off the ground is a great way to keep them warm, so extra bedding such as straw, sand, wood shavings, and so on will be added, increasing the insulation. Farm nutritionists can also help the farmer adjust the feed amount based on upcoming temperatures, ensuring their animals have enough energy to use. Keeping up the supply of water in the winter can be a challenge, as a dairy cow drinks, on average, a full bathtub’s worth of water every day! Automated heated waterers in barns, not just outside, maintain a steady supply of water available without having to venture outside. New calves can be especially vulnerable to the cold, and special care is taken to keep them safe and warm. To ensure adequate energy to maintain warmth and continue developing properly, the number or size of daily feedings can be increased up to three to four feedings per day during the coldest parts of the winter. Farmers also provide dry, deep bedding for calves to lie in and may outfit calves with jackets that provide extra warmth. Some farms even use earmuffs to help reduce the risk of frostbite. Timing of calving can also help protect the herd. On many of Wisconsin’s beef farms, calves will be born in the spring after frigid temperatures have passed, reducing the need for as much intervention. Though Wisconsin farmers work hard year-round to create the best environment possible for their animals in all seasons and weather conditions, they work especially hard during our cold winters to keep their animals safe and comfortable when those temperatures dip. This winter season, keep our hardworking farmers and the animals they care for in mind as you enjoy your favorite dairy products.

This November, I experienced so many firsts! Some firsts, past “Alices” have participated in annually for decades, while another first, was one no Alice has done for more than 25 years. Read on to look back on a memorable November with me! Any guesses what either of those firsts were? One of those was the cutting of the first Christmas tree! “Alices” of the past have helped decorate community Christmas trees or even packed them up and hauled them around the state to teach Wisconsinites about local Christmas trees. Since the partnership began in 1969, the Christmas tree cutting ceremony has often served as the unveiling of each Alice in Dairyland’s famous mink garment, courtesy of the Kettle Moraine Mink Breeders Association (KMMBA), and this year was no different! My soft and warm mink vest is from Zimbal Mink, a member of the KMMBA. In recent years, the host county of the upcoming Alice in Dairyland finals, this year Door County, selects the location of the Christmas tree cutting and unveils it at a community event. My tree cutting took place just outside of Sturgeon Bay at Krueger Tree Farm in Forestville. The team from WFRV Local 5 Green Bay joined us to share the fun with viewers at home as well! The other big first from this month was the first international trip any Alice has taken since the 50th Alice, Courtney Ott. I celebrated the uniqueness of Wisconsin Ginseng at the International Wisconsin Ginseng Love (IWGF) Festival with the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin (GBW) The festival was held November 4-5 in Taipei, November 8 in Guangzhou, and November 10 in Hong Kong, and we visited all three! Our Wisconsin delegation started our trip in Taipei, Taiwan, exploring the city, meeting with Wisconsin Ginseng distributors, engaging with media outlets, learning more about traditional Chinese medicine, enjoying delicious food, and making many memories. Our visit to Shanghai included discussing Wisconsin Ginseng production with local distributors at the Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trading Center and sharing a delicious meal with friends. While in Guangzhou during the IWGF, we celebrated the quality and our love for Wisconsin Ginseng through press conferences and seminars, touring modern markets that offer herbs like Ginseng, meeting with experts in the industry, and more. The final portion of the IWGF was spent in Hong Kong! Our trade promotion group engaged with several groups to celebrate Wisconsin Ginseng use. We visited The Peak for the best view of the city and ended our trip with an IWGF media event to build relationships with local influencers while highlighting Ginseng in various recipes. This trip to promote Wisconsin Ginseng and its hardworking producers was the experience of a lifetime! Thank you to the GBW Trade Promotion group for teaching me so much about Wisconsin’s Ginseng industry and for the hard work you put in every day for Wisconsin’s $104.8 billion agriculture industry! From there, I jumped right into the Something Special from Wisconsin™ (SSfW) holiday campaign, an annual event where I travel the state to visit with local media, sharing products and companies featured in the SSfW program. SSfW is a trademarked marketing program, which provides members with a red and yellow logo that is a quick, reliable way to identify genuine Wisconsin products. To participate, companies must certify that at least 50% of a product's ingredients, production, or processing is located or completed in Wisconsin. Member businesses participating in the campaign include Christine’s Kitchen, CJ’s Premium Spices, Author Corey Geiger, Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese LLC, CTL Foods, Inc., Doorstep Peppers LLC, Emmanuel’s Mix LLC, Flavor Temptations, Franciscan Peacemakers, Grilled Cheese Life, Honestly Cranberry, Jolly Good Soda, Little Bull Falls Soap