Hillary Burken, a 17-year-old from Cliton, Iowa, was crowned the 68th Iowa Dairy Princess during an evening ceremony at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on Wednesday, Aug. 11. Hillary, daughter of Marty Burken, Susan O’Neill and Lisa Lofquist, will spend the year serving as a goodwill ambassador for Iowa’s dairy farmers. Throughout her year-long reign she will make public appearances to connect with consumers and help them understand the dedication of dairy farm families to their cows, their land and the milk they produce.
Hillary represented Clinton/Jackson County and will be a senior at Clinton High School this fall. She was also recognized for her performance in the public speaking portion of the contest.
Raegan Kime, 18, of Waucoma, Iowa, was named Iowa Dairy Princess Alternate. Raegan, the daughter of Dann and Annette Kime, will share duties with the princess. She represented the Iowa Guernsey Breeders Association and will be a freshman at Iowa State University this fall where she will be studying agriculture & society and international agriculture. She was also named Miss Congeniality in the contest.
Eight candidates competed for the Iowa Dairy Princess title, with the judging held August 10 and 11 in Ankeny. The winners were selected based on an application, answers to essay questions, interview skills and ability to advocate for dairy farmers.
The outgoing 2020-21 Iowa Dairy Princess is Meghan Hettinga, daughter of Jason and Mary Hettinga of Orange City, and the Alternate Princess is Amber Engelken, daughter of Tom and Cherrie Engelken of Earlville. Their reigns will be completed at the end of the month, and the new Princess and Alternate will begin their duties September 1.
Editor’s note: Interview opportunities with the Iowa Dairy Princess and Alternate are available. To make a request, please contact Mariah Busta at (563) 379-8619 or IowaDairyPrincess@gmail.com.