As a public relations professional working for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Alice in Dairyland is no stranger to doing interviews with the media, so she kept the reporters at World Dairy Expo busy last week.

Rochelle Ripp, pictured here being interviewed by Bob Meyer with Brownfield Ag News, is this year’s 2012 Alice in Dairyland and she is the 65th young woman to hold that title. Raised on her family’s dairy and cash crop farm, Ripp graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 2009 with a degree in agricultural communications. “It was really after I studied abroad in the Netherlands that I gained such a deep appreciation for Wisconsin agriculture and chose to pursue the job of becoming Alice in Dairyland,” Rochelle said.

That job is only a one year position, which started in May, but it keeps Alice/Rochelle very busy. “I get to do agribusiness tours, which is one of the most fascinating things for me,” she said. “I’ve been to ginseng farms, I’ve been to mink farms, cranberry bogs, already this year.”

Rochelle says she really enjoys educating consumers about the importance of agriculture and she hopes to be able to continue doing that after her year as Alice comes to an end.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Rochelle here: 2012 Alice in Dairyland

2012 World Dairy Expo Photo Album