Waukon to be well represented in upcoming Iowa Dairy Princess event; Coronation is August 8 at State Fair

Twelve young women involved with the Iowa dairy community will compete to win the title of 65th Iowa State Dairy Princess Wednesday, August 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Multi-Media Center of the Cattle Barn at the State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. The princess and her alternate are charged with helping consumers learn more about dairy products and the farm families who tend the farms and cows that provide them.

Among those 12 competitors will be two Waukon young ladies, Grace Howe and Cayla Nolting, both of whom will be seniors at Waukon High School this fall. Howe, 17-year-old daughter of Shelly and the late Matt Howe of Waukon, will be representing the Iowa Jersey Cattle Club and had also been selected as the 2018 Allamakee County Dairy Princess. Howe’s mother, the former Shelly Fossum, had been selected as Iowa’s Alternate Dairy Princess in 1989.

With Howe representing the Iowa Jersey Cattle Club as its Princess, Nolting, 17-year-old daughter of Chad and Cheryl Nolting of Waukon, will be representing Allamakee County in the State competition. She had been selected as the 2018 Allamakee County Alternate Dairy Princess in March of this year.

The winners are chosen on the basis of their knowledge and enthusiasm about dairy, personality and communication ability during judging which begins Tuesday, August 7. 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 2017-2018 Iowa Dairy Princess is Rachel Grober, daughter of Todd and Sherry Grober of Ionia, and the Alternate Princess is Josie Buddenberg, daughter of Bruce and Julie Buddenberg of Decorah. Their reigns will come to completion at the end of the Iowa State Fair, and the new Princess and Alternate will begin their duties September 1.

The coronation ceremony will be held August 8 and will also feature a celebration of 65 years of the Iowa Dairy Princess program. Former Iowa dairy princesses and alternates will be recognized and signage at the Iowa State Fair will highlight contributions of the princess program on behalf of the state’s dairy farm families.

The remaining 10 contestants for this year’s Iowa Dairy Princess crowning include the following:

• Amanda Engelken, 19, of Earlville, representing Delaware County;
• Cynthia Hamlett, 19, of Aurora, representing Iowa Holstein Association;
• Abby Hoefler, 19, of New Vienna, representing Dubuque County;
• Faith Johnston, 18, of Clermont representing Iowa Brown Swiss Association;
• Jordan Kalenske, 19, of Fairbank, representing Bremer County;
• Brianna Lucey, 18, of Guttenberg, representing Clayton County;
• Lakaya Lyon, 19, of Atalissa, representing Iowa Jersey Cattle Club;
• Aubreigh Machande, 18, of Charlotte, representing Jackson and Clinton counties;
• Jessica Schmitt, 18, of Fort Atkinson, representing Winneshiek County;
• Kassi Steinlage, 18, of West Union, representing Fayette County.