SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Upper Chesapeake Dairy Princess Katie Jones of Harford County was named the 61st Maryland State Dairy Princess, and South Central Dairy Princess Layla Shepard of Montgomery County was chosen as Alternate Maryland Dairy Princess on Friday, September 1, at the Maryland State Fair in Timonium, Md. Together, they will represent Maryland’s nearly 340 dairy farmers and engage consumers at the grassroots level with positive dairy messages.
Jones, from Forest Hill, Md., is the 16-year-old daughter of Meg and Steve Jones who operate a small organic dairy farm. She is involved in her high school agriculture program and is on the varsity soccer and lacrosse teams. Jones is also active in the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland.
Shepard is the 16-year-old daughter of Cathy and James Shepard of Damascus, Md. A member of the Montgomery County 4-H program, she exhibits Brown Swiss dairy cattle and several livestock species. Shepard is a member of Damascus FFA and is involved in competitive cheer.
Outgoing Maryland Dairy Princess Morgan Osborn-Wotthlie crowned the new team that was selected by judges Linda Foreman, Durham, N.C.; Jean Kummer, Evans City Pa., and Kirk Sattazahn, Womelsdorf, Pa. Denny Remsburg of Jefferson, Md., served as emcee.
The pageant can be viewed on the Maryland Dairy Princess Association Facebook page, along with the contestants’ skit presentations.
ADA North East supports the dairy promotion programs in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia by providing funding, training and promotional resources. ADA North East manages the New York and New Jersey dairy promotion programs.
For more information about the dairy princess programs in the ADA North East region, contact American Dairy Association North East at 315.472.9143.
Photo caption – MD Dairy Princesses: Katie Jones, Upper Chesapeake Dairy Princess (right) was named Maryland Dairy Princess, and Layla Shepard, South Central Dairy Princess (left) was named Alternate Maryland Dairy Princess, on Sept. 1, at the Maryland State Fair. Photo courtesy of ALH Word and Image, LLC.
About American Dairy Association North East
American Dairy Association North East (ADA North East) is the dairy farmer-funded organization funded by participating dairy farmer’s checkoff investment to build demand and sales for milk and dairy foods throughout the local region. Representing nearly 9,000 dairy farm families in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and northern Virginia, ADA North East develops and implements local programs to drive milk and dairy sales at retail outlets and in schools. The organization also conducts consumer education about dairy through events, traditional and social media, and in collaboration with health professionals through National Dairy Council®. ADA North East works closely with Dairy Management Inc.™, the national dairy checkoff organization, to support nutrition research, national partnerships and developing export markets for dairy to bring a fully integrated promotion program to the region. For more information, visit www.AmericanDairy.com.
