The Midwest Dairy Ambassadors spent the summer developing their leadership skills and connecting with consumers at events across the state. Through hands-on experiences, the ambassadors had opportunities to share their dairy knowledge, answer questions, and help consumers better understand dairy farming and agriculture.
Iowa
Elle Ruffner and Korey Hrdlicka, Iowa Dairy Ambassadors, represented Iowa dairy farmers at several community events throughout the summer, engaging with fairgoers and families through interactive activities and conversations.
The summer events kicked off June 18, when Hrdlicka attended the Worth County Fair. She connected with fairgoers through dairy trivia and temporary tattoos, creating opportunities to engage with young attendees and share her knowledge of dairy.
On June 27, Hrdlicka continued her outreach at the Mighty Howard County Fair, where fairgoers could spin a wheel and answer a dairy trivia question for a prize. The interactive activity encouraged conversations with consumers while providing a fun way to share information about dairy.
The ambassadors’ summer activities culminated at the Iowa State Fair, where Hrdlicka and Ruffner worked the Iowa Food & Family Project booth on August 17 and 18. The ambassadors answered questions about agriculture and provided information about Iowa farming and food production. The experience gave them another opportunity to connect directly with the public, share their dairy knowledge, and help consumers better understand where their food comes from.
Illinois
The 2026 Illinois Dairy Ambassadors, Elsie Sizemore, Amanda Kistinger, Emma Rauch, and Aubrey Wall, represented Illinois dairy farmers at community events throughout the summer.
On June 6, Wall and Rauch attended Marcoot Jersey Creamery’s Cheese Fest in Greenville. The ambassadors connected with consumers through dairy trivia, cow hat building, and promotional giveaways. The event gave them an opportunity to practice communicating with consumers while sharing their knowledge of dairy.
On June 13, Wall joined Kistinger to participate in the Kilgus Farmstead Breakfast on the Farm in Fairbury. The ambassadors interacted with attendees through trivia and conversations about dairy while distributing dairy-themed promotional items. Breakfast on the farm events provide a unique opportunity for consumers to connect with farmers and learn more about where their food comes from.
Wall continued representing the Illinois Dairy Ambassador program on June 27 at the Boone-Winnebago Breakfast on the Farm in Belvidere. Working in the Children’s Tent, she engaged young fairgoers and families by building cow hats, asking dairy trivia questions, and sharing dairy knowledge.
The ambassadors’ summer activities culminated at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, where all four ambassadors worked the Dairy Discovery Trail from August 13–23. Throughout the fair, the ambassadors interacted with thousands of fairgoers through trivia, cow hats, and promotional giveaways. Their conversations provided opportunities to answer consumer questions and share more about dairy farming and the people behind Illinois dairy.
Minnesota and North Dakota
Minnesota and North Dakota Dairy Ambassadors have had a busy few months connecting with consumers at various events across both states. They have had the opportunity to share about dairy in a variety of settings.
On May 11, Shelby Swanson and Claudia Frenchick visited JFK Elementary School in Lakeville, MN. They joined the kindergarten and first grade students while they learned about cows during one of their lessons. They interacted with the students and answered questions they had about cows and dairy farming. At the end of the lesson, they helped lead a butter making activity.
Later that month on May 23, Shelby Swanson and Avery Rieland attended the Milk Run during the Kickoff to Summer event at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. They spent the morning talking with the runners and spectators before and after the 5K race. They also helped at the Midwest Dairy booth where attendees could test their dairy knowledge at the trivia wheel and win dairy t-shirts and swag items. This experience gave them a chance to talk about dairy’s nutritional value and the role it can play in refueling.
Lindsey Rotz was in Manda, North Dakota, on June 6 for Breakfast on the Farm at Northern Lights Dairy. During this event, Rotz interacted with attendees as they enjoyed a dairy-filled meal. She handed out cow hats and stickers to kids at a booth after they had an opportunity to see machinery, go on a farm tour, and pet a calf. This was a great event to talk with parents and children about the role of dairy farming and where their dairy products come from.
To conclude a busy summer, Ellie Sauder and Madison Wiese spent time connecting with consumers in the Dairy Building at the Minnesota State Fair. The fair ran from August 26to September 7. During this time, Sauder and Wiese tested visitors’ knowledge of dairy at a spin wheel. They handed out prizes that included reusable tote bags, keychains, and slap bracelets. They enjoyed sharing their dairy story and connecting with fairgoers while they enjoyed their dairy treats.
Throughout the summer, the ambassadors made a great impact at several events and had the opportunity to connect with thousands of consumers in the region.
South Dakota
The South Dakota Dairy Ambassadors actively engaged at local events throughout the summer to promote the dairy industry, bridge consumer knowledge gaps, and highlight the vital role of dairy in everyday health and nutrition. At the summer’s busiest dairy event, Dairy Fest on the Farm, hosted at Crosswinds Jerseys near Elkton, SD, over 1,500 visitors gathered to discover the story of local dairy farming. Ambassadors Crystal Gunderson, Vaishali Poswell, and Priya Thorakkattu greeted attending families, engaged with kids, fielded questions about modern dairy farming operations, and distributed educational promotional items to children following interactive discussions.
At the Sioux Empire Fair’s Pipestone Discovery Barn, Poswell represented Midwest Dairy during Dairy Day. She engaged fairgoers with an interactive Plinko game, using simple, age-appropriate questions to teach kids of all ages about milk production and dairy nutrition.
Outreach efforts continued into September at South Dakota State University prior to the Dairy Drive Football game, where Ambassadors Jellie Waterlander and Poswell hosted an interactive station featuring a live jersey calf. The calf naturally drew interest, giving ambassadors a wonderful opportunity to connect with parents, assess general consumer understanding of agriculture, and answer questions.
Through these key gatherings, our Ambassadors played a vital role in connecting with consumers and elevating the profile of South Dakota dairy.
Nebraska
Over the past several months, Midwest Dairy has provided a variety of opportunities for the Nebraska Dairy Ambassadors to build leadership skills, connect with fellow ambassadors, and engage with dairy farmers, industry advocates, students, and consumers.
The 2026 Nebraska Dairy Convention, held February 24 in West Point, provided an opportunity for five ambassadors – Carter Behnken, Hannah Dean, Eliza Lange, Madison Martinez, and Alyvia Shultz-Ramer – to interact with nearly 180 dairy farmers and advocates attending the convention. The Midwest Dairy booth featured an interactive spin wheel, offering a fun and engaging way for ambassadors to engage with dairy farmers to learn more about how Midwest Dairy is putting checkoff into action and the resources available to them.
Nebraska Dairy Ambassadors Alyvia Shultz-Ramer and Eliza Lange kicked off the year’s consumer-facing activations at Grand Island Ag Day on March 17. During the annual event, the ambassadors helped more than 700 fourth-grade students learn about dairy cows. Students were engaged throughout the experience and enjoyed learning more about where their favorite dairy foods come from.
During the Nebraska State Fair’s Largest Classroom, nearly 3,000 elementary students explored the milking process, modern technology used on today’s dairy farms, and how milk travels from the farm to the table. Ambassadors Eliza Lange and Madison Martinez helped bring these lessons to life through engaging conversations and hands-on interactions with students.
Through these experiences, the Midwest Dairy Ambassadors are gaining valuable leadership, communication, and consumer engagement skills while building connections between dairy farmers and the communities they serve. Their summer activities highlight the important role young dairy leaders play in sharing the dairy story and helping consumers connect with the people who produce their food.