{"id":5836,"date":"2026-02-19T03:02:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T03:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/sashes-curds-and-crowns-the-dairy-royalty-shaping-wisconsin-cheese-culture\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T03:02:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T03:02:19","slug":"sashes-curds-and-crowns-the-dairy-royalty-shaping-wisconsin-cheese-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/sashes-curds-and-crowns-the-dairy-royalty-shaping-wisconsin-cheese-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Sashes, Curds, and Crowns: The Dairy Royalty Shaping Wisconsin Cheese Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Taylor Shaefer in her element<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When you\u2019re standing in a cheese plant surrounded by stainless steel vats of warm milk and the sweet, grassy steam of curds in the making, and a young woman in a tailored blazer and mega smile is explaining the lactation cycles of Wisconsin\u2019s 1.25 million dairy cows, you know you\u2019ve entered a particular corner of American culture. A very Wisconsin corner. A very cheesy corner.<\/p>\n

I recently spent a day with Taylor Schaefer, Wisconsin\u2019s 75th Alice in Dairyland<\/a>, at Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese <\/a>in Waterloo, and it was a full immersion into the state\u2019s past, present, and future \u2013 all told through the lens of dairy.<\/p>\n

That night, at the Wisconsin Cheese Ball<\/a>, I danced next to the current Alice (tiara glinting under the disco lights, naturally). Somewhere between the cocktails and an excellent cover of Blink-182 by The Pork Tornadoes, I realized: Alice in Dairyland may be America\u2019s longest-running \u2013 and most delicious \u2013 branding strategy.<\/p>\n

What started in 1949 as a straight-up beauty pageant has evolved into a highly competitive, full-time, public-facing ag-communications role. It\u2019s quirky Americana, yes, but also a remarkably effective way to tether Wisconsin\u2019s identity to the thing it does better than anyone else: cheese.<\/p>\n

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Cheese Royalty, Wisconsin-Style<\/h2>\n

The Alice in Dairyland program began as a post-war marketing initiative to promote the state\u2019s dairy bounty: milk, butter, cheese. Over the decades, its scope has expanded, and today Alice\u2019s job technically includes everything from cranberries to ginseng.<\/p>\n

But make no mistake: dairy is still her crown jewel.<\/p>\n

\u201cDairy accounts for nearly half of Wisconsin\u2019s agriculture industry, contributing over $52.8 billion to our state\u2019s economy each year,\u201d Schaefer told me. \u201cIt\u2019s no surprise, then, that more than half of my work as Alice centered around dairy, from leading fourth-grade school tours at World Dairy Expo<\/a> to completing numerous media campaigns and celebrating Wisconsin dairy throughout June Dairy Month.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Taylor Shaefer being crowned Wisconsin\u2019s 75th Alice in Dairyland.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During her year-long tenure in 2023, she didn\u2019t just talk about cheese \u2013 she lived it. Farm visits. Media hits. Cheese days (plural). And a whole lot of proud, hardworking dairy families eager to share their story.<\/p>\n

Her time traveling the state underscored something she believes deeply: \u201cAlice in Dairyland is a role that helps people see the story of Wisconsin agriculture in a human way\u2026 Alice serves as a bridge that brings people closer to the farmers, businesses, and communities that shape our agricultural industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a job built on connection, storytelling, and taking the vast, complicated, essential world of agriculture and making it feel intimate.<\/p>\n

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From Pageant to PR Powerhouse<\/h2>\n

If the words \u201cbeauty pageant\u201d make you imagine swimsuit competitions and baton twirling, you\u2019re not completely wrong \u2013 that\u2019s exactly how Alice began. The first iteration of the role crowned the woman who best represented Wisconsin dairy through glamour and poise.<\/p>\n

But things have changed. A lot. Schaefer sees those origins as a reminder of how far the program has come. \u201cThe shift from a traditional beauty contest to a full-time public relations and marketing role highlights that Alice is far more than a title; it\u2019s a platform with a purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alice today is required to have a communications background, agricultural knowledge, camera savvy, and the ability to handle a relentless travel schedule. It\u2019s a job that demands polish and technical expertise \u2013 not a perfect wave.<\/p>\n