Works, Mister Burns, Moose Lake Mustard, Mrs. Beaster’s Biskits, Northleaf Winery, Oak Creek Hemp Company, Olympia Granola, Palo Popcorn, Pine River Cheese Spread, Pop’s Kettle Corn, Real Wisconsin Products, SEHR Essentials, Sheboygan Pasty Company, Stanton Legacy Acres, Sweet P’s Pantry, Tom & Ma’s Maple, White Jasmine LLC, White Winter Mead, Cider, Spirits, Widmer’s Cheese Cellars, and Wisconsin Candle Company. As I visited different areas of the state for the campaign, I was able to make many wonderful stops along the way! One of my stops was the Food + Farm Exploration Center in Plover is a new facility in Wisconsin that’s designed to serve as a space where everyone can reconnect with their food and those who grow it. Whether looking for education, fun daily experiences, wholesome food, or anything else related to agriculture, there is something for everyone. Their goals are to promote agricultural literacy, to increase the understanding of the origins of our food, and to deepen the relationship between farmers and consumers. To help me make all of those trips around the state, our newest vehicle arrived, wrapped, waxed, and ready to go! After carefully considering many fan submissions, the Alice in Dairyland and Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board (WCPB) decided on her name – Tassie! Tassie is a 2023 Flex Fuel Ford Explorer, powered by E88 fuel to support Wisconsin’s corn industry and producers. The WCPB has been partnering with the Alice in Dairyland program since 2005 to provide a vehicle that promotes the benefits of ethanol. November is a month that celebrates gratitude and I have so much to be thankful for this year. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve as the 76th Alice in Dairyland and the DATCP team behind that, the friends and family that encourage me from wherever they are, all of our program partners: Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Kettle Moraine Mink Breeders Association, Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board, Midwest Jewelers Association, Wisconsin Potato Industry Board, Ginseng Board of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Beef Council, the media outlets that help me share more about Wisconsin’s $104.8 billion agriculture industry, and all of you, the programs biggest supporters year after year – we couldn’t do it without you all!

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. We’ve all heard this childhood saying, convincing us that if we ate our apples we would avoid a trip to the doctor’s office. This always got me thinking, what’s so special about an apple, anyway? In many aspects, apples are a unique fruit. According to the Wisconsin Apple Growers Association, apples are one of the best sources of pectin, a type of fiber. Research indicates pectin limits the cholesterol the body absorbs and may be an important link to preventing heart disease. In addition to pectin, apples are packed full of 10 vitamins and minerals that help prevent infections, aid growth, are important for eyesight, and help digestion. That’s quite an impressive list for a fruit that is, on average, three to seven ounces! And with only about 80 calories, an apple is perfect to fill you up without being too much. Here in Wisconsin, we have been growing and enjoying apples since the early 1800s. Many of our state’s first settlers had an orchard on their homestead to provide fruit for the family. Between 1830 and 1850, commercial apple orchards were first planted. Since then, Wisconsin has been a producer of some of the best commercially-grown apples in the world due to an ideal growing climate, unique varieties and high quality standards. There are now nearly 150 commercial orchards found in Wisconsin, with the most prominent growing regions in Southwest Wisconsin, the Door County area, and Bayfield County. On a trip to Door County, I visited Wood Orchard to learn more about their apple-growing operation in Sturgeon Bay. This orchard is a 3rd generation farm growing apples and other fruits on 200 acres. Some of their most popular apple varieties include Honeycrisp and SweeTango, and Wood Orchard Market is the orchard’s retail store offering gifts, specialty foods, bakery items, and more. Many of our orchards have just finished harvest in the last month or so, and have moved on to prepping trees for the winter, turning their harvests into value added products like Jams, jellies, syrups, juices, or baked goods, and more. Harvest season ranges from mid-August to late-October as different apple varieties ripen at various times. Varieties ready in early September include McIntosh, Gala, and Honeycrisp. All three of these varieties are great for eating fresh! Wisconsin apples can be enjoyed in so many ways. Whether you prefer red, green, yellow, or a shade in-between, fresh apples are a prefect on-the-go snack. Store your apples in plastic bags in the refrigerator to help them last longer. The Wisconsin Farmers Market Association shares that apples at room temperature ripen six to 10 times faster. Pick your apples up at a local farmer’s market, a roadside stand, or even fresh from the tree. Visit your local apple orchard for fresh picking and to sample different varieties grown in Wisconsin. Learn more about Wisconsin’s apple history, and how growers in our state are caring for their land to ensure it is protected for generations to come. Head to the Wisconsin Apple Growers Association’s website, wisconsinapplegrowers.org, for information on orchards and apple events near you.

