Denair teen Alexis Dias has been selected as the 2024 District 4 Dairy Princess, with Gabrielle Furtado of Modesto and Macie Silva of Denair selected as first and second alternate, respectively. The contest was hosted in Turlock in June.

Dias will represent District 4 which consists of Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Yolo counties. As Dairy Princess, she will play a key role on the CMAB’s Communication Services team in meeting community relations objectives.

The daughter of Kristine Patrias and the late Jose Silveira Dias, she graduated from Turlock High School and will attend California State University, Fresno in the fall to major in Viticulture and Enology. Her passion for the dairy industry stems from her father and grandfather who both worked in the dairy industry. Dias has shown dairy cattle at local fairs and was an active member of the Turlock Future Farmers of America program, where she served as Chapter President. She was also the president of the Turlock High School Portuguese Club.

Crowned First Alternate Dairy Princess, Gabrielle Furtado, daughter of Manuel and Patty Furtado, will be a senior at Modesto High School. Upon graduation she plans to attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo to major in Agricultural Business and hopes to be on the Dairy Judging Team. She grew up on her family’s dairy, Furtado Farms, and shows dairy cattle at the county fair. She is a member of the Modesto Future Farmers of America Chapter where she is on the Dairy Judging Team. Furtado previously served as the Modesto Future Farmers of America Chapter Reporter and is the current Stanislaus-Tuolumne Future Farmers of America Section Reporter. She is very active at Modesto High School where she serves as the Student Body Officer, Junior Class Vice President, and Captain of the Varsity Tennis Team.

Macie Silva, daughter of Rodney Maciel and Megan Piro, was crowned Second Alternate Dairy Princess. She attends California State University, Fresno, and Modesto Junior College where she is majoring in Animal Science with a dairy emphasis, in hopes of becoming a Dairy Nutritionist. Beginning at the age of 12, Silva showed dairy cattle at the Stanislaus County Fair. While attending Turlock Christian High School, she was a member of the Future Farmers of America program and played softball competitively. She is currently a member of the Dairy Club at Fresno State and spends time volunteering at her church’s nursery and preschool classes.

The John and Nellie Bartelink Memorial Scholarship was awarded to the three newly crowned dairy ambassadors, Dias, Furtado and Silva. The Bartelink husband and wife team were longtime dairy farmers in Escalon, and proud supporters of the Dairy Princess program.

Furtado and Silva will assist the new District 4 Dairy Princess Dias in her duties, which include speaking and appearing on behalf of the California dairy industry to various audiences throughout the year.

As Dairy Princess and Alternates, the three will attend a professional development training focused on presentation skills, advocating for the California dairy industry, leadership, and business etiquette.

Candidates were judged on speaking ability, education, dairy background, poise, and personality. Judges for the contest were Tony Louters of Merced, Mikayla Brasil of Cotati, and Kimberly McLaughlin of Loomis.

For more information about the District 4 Dairy Princess contest and events, or to request a Dairy Princess appearance, contact Linda Teixeira at (209) 402-8305.

California is the nation’s leading milk producer, and produces more butter, ice cream and nonfat dry milk than any other state. California is the second-largest producer of cheese and yogurt. California milk and dairy foods can be identified by the Real California Milk seal, which certifies they are made with milk from the state’s dairy farm families.

The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs. For more information and to connect with the CMAB, visit RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.