Opening New Doors at the 2026 World Dairy Expo
World Dairy Expo is the pinnacle event of the year for much of the world’s dairy industry. Madison has been the hub of this global event since it first started in 1967 under the name “World Food Exposition.” To celebrate the first year of this event, the iconic globe displayed on the Alliant Energy Center campus was created by combining two silo roofs.
Over five decades later, thousands of people continue to gather in Madison to celebrate the dairy industry. In 2025, more than 51,500 people attended the annual world showcase, and 2026 proved to be another outstanding year.
“Opening New Doors for Dairy” was the theme of the 2026 World Dairy Expo, held September 29 through October 2, 2026, at the Alliant Energy Center. The attendees include dairy producers, business professionals, exhibitors, students of all ages, and dairy enthusiasts.
New doors certainly opened for me through the role of Alice in Dairyland. During the Dairy Contest Awards and Products Auction I was invited on stage to impromptu auctioneer one of the lots. The team of volunteers kept me on track as I worked through the numbers and successfully sold one of the highest selling lots! The positive feedback I received afterwards was encouraging, and a brief video can be found on the Alice in Dairyland LinkedIn. Learning to auctioneer has been on my bucket list, so this experience was a full throttle launch in the right direction!
While at World Dairy Expo, I met with international trade groups, college judging teams, youth groups, and many dairy professionals. About 90 countries were represented throughout the week, and I enjoyed learning more about agriculture in other countries! My conversations with Italian, Dutch, Columbian, and other international representatives broadened my understanding of agriculture. I also enjoyed seeing the excitement from collegiate and youth groups about the dairy industry, including the National 4-H Dairy Conference attendees.
Many of these connections occurred during forums and recognition events, but I was also able to engage with people in partnership with the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW) is the marketing and promotion arm for Wisconsin’s $52.8 billion dairy industry. DFW utilizes checkoff dollars to showcase Wisconsin dairy products, driving demand and consumption.
At World Dairy Expo 2025, DFW launched their Born to Dairy™ campaign with a handful of character cards to celebrate the pride, quirks, and big personalities of Wisconsin’s dairy farmers. This campaign continues to flourish and was a part of the celebrations at this year’s World Dairy Expo! “Legendairy Leaper” is one of the newest members of the Born to Dairy™ family, modeled after LeRoy Butler. I loved the chance to meet LeRoy and share in his excitement for Wisconsin dairy!
In addition to the forums, events, and my time with Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, I also visited with professionals at the trade show. World Dairy Expo’s trade show is known around the world for its size and dairy-production focus. In fact, it was honored as one of the top 100 trades shows of 2025! Hundreds of companies flock to Madison to share their products, innovative technologies, and dairy expertise.
One of the most surreal experiences I had at World Dairy Expo was walking the Supreme Champion Cow results across the vast showring. It was an immense honor to be a part of this ceremony as the Supreme Champion Cow was selected in Madison. Congratulations to the 2026 champions: Supreme Champion of the Junior Show, Arolene Dempsey Ella; Reserve Supreme Champion of the Junior Show, Hall’s V-Lane Spectacle-ET; Supreme Champion, Stoney Point Joel Bailey; Reserve Supreme Champion, Eixdale Pwrup Alongside
You don’t want to miss the hub of the global dairy industry. Mark your calendars for the 2027 World Dairy Expo, September 28 through October 1, 2027, at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison!