October was another whirlwind of a month! I had a month full of industry tours and events, Door County visits, fall festivals, and more, all alongside preparing for the Something Special from Wisconsin Holiday Campaign. Look back on the month that was, with me! Every October is an event that's very special to me, World Dairy Expo! The five pillars of World Dairy Expo include the dairy cattle show, the trade show, education, youth contests, and networking and I sure took advantage of all five each day! I spent my week in the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin booth, greeting attendees, going on a scavenger hunt with fourth graders, meeting with the media, networking, and of course, watching the best cattle in the world walk across those colored shavings! The immense honor of delivering the envelope with the Supreme Champion selections to the announcer was mine this year, which made a perfect way to end the week. Educating our consumers, our communities, and our youth plays a big role in each Alice's term. Madison College welcomed me to their Experimental Baking course where I shared some of the science behind dairy products that allows us to produce delicious baked goods. My Expedition Agriculture presentations with elementary schools around the state continued this month, bringing me to more than a dozen different schools this month. The Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center invited me to participate as a panelist in the first ever Ag Industry Career Summit alongside fellow ag industry professionals. Topics discussed included ways to get involved in agriculture, the variety of careers in agriculture, and the interconnectivity of the agricultural industry. Our second Girl Scouts lesson focused on technology and sustainability in the dairy industry and took place at Hinchley's Farm. We learned more about the different types of technology dairy farmers use, and the girls also had a chance to practice making butter. The annual Great Bag Off: Best Bagger in Wisconsin Contest is a highlight in the grocery world and the 36th year did not disappoint! I had the honor of serving as the Master of Ceremony for the event, which recognizes the hard work and technique that goes into bagging groceries, and the important role that grocery stores play in agriculture and our food system! It was so fun to chat with each contestant about their backgrounds, how long they have been working at their local grocery store, who inspired them to participate in the contest, and their favorite foods to bag! (P.S. boxes, eggs, and bread were among the favorite foods to bag)! There were numerous community events that I was privileged to attend this month, starting off with the first ever Sips & Slices: A Pizza Party Taste-off. This was an incredible event to be a part of! Hosted by The River Food Pantry, they welcomed over 325 attendees to try delicious pizzas made by Ian's Pizza and developed by talented chefs and local celebrities. I also attended the Branch + Daughter Fall Festival, an event celebrating the role a neighborhood market like Branch + Daughter plays in supporting local agriculture and small businesses. While there, I enjoyed meeting with many local vendors that highlight the food, spirits, and other local products produced in Wisconsin! The River Valley School Fair, described as a “miniature county fair," allows local students to showcase their talents exhibiting livestock while teaching lifelong skills outside of the classroom. In support of Wisconsin Corn, a sponsor of the family-friendly event, I attended Badger Bash at Union South in Madison! I also chatted with NBC15 Madison on stage about Alice in Dairyland. Thank you to Wisconsin Corn for their support of Badger Athletics and Alice in Dairyland! Fort Atkinson Dairy History Days took place, where I interacted with vendors and local authors at the Fort Atkinson Farmer’s Market, witnessed the unveiling of cow statues that will be placed through Fort Atkinson, and visited the National Dairy Shrine and Hoard Historical Museum. I made sure to get plenty of fall activities in this month and a stop to Schuster's Farm in Deerfield sure helped. They are known for its 8 acres of corn maze, over 14 acres of pumpkins, dozens of barnyard attractions, the Haunted Forest, bakery products, and more! Fall Fest at Confections for Any Occasion was another great stop filled with delectable candies and other samples, and a trip to Theresa wouldn't be complete without a stop at Widmer's Cheese Cellars for some of their famous Brick cheese. Keeping in the seasonal spirit, a visit to the Auburndale School Forest Pumpkin Glow was in order! I had the chance to spend quality time with members of the FFA officer team throughout the night, and I loved learning more about how much community support there is in Auburndale for events such as these. They did a great job promoting Wisconsin agriculture and giving back to the local community! I enjoyed emceeing the first annual Anniversary Gala, benefiting Rescue Gang, a non-profit organization in the Milwaukee area focused on helping pups in need find their forever homes. Industry tours and events are always a highlight, and a wonderful way to learn about Wisconsin's $104.8 billion agriculture industry. Langer Fur Farm is a 4th-generation family-owned business which plays a role in Wisconsin’s mink industry. Wisconsin is the #1 producer of mink in the United States, and today I enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about this aspect of Wisconsin agriculture. Tisch Mills Farm Center, Inc is a family-owned business as well, helping to make and sell mill feeds such as corn, soybean, oats, and wheat for livestock and other uses across Wisconsin. This facility is