In Bellevue late last month Rebecca Ford, right, was tabbed as an equal alternate State Dairy Ambassador by the Washington State Dairy Women.
Rebecca Ford smiles while talking to Michelle Schilter at the Schilter Dairy Farm Friday afternoon near Bunker Creek in Chehalis.
Rebecca Ford pets Ity Bity, a cow at the Schilter Dairy Farm Friday afternoon near Bunker Creek in Chehalis.
After a round of competition in Bellevue late last month Rebecca Ford was tabbed as an equal alternate State Dairy Ambassador by the Washington State Dairy Women.
Abigail Zurcher, the representative from the Mid-Columbia Counties, was crowned the Washington State Dairy Ambassador for 2018-19 during the 63rd annual Washington State Dairy Ambassador Coronation held at Bellevue High School Performing Arts Center on June 21. The trials preceding the coronation consisted of five finalists from around Washington, including Ford.
As the Washington State Dairy Ambassador, Zurcher will visit schools and fairs around the state, while also making appearances at Washington Interscholastic Activities Association events, parades, and other gatherings in order to tout the benefits of a dairy-laden lifestyle.
Like Ford, Jacoba (Cobi) VanSlageren, representing the Yakima Valley area, was also selected as an equal alternative to the Washington State Dairy Ambassador during the coronation.
Ford, 18, of Chehalis, acted as the Lewis County Dairy Ambassador last year and worked hard to qualify for a State Dairy Ambassador position. She graduated in early June from W.F. West High School and learned her way around the money maker of a milking cow by working for the Schilter family dairy farm in Adna on Bunker Creek Road.
“I’ve really grown to love animals, especially working on this farm,” Ford told The Chronicle last month.
The daughter of John and Rochelle Ford, Rebecca has plans to attend Centralia College and then to attain a degree from the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She hopes to one day become a veterinarian for large animals.
“I was really nervous at first. I didn’t want to mess anything up. These are live animals and you don’t want to do anything that’s bad for them,” added Ford, in a previous interview with The Chronicle.
Last year, the Washington State Dairy Ambassador was Anna Teachman of Sea Tac. In 2016, the Washington State Dairy Ambassador crown was held by former Lewis County Dairy Ambassador, Alicia Smaciarz of Menlo.
