Sonoma, Marin Contestants For North Bay Dairy Princess 2026

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — Sonoma's Mari Suazo will compete as one of four Sonoma and Marin county students vying for the 2026 District 2 Dairy Princess title.

The new dairy ambassador will be crowned on April 25 during a ceremony at the Petaluma Veteran’s Memorial Building.

In addition to Suazo, a first-year student at Santa Rosa Junior College majoring in animal science, this year's contestants are:

• Lucia Nosecchi, a senior at Petaluma High School
• Kaelin Bidia of Valley Ford, a junior at Tomales High School
• Eva Taylor of Point Reyes Station, a senior at Tomales High School

The North Bay Dairy Women and the California Milk Advisory Board sponsor the annual event now in its 69th year. Contestants must be connected to the dairy industry. Public speaking, knowledge of the industry, energy, education, and future plans are also important. Their duties include classroom visits, presentations, parades, and social events.

"They are ambassadors for six counties," event chairwoman Judy Buttke said.

The Dairy Princess serves a full year representing the dairy industry across Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma counties, appearing at events such as the Petaluma Butter & Egg Days Parade.

The princess and a selected alternate receive professional development coaching as part of their preparation for the role.

Mari is the daughter of Jill and Levi Suazo and a freshman at Santa Rosa Junior College majoring in animal science, with plans to become a veterinarian. She is managing a Brown Swiss dairy heifer project that she will show at local fairs this summer and bring to Agriculture Days at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.

In high school, she held several officer positions with the Sonoma Valley Future Farmers of America chapter and the Sonoma Valley 4-H Club, and she is currently a member of the Agriculture Ambassadors program.

Lucia, the daughter of Dino and Johanna Nosecchi, is a senior at Petaluma High School and the fifth generation to grow up and work on her family’s dairy. She has shown dairy cattle at the Sonoma-Marin Fair since age nine and has spent the past three years on the Petaluma Future Farmers of America dairy judging team.

She is active in the community through the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, Sonoma-Marin Italian Club, A-Z Foundation, and 4-H Camp, and she is a member of the National Honor Society and a Petaluma Education Foundation recipient.

Eva is the daughter of John and Karen Taylor and a senior at Tomales High School who grew up on her family’s Bivalve Dairy. She has held several officer roles in the Tomales Future Farmers of America chapter, earned numerous awards, and participated on the dairy judging team her freshman year. She plans to attend a four-year university to study agricultural business or agricultural education and become an agriculture teacher.

Kaelin, the daughter of Jim and Dani Bidia, is a junior at Tomales High School who lives on Ielmorini-Moody Dairy and has shown dairy heifers through 4-H. As a freshman, she competed on the Tomales Future Farmers of America dairy judging team and currently serves as…

The Dairy Princess Contest & Ball welcomes the public, with tickets from $20 to $50 available at John’s Dairy Supply in Petaluma, or by contacting Judy Buttke at dist2dairyprincesscommittee@gmail.com. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

The evening begins April 25 with a buffet dinner catered by Jimmy’s Catering at 5:30 p.m., followed by the coronation at 7 p.m. Guests are invited to stay for dancing and a community celebration.