Four area young ladies vying for 2012 Allamakee County Dairy Princess crown

The 2012 Allamakee County Dairy Banquet will be held this Saturday, March 24 at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. The meal will be served from 7-8:30 p.m. with the program starting at 8 p.m.
The annual celebration recognizes the importance of the dairy industry in Allamakee County and the contributions dairy families make to this important industry. Every year, top producers from the county are recognized at the banquet. In addition, several other awards are presented that evening, some of which include the following:
• Outstanding Young Dairy Family Award
• Pioneer Dairyman Award
• Distinguished Dairy Family Award
• Service to Dairy Industry Award
• Golden Butter Knife Award.
Also a highlight of the evening's festivities, the 2012 Allamakee County Dairy Princess will be crowned. Four Allamakee County young ladies - Lydia Gaunitz, Kaley Heffern, Sarah Imoehl and Rachel Kelly - are vying for this year’s Dairy Princess crown. Photos and biographies of this year's candidates appear elsewhere on this same page.
Tickets for the event are available for purchase at the door the evening of the event, or are also available in advance at Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank, Fidelity Bank, Waukon State Bank or the Allamakee County ISU Extension Office in Waukon.

Lydia Gaunitz
Lydia Gaunitz is the 18-year-old daughter of Randy and Kristy Gaunitz of Lansing. She lives on a 55-cow Holstein dairy farm started by her father 14 years ago. Since she was a young girl, Lydia has helped with numerous duties on the family farm whenever she was needed.
She is a senior at Waukon High School and has been a member of the cross country team her entire high school career, obtaining a varsity letter all four years. This past fall she was co-captain of the cross country team. She is also a member of Dollars for Scholars and FFA.  Outside of school she enjoys playing softball in the summer leagues, riding dirt bike and four-wheelers, snowmobiling, hunting, being outdoors, and hanging out with family and friends.
She is also employed by the Spillway Supper Club in Harpers Ferry. After graduating from high school, she plans to attend a credible four-year college possibly majoring in animal science or biology, with a goal of perhaps going into zoology. Lydia’s sponsor in United-Suckow Dairy Supply, LLC.

Kaley Heffern
Kaley Heffern is the 17-year-old daughter of Jack and Cindy Heffern of Harpers Ferry and is a senior at Waukon High School. After graduation she plans on attending University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls and majoring in elementary and early childhood education.
Kaley currently works at Gibbs Dairy near Waterville where 390-400 cows are milked twice per day. Her duties at the farm include milking and helping keep the parlor clean. She is active in 4-H and FFA and is the FFA chapter reporter. She is also a member of Dollars for Scholars and National Honor Society.
Kaley has attained the "A" honor roll and received an academic letter all through high school. In her free time she enjoys being with her friends and family and riding horses. Kaley’s sponsor is Gibbs’ Dairy Farm.

Sarah Imoehl
Sarah Imoehl, of Castalia, is the 19-year-old daughter of Dale and Cheryl Imoehl. She currently attends Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), where she is working on her Dairy Science degree.
Sarah is actively involved in the NICC Dairy Science Club, NICC Rodeo Club, Post-Secondary Ag Students, FFA, and is an Iowa Farm Bureau member. Sarah has received the Iowa FFA Degree, is Co-Chair of Tri-State Dairy Expo, and recipient of the State Organic Ag Proficiency Award. During high school, she served as Chapter President and Secretary of the Valley FFA Chapter.
Sarah has been employed by Prairie Star Farm, owned by John and Meghan Palmer of Waukon, for two years. Her duties include milking 100 head in a double parallel swing parlor. The farm rotationally grazes from May to November and raises 250 acres of crops.  Milk is sold to Organic Valley. After chores are done, Sarah enjoys coon hunting, fishing, county and state fairs, and spending time with friends and family.
After graduating from college, Sarah plans to continue her education by learning how to use embryo transfer in cattle. She hopes to get a job in the genetics field breeding cattle, or work as a herdsman on a large dairy. Upon gaining experience with genetics, she plans to start farming and incorporate a good genetic pool in her herd emphasizing herd health and sustainability. Sarah’s sponsor is Organic Valley.

Rachel Kelly
Rachel is the 17-year-old daughter of Dan Kelly and Sandra Wood of Waterville. Rachel is a senior at Waukon High School where she is active in FFA and Dollars for Scholars.
Outside of school, she is a member of 4-H, and in her free time likes to go horseback riding and spend time with friends and family. She is employed by Gibbs Dairy near Waterville, where 390-400 cows are milked twice per day. Her duties at the farm consist of milking and helping to keep the parlor clean.
After graduation, Rachel plans to attend Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar for Dairy Science, and after obtaining her two-year degree, hopes to transfer to Iowa State University to complete her four-year degree in Dairy Science. Rachel is sponsored by Gibbs’ Dairy Farm.