The 77th Alice in Dairyland, Halei Heinzel, visited Solar Meats in Soldiers Grove last Friday. Alice in Dairyland represents all sectors of agriculture in the state, and was seen at Solar Meats wearing a mink vest, reflecting Wisconsin’s fur industry.

The appearance of the 77th Alice in Dairyland, Halei Heinzel, at Solar Meats, Meadow Lawn Angus Farm, Mississippi Meats, and dinner at Jones' Black Angus last Friday was in honor of ‘National Meat Week.’

“This meat business in Soldiers Grove represents a second life for me,” Solar Meats co-owner Rich Sitarski told Heinzel. “This area tugged at my heart, and after I met Duane Johannes, it all came together to launch the business.”

Sitarski said that the business processes about 20,000 pounds of meat per week, and employs 22 people. He said that about 80% of their work comes from local farmers (within an hour-and-a-half of Soldiers Grove), about 10% from producers involved in direct marketing of their product, and the other 10% of their business is with gas stations and other small retail businesses.

“We are planning a remodel to enlarge our retail space and reconfigure our customer pick up flow,” Sitarski said. “This will allow us to make adjustments in our production area for a new line of products we expect to launch soon.”

Alice in Dairyland Finals

Wisconsin’s 2025 Alice in Dairyland Finals will take place in Crawford County on May 15-17, with  agribusiness/farm tours throughout the county.   This event is sponsored by Driftless Development, Inc., and Connect Communities Gays Mills.

The Showcase will be held in Gays Mills on Friday, May 16.  And the finals, where the 78th Alice in Dairyland will be announced, will be in Prairie du Chien.

The Alice in Dairyland position is a one-year, full-time communications professional with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). For questions about this event, email aliceincrawfordcounty25@gmail.com  or follow the even on Facebook - Alice in Dairyland Finals.