Kamille Brawner of Hanover was selected as the 2014-15 Dairy Princess for the American Dairy Association Indiana. The crowning took place before a crowd of dairy industry members and the candidates’ families and friends, on Tuesday, July 29, at the Embassy Suites North in Indianapolis. Kamille, age 20, is the daughter of Greg and Teresa Brawner. She represented Dairy Farmers of America in the 2014 Indiana Dairy Princess Scholarship Program. Miss Brawner will be a sophomore at Purdue University, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness with a minor in animal science. Following a personal interview, Kamille gave a presentation on the advantages of choosing real dairy milk over non-dairy alternatives.
Retiring Princess Carmen Metzger of Kimmel, ended her reign by turning over the title to Kamille and wished her well as she represents Indiana dairy farmers throughout the coming year. Kamille will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for Indiana’s dairy farmers during the year by making a number of public appearances and participating in promotional events. As the Indiana Dairy Princess, Brawner will receive a $1000 scholarship from the American Dairy Association along with other gifts of appreciation from Dean Foods, Foremost Farms USA, and Dairy Farmers of America.
Contestants were judged on poise, personality, speaking ability, education, and dairy knowledge. Judges for the contest included Denise Derrer -Public Information Officer at the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, Martha Rardin – Director of Nutrition and Dietetics, Hendricks Regional Health, and Dave Blower – Editor of Farm World publication.
This year’s Dairy Princess Scholarship Contest featured stiff competition from seven excellent candidates. The other Dairy Princess candidates were: Kylei Klein (Indiana Ayrshire Breeders Association), Hadley Whicker (Indiana Jersey Cattle Club), Christy Mote (Indiana Milking Shorthorn Society), Cheyanne Bowman (Dean Foods), Laura Frye (Indiana Brown Swiss Association), and Anna Will (Indiana Holstein Association).
Indiana has approximately 1200 dairy farms that produce wholesome, nutritious milk. Indiana dairy farmers produce over 3.5 billion pounds of milk annually and the state is the second-largest producer of ice cream. As Dairy Princess, Kamille will be educating the public and her peers on the importance of dairy to Indiana’s economy and to Hoosier health.