PdCToday.com asked Cheryl O’Brien, Eastman, to write about her experience as a finalist for Alice in Dairyland. O’Brien served as an officer with the Crawford County Junior Holstein Association, the Eastman Cloverleaf 4-H Club, and the Wisconsin 4-H Youth Leader Council. O’Brien graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in May 2008 with degrees in journalism and mass communications with an emphasis in broadcast journalism. She works for WISN-TV/DT in Milwaukee as an assignment editor.

I’m Cheryl O’Brien, a Crawford County native, and a finalist this year for the 62nd Alice in Dairyland. Alice in Dairyland is Wisconsin agriculture ambassador. She spends a year traveling abour 40,000 miles around the state, making 300+ appearances, and visiting over 100 schools as she promotes the diverse food, fuel and fiber that make up Wisconsin’s $51.5 billion ag industry.

The selection process is an extensive one that from start to finish takes about 6 months. The applications are first available in December, due in January, the preliminary interview is in February, a 2-day briefing on the position is held in March, and the finals/selection is in May.

The finals are basically a 3-day public job interview. It started Wednesday with an individual taped radio interview which consisted of questions about the finalist and some hot topics in Wisconsin agriculture. We then traveled to do our television interview which is like a morning show segment that we selected a product or commodity from the Something Special from Wisconsin program to promote and to educate the viewers on. We also had an interview with the 3-member selection team. Thursday, we went on 5 tours of agribusinesses here in Racine County, the host county this year (there is the 6th and final tour Friday morning). These tours really show the diversity in agriculture here in Wisconsin.

Each of the finalist will give a one-minute talk on a tour at the finale Friday night. Thursday night was a very unique event, the Impromptu Questions and Answer Session where each finalist is given 3 random questions, one about our background and two that are drawn from a hat. We have not seen the questions before, but they are things that Alice is asked as she’s out promoting Wisconsin Agriculture.

Friday is the final day. We will start with a tour of a dairy farm, and watch a milking contest between the current Alice, Ashley Huibergtse, and Orion Samuelson. The Finale is also tomorrow night where each finalist will give a one-minute talk on one of the tours, and give a prepared 3-minute speech. After that, the selection panel deliberates and selects the next Alice in Dairyland. Anyone can watch the Finale if you can’t make the drive to Burlington. It’s webcast on www.wisconsinagconnection.com. The Finale starts at 7:30pm. I hope you all can watch! And thank you to everyone back home in Crawford County for your support as I try for the 62nd Alice in Dairyland!

Editor’s Update: Eastman’s O’Brien Crowned Alice in Dairyland