86-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 18, 1998
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
—A dairy princess who isn’t from
the farm?
Audra Wood is one of at least
four county dairy princesses
crowned recently who doesn’t live
on a farm.
“Requirements have been
broadened in recent years.
Although a prospective dairy prin
cess does not need to come from a
dairy farm, they do need to have
some ties to the industry,” said
Arlene Wilbur, assistant director
for Pennsylvania Dairy Princess
Promotion Services (PDPPS).
Wilbur recognizes that dairy
princesses aren’t necessarily com
petent spokespersons for the
industry just because they grew up
on a dairy farm.
Capable dairy princesses are
those who understand the impor
tance of including dairy products
in the diet, someone who can speak
easily to the public, someone who
has a high regard for dairy farmers,
and someone who sincerely wants
to promote the dairy industry for
the betterment of dairy farmers and
for the consumer.
In 1956, the first young woman
was chosen as the official rep
resentative and spokesperson for
all dairy fanners. Forty-two years
later, the program has grown and
changed. Sponsorship of the prog
ram has varied over the years, but
in 1983, PDPPS was established in
order to provide a more uniform
program to serve all areas of Pen
nsylvania equally.
Although contestants no longer
need to come from a dairy farm,
the contestant or a parent must be
employed in the dairy industry or
an agri-business that serves it. She
must be single and be between the
ages of 16 and 24. She must pos
sess the knowledge, poise, and
speaking ability necessary to carry
out the duties as a spokesperson for
the industy.
Audra is a 17-year-old who fits
Lancaster County Dairy Princess Audra Wood doesn’t
need to do any milk promoting in the family. She said her
6-year-old brother drinks two quarts of milk daily. Her
mother Barbara Wharton likes cooking with dairy products.
Homestead Notes
Dairy Farming By Choice, Not Birth
those qualifications. She did not
grow up on a dairy farm, but she is
milking cows.
Because Audra considers her
self a real outdoor person who
didn’t want to work in a restaurant,
she jumped at the opportunity to
work at Red Knob Farm, where
she feeds calves and helps milk the
380-head herd.
Audra confesses that she wasn’t
much of a milk drinker before she
became interested in the dairy
princess program.
She said, “Like every other teen,
I grabbed a soda before milk.”
But when she read nutrition lit
erature, Audra recognized the need
to include more dairy products in
her diet
Now her favorite drink is milk
flavored with vanilla, hot fudge
sauce, or strawberry syrup.
The best, she said, is to add 2
tablespoons orange juice to milk,
blend in banana, ice, and a sprinkle
of nutmeg.
“I think the most important food
group to promote is dairy. And the
most important age group to target
is my friends,” Audra said.
By friends, she means teen
agers.
“Our bones aren’t finished
growing. And I realize how impor
tant it is to have enough calcium
for strong bones,” she said.
It wasn’t until the state Farm
Show in January that Audra heard
about the dairy princess program.
“A woman gave me a booklet
about the program. Right away. 1
knew this was for me,” Audra said.
As soon as she returned home,
Audra told her mom, “I’m going to
become a dairy princess.”
Of course, she had to prepare a
skit, give a speech, and compete in
the Lancaster County pageant to
achieve'the crown.
Audra wasn’t disappointed. She
said of the promotional responsi
bilities, “This is so real. It’s so
down to earth. I’m so proud to be
promoting the industry. It’s such
an honor.”
Audra also has other agricultur
al interests. She is an FFA member
and a senior at Solanco High
School. She raises two red Duroc
hogs for an FFA project Although
a late joiner of the FFA, Audra said
that she is trying to make up for
lost time by participating in as
many projects as possible. Audra
is an FFA reporter and enjoys the
FFA officer meetings throughout
the summer.
Although her main focus at
school is FFA involvement Audra
also enjoys participating in mock
trials in which schools reenact
trials and compete against each
other.
This past year, she served as the
prosecuting attorney. She had to
try out for the position, think up the
questions to ask, and come up with
opening and closing statements.
Talking comes easily to her.
Audra suspects her ease in com
munication comes from her mom
and great grandfather.
Audra lives with her mother,
Barbara Wharton, and a six-year
old brother, Robert, near Quarry
ville.
“He’s my sidekick and goes
everywhere I go,” Audra said of
her brother. She’s also proud that
he drinks two quarts of milk
everyday.
A sister Abby, 13, lives in Dela
ware.
When her dad left the family, it
was difficult for Audra to adjust
On the positive side, Audra said
the experience has forced her to
take on more responsibility
because her mom has her own
wallpapering and painting
business.
“My mother is a hard worker
and very responsible. She’s very
supportive of me, although we
don’t have a lot of time together,”
Audra said.
At the Union Presbyterian
Church near her home, Audra
serves on the pulpit committee and
is active in the youth group.
Following graduation, Audra
definitely plans on college, prob
ably Penn State. She’d like to
travel west to Montana and then
settle in the Lancaster County area.
At least three other county dairy
princesses have a non-farm back
ground. but have related ties to
agriculture. One has a father who
is a milk hauler, another’s father is
a DHIA technician, and another
one’s dad works for Sire Power.
While the fanning bluebloods
might fear that dairy promotion is
at a disadvantage if it is being rep
resented by those with a non-dairy
As an outdoor person, Audra enjoys maintaining perennial flower beds at her
home. Although she Isn’t from the farm, she has a job milking dairy cows and feeding
calves at Red Knob Farm, about five miles from her home.
Audra confesses that she wasn’t much of a milk drinker
before she started reading nutrition literature handed out
by dairy companies. “Like every other teen, I grabbed a
soda before milk,” she said. But that’s a thing of the past.*
Now Audra prefers milk drinks and is a firm believer that her
age group needs to be convinced of Imminent health dan
gers from not consuming enough calcium In their diet.
background, Wilbur, as coordina
tor, points out that several board
members and employees of dairy
associations are not from farms
either.
Wilbur said, “I think it’s a bene
fit to the farmer to have those from
a non-farming background. We
need people out there who support
the dairy farmer. The greater the
number, the more apt we are to pre
serve agriculture.”
Wilbur said the controversy
among the non-farming public is
whether or not they should use
dairy products.
County dairy princesses receive
extensive training on how to
address those issues.
“We are not out there promoting
just for the sake of promoting. We
believe we are reaching consumers
with a message that is in their best
interests,” Wilbur said.
“Why turn anyone away who
sincerely sees the benefits of the
dairy industry? Why not encour
age them to become supporters of
the dairy industry?” she asked.
“We need more understanding
and more respect for the dairy
industry. We need well-informed
people about agriculture issues and
this (the dairy princess program) is
a good avenue (for education).
. “Agriculture is what Lancaster
County is made of,” Audra said
“It’s a heritage I want to continue.
My grandparents and great grand
parents grew up on the farm.
“I definitely want fanning to be
part of my future forever and live
on a farm,” she said.
In the meantime, Audra said that
she has a tremendous love for agri
culture and plans on doing a
“knock ’em out” job in promoting
the dairy industry.