Ashley Huibregtse Selected as 61st Alice in Dairyland

By Karen Lee, Managing Editor
Thursday, May 22, 2008 12:03 PM CDT

Ashley Huibregtse, 61st Alice in Dairyland

Thousands of UW-Madison students participated in commencement ceremonies this past weekend, where one had a particularly large smile on her face as she had just secured the job she’d been dreaming of for the past 10 years.

Ashley Huibregtse of Plymouth graduated Saturday with a degree in elementary education and communications from the UW-Madison, just hours after being selected Friday evening to serve as the state’s 61st Alice in Dairyland.

"I am elated to be selected as Wisconsin's 61st Alice in Dairyland and look forward to the job," Huibregtse says.

She was one of five final candidates for the public relations job that carries more than six decades of Wisconsin agricultural tradition. The candidates spent three intense days of interviews and public events in Sheboygan County.

“It is quite the job interview,” Huibregtse says.

She, along with Kim Houser, Prairie du Sac; Cheryl O'Brien, Eastman; Myriah Osley, Melrose; and Tracy Phillippi, Wautoma; spent time learning about Sheboygan County’s rich agricultural heritage from aquaculture to turf and landscape, maple syrup to mink, and dairy and cheese to locally grown produce.

They toured Caan Floral & Greenhouses, Gibbsville Cheese Factory, Highland Crossing Dairy LLC, Johnsonville Sausage, Kohler Company, Orion Energy Systems Inc., Sartori Foods and Zimbal Minkery.

“It was amazing going to places I’ve driven by my whole life,” says Huibregtse, a native of Sheboygan County.

Now she’s looking forward to learning even more about the agricultural industry and gaining communication skills in her new position.

Huibregtse was an active 4-H and FFA member and kept busy during school with various organizations and internships. She worked as an event coordinator for First Lady Doyle; organized the annual Governor's Egg Hunt and served as a Cowstodian with the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board CowParade.

Her unique experience as a Cowstodian allowed her to see on a small scale what it is like to take the agriculture message to the State of Wisconsin. She says it provided her skills in planning events, contacting the media, talking with the public and doing follow-up work.

She was also active on campus through the Association of Women in Agriculture, Badger Dairy Club, Collegiate FFA, and National Agri-Marketing Association. Huibregtse was named the 2005 Sheboygan County Fairest of the Fair; Wisconsin's Fairest of the Fairs First Runner-Up and UW Homecoming Court Representative. In addition to school and work, Huibregtse continues to be active on her family's dairy farm.

Her parents, Bob and Debby Huibregtse operate a 150-cow dairy farm in the Town of Lyndon, where Ashley could have been found chasing calves just days before the Alice finale program. She is the middle of five children. Her two younger brothers, Adam, 21, and Alex, 13, are active in the family’s dairy. Her older sisters, Amy, 26, and Abby, 25, work off the farm. Abby was a 2005 Alice in Dairyland finalist.

Huibregtse says having a background in agriculture is key for Alice in Dairyland. She says she can better relate with farmers and take their messages to urban audiences.

“I can’t wait for the year to start,” she says. Huibregtse assumes her duties on June 2 and will receive a salary of $40,000.

In addition, the Kettle Moraine Mink Breeders Association is providing her a jacket made from Wisconsin mink pelts and the Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board offers Alice in Dairyland the use of an E85-capable Chevrolet Tahoe for her travels across the state.

As Alice in Dairyland, Huibregtse will use a 14K gold and platinum brooch and tiara decorated with diamonds, citrines and amethysts.

Alice in Dairyland is a full-time public relations professional employed by the DATCP Division of Agricultural Development for a one-year term. Each year, Alice travels more than 40,000 miles throughout the state and nation, promoting Wisconsin products to audiences of all ages and types. She educates the media, youth and civic groups about the many facets of the state's agricultural industry.

To schedule a visit with the 61st Alice in Dairyland contact Nicole Breunig at 608-224-5080 or e-mail at mailto:DATCPAlice@wisconsin.gov.

The 62nd Alice in Dairyland will be selected in Racine County, May 13-15, 2009.

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