News

Rochelle Ripp looks back on her year as “Alice”

On Friday night, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection will announce the 66th Alice in Dairyland. Four young ladies are going through an extensive interview process this week in Calumet County including radio and television interviews, speeches, written presentations, product presentations, public appearances and business tours…all under the watchful eye of a selection panel. 

It was one year ago that Rochelle Ripp was going through this…for the second time. She says the process is designed to give the candidates a good idea of what a day-in-the-life of Alice is like and to give the selection panel a good look at how each candidate can handle it.

Ripp says it is hard to believe her year as the 65th Alice in Dairyland is almost over, “Eleven months have passed in the blink-of-an-eye.” She says her biggest surprise as Alice was “the disconnect with consumers and agriculture.” She somewhat expected it in Milwaukee but not out in the rural areas. “We need to continue to tell our story.”

Ripp especially enjoyed visiting the various agricultural businesses around the state and learning more about” how agriculture impacts our daily lives, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the shelter over our head even our fuel.”

Does she have any suggestions as to what could make the Alice program better? She says it is a great way for agriculture to connect with consumers and a great opportunity for people like her. Her advice to the next “Alice”: “Take each day as it comes, enjoy it and be proud of what you are representing and the people you represent.”

Rochelle’s last official day as Alice will be June 2nd, after that, she is hoping to find something similar in the agriculture industry, “It won’t be the last you see of me, I promise you that!”

AUDIO: RIpp talks about her year 11:00 mp3

Further details on the finale in Calument County can be found here:

Alice in Dairyland is a public relations professional working for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. She travels throughout the state, nation and world to promote Wisconsin products to audiences of all ages, educating the media, youth and civic groups about the many facets of the state’s agricultural industry.