Seven Candidates Pursue Title of 69th Iowa Dairy Princess

Posted: August 1, 2022 at 1:58 pm

ANKENY, Iowa – Seven young women involved within Iowa’s dairy community will compete to win the title of 69th Iowa Dairy Princess. The coronation ceremony will be held Wednesday, Aug. 10, at 7:30 p.m. at the Multi-Media Center of the Cattle Barn at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. The Iowa Dairy Princess and Alternate connect with consumers and help them understand the dedication of dairy farm families to their cows, their land and the milk they produce.

The contestants are:

· Haily Backer, 18, daughter of Benjamin and Jennifer Backer of Greene, representing Butler County;

· Ashley Elsbernd, 18, daughter of Peter and Kristi Elsbernd of Calmar, representing Winneshiek County;

· Kiersten Gibbs, 17, daughter of Chris and Kerri Gibbs of Waterville, representing Allamakee County;

· Courtney Goedken, 18, daughter of Tim and Joan Goedken of Hopkinton, representing Delaware County;

· Emma Jecklin, 19, daughter of Gary and Brenda Jecklin of Durango, representing Dubuque County;

· Emily Manweiler, 18, daughter of William and Karen Manweiler of Sumner, representing Iowa Jersey Cattle Club; and

· Naomi Scott, 19, daughter of Mike and Kathleen Scott, representing Iowa Holstein Association.

The winners are chosen on the basis of their knowledge and enthusiasm about dairy, personality and communication ability during judging which begins Tuesday, Aug. 9. Both the princess and alternate will receive scholarships from Midwest Dairy, which sponsors the contest and princess program on behalf of Iowa’s dairy farmers.

The outgoing(above photo) 2021-22 Iowa Dairy Princess is Raegan Kime, daughter of Dann and Annette Kime of Waucoma, and the Alternate Princess is Hillary Burken, daughter of Marty Burken and Susan O’Neill of Clinton. Their reigns will be completed at the end of the month, and the new Princess and Alternate will begin their duties Sept. 1.

Midwest Dairy™ represents 7,000 dairy farm families and works on their behalf to build dairy demand by inspiring consumer confidence in our products and production practices. We are committed to Bringing Dairy to Life! by Giving Consumers an Excellent Dairy Experience and are funded by farmers across a 10-state region, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. For more information, visit MidwestDairy.com. Follow us on Twitter and find us on Facebook at Midwest Dairy.