The American Dairy Association of Crow Wing County is seeking candidates to participate in this year’s dairy princess program.

Dairy princesses and ambassadors serve as goodwill ambassadors for the dairy industry through appearances that help explain dairy farmers’ passion for taking care of their animals and land while providing nutritious food for people locally and throughout the world. The princess and ambassador contest will be April 9 at the Pierz Ballroom.

A princess candidate must be a high school graduate by July 1, 2022, and not yet 24 years old by July 1, 2022. A candidate must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. She or her parents must be actively engaged in the production of milk for sale to a licensed plant during the current year. A candidate also qualifies if she or her parents are employed on a dairy farm in a dairy-related capacity or if a sibling has taken over the home farm. Additionally, she would qualify if her or her family custom raises animals that will produce milk or lease animals in exchange for work on that farm. A junior dairy princess candidate must fulfill all the above criteria with the exception of age. A junior princess candidate must be between the ages of 13 and a high school graduate.

Crow Wing County also has an ambassador program that welcomes teens, male or female, between the ages of 13 and 24 to help the princesses promote the dairy industry.

The dairy princess program is sponsored by the county’s dairy farmers in conjunction with Midwest Dairy’s Minnesota Division and the dairy checkoff.

Serving as a county dairy princess is also the first step toward potentially becoming Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Ten finalists will be selected to compete for the Princess Kay title in August.

At all levels of competition, contestants are judged on their communication skills, personality, enthusiasm for dairy promotion and general knowledge of the dairy industry.

For complete rules and application form, contact Rosanne Caughey at 218-831-3376 by Feb. 15.