Contacts:
Kelly Loftus, Agency of Agriculture, (802) 828-3829

Friday, June 27, 2008

Montpelier, Vt – Vermonters have cast their votes and chosen the name Clover for our dairy mascot. Many voters commented that they liked the name Clover, as the pink clover is the state flower. And every vote counts, even when it comes to choosing a name for a cow. In a remarkable tally, the voting was deadlocked until the final vote was counted!

The final vote, from Jonesville, Vermont, pushed Clover to the lead. The voter commented that all the names were nice, but chose Clover because it is useful like her cows.

Announced at Dairy Farmer night at the Mountaineers game in Montpelier this evening, the name Clover won out over Buttercup and Daisy, which ran a very close second.

“Not only is Clover promoting dairy in the state, but also democracy,” said Roger Allbee, Secretary of Agriculture.

The name was chosen from a choice of three, the other choices were Buttercup and Daisy, and was announced at Dairy Farmer night at the Mountaineers game in Montpelier this evening.

Kids from all over the state participated in an essay contest for a chance to meet Clover at the game. The essay contest was open to third through sixth grade children who wrote their essays about the importance of dairy. The winners were Katie Ham from Sheffield, Vermont and Samantha Morse of Whitingham, Vermont. Katie’s essay was entitled A Day on the Dairy Farm where she wrote about visiting Leland Simpson’s farm and submitted a number of great photos with her essay. Samantha wrote about Why Dairy is Good for Me and what it is like living on a dairy farm. As first place winners, both girls and their families attended the Mountaineers game and helped the Agency announce the winning name of Clover for the mascot.

The Vermont dairy mascot is funded through the Vermont Dairy Promotion Council. “It’s a fun and unique way to get kids, and adults, to think about the importance of the dairy industry in our state economically. Dairy is the largest agriculture sector in Vermont. Dairy products are also important to our health and wellbeing,” said Allbee.