And for many young women in ag, Alice is a dream job. It\u2019s competitive, high profile, and career-launching. With a six-month application and interview process, the pressure is real.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a six-month, intensive (and public) interview process, becoming the face of Wisconsin agriculture felt overwhelming at first,\u201d Schaefer says. \u201cI learned to navigate that pressure by showing up authentically each day. Alice doesn\u2019t need to be perfect. She just needs to be genuine, approachable, and passionate.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Weight of Representing an Entire Dairy State<\/h2>\n

Wisconsin is synonymous with dairy. It\u2019s on the license plates. The mascot. The souvenir T-shirts. The foam cheeseheads that sell out at Lambeau. To be Alice is to embody that entire identity \u2013 at only 20-something.<\/p>\n

\u201cRepresenting an entire state\u2019s agriculture community at 22 was both humbling and inspiring,\u201d Schaefer says. \u201cI wasn\u2019t just speaking for myself. I was speaking on behalf of farmers, processors, agribusinesses, and many people whose livelihoods depend on Wisconsin agriculture.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was also a privilege that reshaped her career: She now works for Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin<\/a>, continuing the same mission in a new role.<\/p>\n

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A State Built on Cheese (and Proud of It)<\/h2>\n

Wisconsin produces one-quarter of all the cheese in the United States. It has nearly 1,200 licensed cheesemakers, more cheese factories than anywhere else in the country, and generations of families who have spent their lives milking cows at dawn and stirring curds till midnight.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no wonder Alice\u2019s calendar is heavy on dairy. Even when she\u2019s highlighting Wisconsin\u2019s other agricultural treasures \u2013 cranberries, maple syrup, ginseng \u2013 cheese is the gravitational center. Still, she loved discovering how much broader the state\u2019s ag identity really is.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people already recognize Wisconsin as a dairy leader\u2026 What surprised me most\u2026 was realizing how many additional stories are woven into that larger agricultural identity,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome days that meant eating way too much cheese at Monroe Cheese Days<\/a>, and other days it meant jumping into a cranberry marsh\u2026 or planting horseradish with Silver Spring Foods<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

But ultimately? \u201cDairy, specifically cheese, remains a cornerstone.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Why Alice in Dairyland Still Matters in 2026<\/h2>\n
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Taylor Schaefer with one of Wisconsin\u2019s best<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In some ways, a role like this shouldn\u2019t exist anymore. And yet it does \u2013 and it thrives. Why?<\/p>\n

Because Alice is brilliant at branding. She is the human face of Wisconsin\u2019s dairy identity. She is nostalgia wrapped in professionalism wrapped in cheese curds.<\/p>\n

In a world where consumers are (rightfully) asking hard questions about where their food comes from \u2013 and where fewer people than ever have direct ties to agriculture \u2013 Alice is a bridge. A translator. A reminder that behind every wheel of cheddar is a farmer, a herd, and a story.<\/p>\n

And for outsiders who think Alice is just a quaint tradition? Schaefer is quick to correct that perception.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the outside, people sometimes assume Alice is still mostly ceremonial,\u201d Schaefer says. In 2026, the crown is less sparkle, more strategy.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIn reality, Alice is a full-time, professional position that demands skills in public relations, education, and advocacy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the end of my time in Wisconsin \u2013 after the farm tours, the cheese tastings, and the Cheese Ball with its glorious mix of sequins and squeaky curds \u2013 I left with a renewed appreciation for this strange and wonderful tradition.<\/p>\n

Alice in Dairyland may be quirky, but she is not kitschy. She is a storyteller. She is a dairy diplomat. She is a living argument for why cheese still matters. And honestly? We should all be so lucky to live in a world with a dairy queen.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Taylor Shaefer in her element When you\u2019re standing in a cheese plant surrounded by stainless steel vats of warm milk and the sweet, grassy steam of curds in the making, and a young woman in a tailored blazer and mega smile is explaining the lactation cycles of Wisconsin\u2019s 1.25 million dairy cows, you know you\u2019ve … Okumaya devam et “Sashes, Curds, and Crowns: The Dairy Royalty Shaping Wisconsin Cheese Culture”<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1271,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[395],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-milk-and-diary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1271"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5836\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}