Dairy Princess Program Ends in New York, Will Now Focus on Gender Inclusivity
The Dairy Princess program will be replaced with the Dairy Ambassador Program.
For many years, the American Dairy Association North East has run the Dairy Princess Program, which gave young female dairy leaders an opportunity to serve as ambassadors for the Dairy Association.
For many young females that grow up in a dairy family, the dream of being a Dairy Princess was a huge deal. Personally, I have met a few dairy princesses over the years at the Dutchess and Ulster County's fairs and most of them all had one thing in common, they were honored to wear the dairy crown.
According to News 10, the Princess Program has ended and the Dairy Association has decided to shift the focus of the program to gender inclusivity and officially launch the Dairy Ambassador Program.
The new Ambassador Program is what the American Dairy Association came up with after they were asked last year to expand the Dairy Princess Program to include both young men and women. The new program will now be open to youth across different genders and give selected winners the chance to be involved in statewide promotions and events. The Dairy Ambassador Program will also help all young individuals that show a passion for dairy by helping them build critical professional skills and confidence.
New York’s First Dairy Ambassadors
Back in February, the Dairy Association named the first winners in Syracuse. Those winners included Gabriella Taylor from Wayne County, who was given the title of New York State Dairy Ambassador. Katie Jasmin from Madison County won first Associate Amabasodor, and Annika Donlick from Cortland County was named second Associate Ambassador according to News 10.
Young men will be able to compete in the New York Dairy Ambassador Program as soon as this spring and will be eligible for the state title which will happen next winter.