home to 18 grain bins, and there is storage available for approximately 4 million bushels of corn. I enjoyed meeting members of the team at the mill, including some four-legged friends. The international Dairy Federation (IDF) World Dairy Summit returned to the United States this year and we hosted attendees at Four Winds Farm to showcase Wisconsin’s $45.6 billion dairy industry and the people who make it possible. The night included delicious cuisine, culture, and conversations centered around America’s Dairyland while allowing our international visitors the chance to connect with Wisconsin farmers, processors, and industry professionals. A visit to Franciscan Peacemakers, a Something Special from Wisconsin member showed me their facilities while sharing more about their mission, to connect women survivors of sexual exploitation to safe housing, meaningful work, and a healing network of support. I spent some time learning new perspectives and insights about the farm equipment supply industry, with a special thank you to Agromatic Inc. for making that happen! For over 120 years, they have been a farm equipment supplier committed to providing America’s dairy industry with the highest quality dairy farm equipment. Some specialty crop tours kept my month tasty, first with a stop to Keene Garlic to learn about their more than 50 heirloom varieties of garlic, followed shortly after by a tour of a cranberry marsh owned and operated by Amber Bristol and her family. Martha Stewart actually grows some of Keene's garlic varieties and Amber's cranberries go towards juice, sauce, and sweetened dried cranberries for Ocean Spray! This month brought some fun national days, weeks, or months to celebrate as well! National Farmer Day occurred on October 12, a day to pay tribute to the hardworking people who rise with the sun and labor to put food on American tables. October is also National Pork Month, so I visited with some media sharing how to incorporate Wisconsin pork into our meals. National Pumpkin day had me reminiscing on my visit to Alsums Farm & Produce, to see how their pumpkins are grown, harvested, and packaged for stores. Thank you for following along and for all of your support for another month down in this journey at the 76th Alice in Dairyland!

An ecosystem is any group of living and non-living things which interact with each other. Types of ecosystems include rainforests, tide pools, deserts, coral reefs, and one I only recently learned about—cranberry marshes! All crops occupy an ecosystem, by definition, in the space that they grow, but the cranberry marsh ecosystem expands well beyond the borders of the actual cranberry bed. Wisconsin produces more than half of the entire nation’s cranberry supply each year, so it makes sense that we would be the host to the world’s largest cranberry festival! I recently attended the Warrens Cranberry Festival, held annually the last full weekend of September. In a town with fewer than 600 permanent residents, 120,000 people pass through over the three-day weekend to celebrate our state fruit. Visitors can enjoy cranberries in hundreds of different ways including getting suited-up and wading into marsh waters for photo opportunities, visiting the Discover Cranberry Museum, or taking a walking tour of a cranberry marsh. Learning and seeing how the cranberry marshes operate was one of my favorite parts of my visit. A cranberry marsh includes the bed, where the vines grow and the cranberries are produced. It also includes “natural or man-made wetlands, woodlands, uplands, and reservoirs,” according to the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association (WSCGA). Wild cranberries are native to wetlands in central or northern Wisconsin and many cultivated cranberry marshes are in areas with similar growing environments. The surrounding areas produce the unique ecosystem that exists within a cranberry marsh, whether wild or cultivated. Eagles, swans, herons, ducks, butterflies, turtles, turkey, deer, otters, butterflies, water lilies, lady slippers, pines, and spruces all call Wisconsin’s cranberry marsh ecosystems home. Cranberry wetlands are just like natural wetlands in their ability to not only provide this habitat, but also to provide water storage and purification, and help control potential flood waters. The same waters that provide those habitats are also beneficial for the cranberries throughout the year. When harvest time comes around, many growers utilize some of the water from their wetlands to flood their cranberry beds. Each cranberry has four pockets of air inside them, causing them to float, making harvest more efficient! Using specialized equipment, growers carefully traverse their fields, gently knocking the ripe berries off their vines and up to the water’s surface. They will then be corralled, collected, processed, packaged, and shipped to homes across the world. The water is left in the cranberry beds over the winter to form a layer of ice over the plants, protecting the vines from freezing. Once the spring thaw comes and the vines are ready to start producing for the year, the water from the beds is returned to the wetlands, just in time for the migratory birds, amphibians, mammals, and insects to return to the wetlands! My visit to Warrens Cranberry Fest facilitated the discovery of so many new pieces of information about cranberries. The excitement of the people who produce, process, or simply enjoy cranberries sure was contagious, and it is no wonder why families return to the festival year after year. If you want to be inspired to try a new food, hear directly from growers and producers, or see firsthand how the cranberry became a Wisconsin specialty—the Warrens Cranberry Fest is the place to do it!