Faith Palmer to represent Allamakee County in Iowa Dairy Princess competition; Coronation is August 7
Pursuing Iowa Dairy Princess crown ... Waukon High School senior-to-be Faith Palmer will be competing for the crown of 2019 Iowa Dairy Princess next week in Des Moines. Palmer is the 2019 Allamakee County Dairy Princess and the daughter of John and Meghan Palmer of Waukon. Photo by Paula Enyart.
Eight young women involved with the Iowa dairy community will compete to win the title of 66th Iowa State Dairy Princess in an event scheduled for Wednesday, August 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Multi-Media Center of the Cattle Barn at the Iowa 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 this year’s eight competitors will be Faith Palmer, 17-year-old daughter of John and Meghan Palmer of Waukon. She was crowned the Allamakee County Dairy Princess earlier this year and will be seeking to become the 17th young lady from Allamakee County to wear an Iowa Dairy Royalty crown, the previous 16 being evenly split between Princess and Alternate coronations.
The winners are chosen on the basis of their knowledge and enthusiasm about dairy, personality and communication ability during judging which begins Tuesday, August 6. 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 2018-2019 Iowa Dairy Princess is Jessica Schmitt, daughter of Carl and Terry Schmitt of Fort Atkinson, and the Alternate Princess is another Allamakee County young lady, Grace Howe, daughter of Shelly Howe and the late Matt Howe of Waukon. Their reigns will be completed at the end of the Iowa State Fair, and the new Princess and Alternate will begin their duties September 1.
The remaining seven contestants in this year’s Iowa Dairy Princess competition include:
• Alexis Costello, 20, daughter of Tim and Karen Costello of Cedar Rapids, representing the Iowa Holstein Association;
• Tehya Demmer, 18, daughter of Chad and Stacey Demmer of Dundee, representing Delaware County;
• Julie Hammerand, 18, daughter of Jerry and Lois Hammerand, representing Dubuque County;
• Mary Holtz, 17, daughter of Jeff and Lisa Holtz of Maquoketa, representing Iowa Jersey Cattle Club;
• Brianna Lucey, 19, daughter of Marcia Harbaugh of Guttenberg, representing Clayton County;
• Stacia Sexton, 18, daughter of Steve and Ellen Sexton of Decorah, representing Winneshiek County;
• Brylie Volker, 18, daughter of Bill and Shellie Volker of Sumner, representing Fayette County.
