Sashes, Curds, and Crowns: The Dairy Royalty Shaping Wisconsin Cheese Culture

Taylor Shaefer in her element

When you’re 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’s 1.25 million dairy cows, you know you’ve entered a particular corner of American culture. A very Wisconsin corner. A very cheesy corner.

I recently spent a day with Taylor Schaefer, Wisconsin’s 75th Alice in Dairyland, at Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese in Waterloo, and it was a full immersion into the state’s past, present, and future – all told through the lens of dairy.

That night, at the Wisconsin Cheese Ball, 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’s longest-running – and most delicious – branding strategy.

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

Cheese Royalty, Wisconsin-Style

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

But make no mistake: dairy is still her crown jewel.

“Dairy accounts for nearly half of Wisconsin’s agriculture industry, contributing over $52.8 billion to our state’s economy each year,” Schaefer told me. “It’s 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 to completing numerous media campaigns and celebrating Wisconsin dairy throughout June Dairy Month.”

Taylor Shaefer being crowned Wisconsin’s 75th Alice in Dairyland.

During her year-long tenure in 2023, she didn’t just talk about cheese – she lived it. Farm visits. Media hits. Cheese days (plural). And a whole lot of proud, hardworking dairy families eager to share their story.

Her time traveling the state underscored something she believes deeply: “Alice in Dairyland is a role that helps people see the story of Wisconsin agriculture in a human way… Alice serves as a bridge that brings people closer to the farmers, businesses, and communities that shape our agricultural industry.”

It’s a job built on connection, storytelling, and taking the vast, complicated, essential world of agriculture and making it feel intimate.

From Pageant to PR Powerhouse

If the words “beauty pageant” make you imagine swimsuit competitions and baton twirling, you’re not completely wrong – that’s exactly how Alice began. The first iteration of the role crowned the woman who best represented Wisconsin dairy through glamour and poise.

But things have changed. A lot. Schaefer sees those origins as a reminder of how far the program has come. “The 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’s a platform with a purpose.”

Alice today is required to have a communications background, agricultural knowledge, camera savvy, and the ability to handle a relentless travel schedule. It’s a job that demands polish and technical expertise – not a perfect wave.

And for many young women in ag, Alice is a dream job. It’s competitive, high profile, and career-launching. With a six-month application and interview process, the pressure is real.

“After a six-month, intensive (and public) interview process, becoming the face of Wisconsin agriculture felt overwhelming at first,” Schaefer says. “I learned to navigate that pressure by showing up authentically each day. Alice doesn’t need to be perfect. She just needs to be genuine, approachable, and passionate.”

The Weight of Representing an Entire Dairy State

Wisconsin is synonymous with dairy. It’s 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 – at only 20-something.

“Representing an entire state’s agriculture community at 22 was both humbling and inspiring,” Schaefer says. “I wasn’t just speaking for myself. I was speaking on behalf of farmers, processors, agribusinesses, and many people whose livelihoods depend on Wisconsin agriculture.”

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

A State Built on Cheese (and Proud of It)

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.

It’s no wonder Alice’s calendar is heavy on dairy. Even when she’s highlighting Wisconsin’s other agricultural treasures – cranberries, maple syrup, ginseng – cheese is the gravitational center. Still, she loved discovering how much broader the state’s ag identity really is.

“Most people already recognize Wisconsin as a dairy leader… What surprised me most… was realizing how many additional stories are woven into that larger agricultural identity,” she says.

“Some days that meant eating way too much cheese at Monroe Cheese Days, and other days it meant jumping into a cranberry marsh… or planting horseradish with Silver Spring Foods.”

But ultimately? “Dairy, specifically cheese, remains a cornerstone.”

Why Alice in Dairyland Still Matters in 2025

Taylor Schaefer with one of Wisconsin’s best

In some ways, a role like this shouldn’t exist anymore. And yet it does – and it thrives. Why?

Because Alice is brilliant at branding. She is the human face of Wisconsin’s dairy identity. She is nostalgia wrapped in professionalism wrapped in cheese curds.

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

And for outsiders who think Alice is just a quaint tradition? Schaefer is quick to correct that perception.  

“From the outside, people sometimes assume Alice is still mostly ceremonial,” Schaefer says. In 2025, the crown is less sparkle, more strategy.

 “In reality, Alice is a full-time, professional position that demands skills in public relations, education, and advocacy.” 

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

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.