Stepping Stones to Success

Hello everyone! My name is Charitee Seebecker, and I am a 75th Alice in Dairyland Top Candidate. My agricultural background and excitement for Wisconsin agriculture is driven primarily by the steps I have taken along the way.

The first stepping stone on my adventure in agriculture happened, growing up in Mauston, among the 95 percent of Wisconsin dairy farms that are family owned. I learned first-hand the work ethic and dedication of Wisconsin farmers.

At a young age it was my father who instilled in me the love for agriculture. He helped me to work with my fair calves every day, no matter how stubborn they or I may have been.

As I got older, my path changed. I became involved in sports, started to split my time away from the farm and was not sure what career path to follow. It wasn’t until facing a farm setback and having to transition away from the farm, that I turned to

4-H and FFA to continue to ignite my passion for agriculture. During this tough time, I realized just how much growing up on a farm impacted me and how I didn’t want to just be a part of the industry but stand up for it.

This is why I decided to spring my journey forward again and attend the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where I obtained my Agriculture Business degree with a Communications and Marketing emphasis. My goal was to be able to combine my experiences of direct and non-direct farm involvement and share the story of Wisconsin’s farmers and processors.

Upon graduation, I stepped up to the plate and served as an Ameri-Corps Farm to School Specialist. Creating and teaching nutrition education lessons, working with local farmers to do presentations, and conducting local procurement allowed me to share the diversity of Wisconsin’s $104.8 billion agriculture industry.

Alice in Dairyland has been a role model to me since I first met her at my county fair as a child. It would be an honor to learn from Alice’s strides in agriculture to help cultivate a positive learning environment for all, and relay that you don’t have to be directly involved in agriculture for it to have a large impact on your life.

I hope our paths cross in Dane County so I can learn about the stepping stones of your life successes.