Summary of yourself and your ag/dairy background:

Ever since childhood, I have been submersed in agriculture where I spent summers harvesting crops with my uncle, who is a farmer in a small town in northern Idaho. Upon entering high school, I wanted to focus on the livestock side of agriculture and got involved in the sheep industry by raising and showing lambs for county fairs while also pursuing an agricultural career in veterinary sciences.

Audrey Schmitz

Editor / Progressive Dairy

Email Audrey Schmitz

How your reign started:  

My reign started in June of 2021. Prior to that I had seen the opportunity to become a princess through my FFA chapter and was interested in the opportunity to promote our local and statewide agriculture while also developing my leadership skills. The selection and crowning process consisted of an application and a short essay question as well as delivering a speech on the benefits of dairy on pageant night. We also had interviews with our judges that allowed them to get to know our goals and what we were striving to do if crowned as princess.

Your promotion activities over the past year: 

Over the past year I have promoted dairy through “Moos-Day Tuesdays” where I share a fun and informational fact about the dairy industry on our Instagram. I also got a group of kids together to create a fun music video about milk and have made public appearances in community parades where I handed out cheese sticks and talked to the community members.

Specific promotion activity you are most proud of from your reign: 

The promotion activity I am most proud of is the music video about milk because we were able to get young children involved in the video and teach them about the dairy industry and the benefits that dairy can have in your diet. They had a lot of fun filming it and so did I. This video was posted to our Instagram so others could view it as well.

What you think it takes to be successful at promoting dairy: 

To be able to promote dairy successfully, I believe it takes a passion for the dairy and agricultural industry. I believe this because when you’re passionate about something, you enjoy promoting it, and I think the biggest part of promoting something successfully is having fun while doing it.  

PHOTO: Kata Ruff, the 2021 Meridian Dairy Princess, is joined by one of her court members, her first runner up and the 2021 Meridian Dairy Junior Princess. During Meridian Dairy Days Week, they helped serve a community “Pancake Feed” and passed out milk to the community members that attended. Photos provided by Gayle Ruff.