Meet Stephanie Hoff: A rural girl communicating in an urban world
For the last time, chocolate milk does not come from a brown cow!
Have you ever found yourself explaining where food comes from to someone who doesn’t know much about agriculture? Perhaps it’s on something more complex than chocolate milk and brown cows.
People are becoming more and more removed from the farm, but there is no shortage of jobs in the ag industry as a whole or people to feed. As that on-farm knowledge fades among our population, it’s important that people understand where their food comes from and how it’s produced.
As a rural girl in an urban world, that is something I find myself doing regularly – and enjoy it! I graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in life sciences communication in December of 2019. Even my degree highlights explaining complicated information to people who don’t have background on the topic.
My adventure in agriculture started in rural towns around Thorp, Wisconsin in Clark County and I currently reside in Madison, Wisconsin. I grew up raising pigs, beef, and fainting goats. I showed my pigs at the Clark County Fair and was heavily involved in Thorp’s FFA chapter. I took those experiences in agriculture with me to UW where I got involved in the Association of Women in Agriculture, WSUM 91.7, and had several internships that kept me involved in agriculture. I built up the skill sets needed to be an effective communicator for Wisconsin agriculture and products.
Upon graduation, I took a position as a reporter for WisBusiness.com and WisPolitics.com. There I also find myself taking dense information – now relating to politics and business – and making it understandable and relevant for our audience.
As a final candidate for the 73rd Alice in Dairyland, I am looking forward to featuring the agriculture industry specifically. Our state’s agriculture is a diverse, modern industry vital to Wisconsin’s economy, with an annal economic impact of $104.8 billion and more than 435,000 jobs.
With my skills in broadcast, journalism, marketing, and my rural to urban life, I can educate and advocate about Wisconsin agriculture because buying Wisconsin products supports our farmers and contributes to the economic strength of Wisconsin communities.
If you find yourself wondering about Wisconsin agriculture – or where chocolate milk comes from – follow Alice in Dairyland on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for behind-the-scenes food production, product recommendations, and so much more!
