When Haley Walsworth moved to Grand Rapids for college in 2015, she was surprised to learn that folks in the area were unaware of the importance of asparagus in the landscape of West Michigan. “My friends didn’t know about how asparagus was grown, like, you’re an hour and a half away from Oceana County, that is the hub of the asparagus industry in our state!”
For Haley, who grew up deeply ingrained in the agricultural industry through her family’s ownership of Golden Stock Farms, ignorance about what is such an integral part of her life seems unbelievable.
Her intention in competing for the title of this year’s Asparagus Queen was to bridge that gap of knowledge and have a platform through which she can educate others. “I know the hard work that our asparagus growers go through every season, so I just wanted to be an advocate for them and an educational resource.”
While the crown has always been appealing to Haley, the competition appealed to her this year over previous years through the change in format. “I just do better… speaking one-on-one or in a smaller group setting… It’s not in front of a massive crowd, you’re not getting up in a dress and feeling like the lights are on you and there’s all this pressure,” she said.
What also spurred her into taking the plunge for 2025 was last year’s lack of a nominee for Queen. She was excited to see 11 initial nominees this year, which was then narrowed down to a tough competition of five women, all of whom had deep connections to the agricultural industry or the festival itself. Haley said of the competition, “these gals know their stuff. They were passionate about it. So, I quite literally thought any of us could get it, and I really didn’t know which way it was going to go.”
Haley is the first runner-up to Queen Shelby Purdy. When asked about how she felt about the upcoming year of asparagus advocacy, she’s “excited to have a platform… (and) excited about what I’m sharing. I’m proud of where I’m from. I’m proud of what my family, especially, has done - so I’m excited to share that with other people.”
She is, likewise, excited to spend more time with Purdy, with whom she immediately “hit it off” with, and the other past Queens, many of whom she’s looked up to in the community.
Haley’s festival weekend started off strong with the Your Generation in Concert show. As a lover of live music, she was looking forward to the event and general party atmosphere to begin with. She enjoyed the range of music played, from classic rock to today’s hits. Following her crowning as runner-up, she made sure her first royal request was for any song from Taylor Swift’s repertoire, receiving a rendition of the 2014 hit “Shake It Off,” and was about to leave when she heard the beginning notes of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” and proceeded to “drop [her] things and run up to dance with a group of gals.”
Haley never misses an opportunity to dance, she is, especially, “always game to dance with the littles.”
She was in attendance for the Spear-It 5K Race - held in the memory of her father, Ryan Walsworth - and was grateful to be a representative for her family, visit with other relatives who ran and hand out medals to the winners. As for the parade, Haley described riding on the Queen’s float in the NAF as a bucket list item, and the reality did not disappoint. She, likewise, enjoyed mingling with the other festival queens from around Michigan who were also in attendance and seeing the colorful array of parade floats.
Haley is looking forward to continuing her work of asparagus education and celebration for Traverse City’s National Cherry Festival and, more locally, Country Dairy’s upcoming ice cream social. Most of all, Haley hopes the stacked roster of qualified Queen nominees this year is a bellwether for years to come—that so many women are already passionate about the crop she grew up with.
