Falcon Futures: Student Gabby Huitema one of three Alice in Dairyland finalists with UWRF ties

 

Falcon Futures: Student Gabby Huitema one of three Alice in Dairyland finalists with UW-River Falls ties 

May 1, 2026 – The University of Wisconsin-River Falls will be well represented when Wisconsin’s next Alice in Dairyland finals are held May 14-16 in Marathon County. Half of this year’s finalists are current or past students. 

Gabby Huitema, a senior from Markesan majoring in animal science with a meat animal emphasis, will join UWRF alums Michelle Stangler and Jessica Moor along with three other finalists as they vie to become the 79th Alice to represent Wisconsin’s agriculture industry on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). 

Huitema comes from a small family farm where she grew up showing lambs. She became interested in the Alice in Dairyland role while serving as the 2025 Green Lake County Fairest of the Fair. In that role, Huitema found that she really enjoyed promoting agriculture, recalling a day she saw a young, first-time goat exhibitor catch the bug when she handed him the blue ribbon he had won showing goats.

“His jaw hit the floor because he was so excited,” Huitema said. “And then he was showing his blue ribbon to everybody in the stands. And I started crying because I remember being nine years old and having that spark ignited. And I thought, okay, now I know that this kid is hooked.”

As a UWRF student, Huitema has conducted and presented research on the humane handling of yaks. While she was at the Wisconsin Fair Association Convention, the current Alice, Sarah Hagenow, visited with the candidates for the statewide Fairest of the Fairs and explained the role. Some of Huitema’s competitors asked if she had ever considered applying, prompting her to do more research.

“I went through the website and thought, ‘Oh my goodness, this is exactly what I do. I present research,’” Huitema said. “And I really found a passion in advocating and sharing everything I can to ensure that everybody knows where their food comes from and how it gets there.” 

When it came time to prepare for her preliminary interview for the Alice role, Huitema said she knew just where to go.

“When I started at UWRF, I distinctly remembered them telling us about interview prep,” Huitema said. “So before I even went down for my preliminary interview, I went to Career Services.”

Huitema said her experiences in presenting research, serving as a Fairest of the Fair and preparing for the Alice in Dairyland finals have helped her future come into focus.

“No matter what, I know I'm going to end up in an agriculture advocacy position,” Huitema said. “I've really found joy in just making sure everybody knows where their food comes from is safe. Whether that be in food science, whether that be in dairy, whether that be in meat science, I know I'm going to be happy if I can just keep sharing the good news.”

Another finalist, Michelle Stangler of Watertown, graduated from UWRF in 2024 with a degree in journalism and agricultural marketing communications and completed internships with Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Mid-West Farm Report, Brownfield Ag News and WEAU 13 News. She also served as the 2024 Dodge County Fairest of the Fair. Stangler now contributes to the Ag News Daily podcast, Dairy Star newspaper and podcast and serves as a member engagement coordinator with the Wisconsin Grocers Association. 

Stangler said one of her most memorable experiences at UWRF was participating in the Semester Abroad Europe program. She started in Scotland taking general education courses with a group of classmates, then spent eight weeks traveling independently.

“I traveled across more than 10 countries, interviewing farmers and individuals involved in agriculture to better understand and share their stories,” Stangler said. “That experience deepened my passion for global agriculture and storytelling, and it continues to inspire my goal of traveling to all 50 states to connect with and highlight farmers across the U.S.” 

Finalist Jessica Moor of Wilson graduated from UWRF in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in business administration management. Moor said her love for agriculture started on her family’s hobby farm. Her passion further grew by being involved in 4-H and FFA, where she participated in horse judging and speaking contests and exhibited at the county fair. After completing an additional degree from Chippewa Valley Technical College, she now works full time as a dental assistant. Outside of work, she enjoys horseback riding, reading and volunteering on the St. Croix County Fair Board and Rodeo Committee.

Other finalists include Faith Baerwolf of Columbus, Kelly Herness of Whitehall and Anastasia Poull of Port Washington.

The three-day Alice in Dairyland Finals includes agribusiness tours, media interviews, an impromptu question-and-answer session, candidate presentations and more. The selection of the 79th Alice in Dairyland will be announced at a public event on Saturday, May 16, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Wausau. The selected candidate's term as Alice will begin July 6.

Photo 1: UW-River Falls senior and Alice in Dairyland finalist Gabby Huitema stands with Goober, a five-year-old Holstein cow, at the university's Mann Valley Farm. Two UWRF alums, Michelle Stangler and Jessica Moor, are also finalists.

Photo 2: Michelle Stangler. Contributed photo.

Photo 3: Jessica Moor. Contributed photo.