The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection selected Halei Heinzel of Oconomowoc as Wisconsin’s 77th Alice in Dairyland. In this position, Heinzel will work for the contract year as a full-time communications professional for DATCP, educating the public about the importance of agriculture in Wisconsin.

Heinzel will graduate this month from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in life sciences communication. Before starting at UW-Madison, Heinzel was a member of her high school’s FFA chapter. She graduated from the Farm and Industry Short Course program with certificates in agribusiness management and dairy farm management. While on campus at UW-Madison, she was involved with the Babcock House Student Cooperative, Science Communication Club and UW Polo Club.

Heinzel serves on the board of the Wisconsin Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Association. She has held internships with the Farm and Industry Short Course program and Professional Dairy Producers, and worked with the Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board.

Ag ambassador

“I am so excited and honored to be spending the next year serving as the 77th Alice in Dairyland, the official ambassador of Wisconsin’s diverse and abundant agriculture industry,” Heinzel says. “I am looking forward to connecting Wisconsinites with agriculture, sharing the impact of this vibrant industry both in local communities and across the state, and sharing the stories of the hardworking individuals who dedicate their lives to agriculture every day.”

Related:6 finalists to compete for 77th Alice in Dairyland

The other finalists were Cierra Essock of Fox Lake, Katrina Hoesly of Denmark, Michaela King of Big Bend, Kiley Pagel of Kewaunee and Lauren Siemers of Kiel. 

Heinzel was selected at the conclusion of the 77th Alice in Dairyland Finals, hosted by Door County on May 4. She will begin her term as Alice on July 8. She succeeds the 76th Alice in Dairyland, Ashley Hagenow of Poynette, who will continue her current term until the transition in July.

Alice in Dairyland is a one-year, full-time communications professional with DATCP. The Alice program is supported by several partner organizations, including Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Kettle Moraine Mink Breeders Association, Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board, Goodman’s Jewelers, Wisconsin Potato Industry Board, Ginseng Board of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Beef Council.

Source: Wisconsin DATCP