Employee Spotlight: Kelly Irvine
Employee Spotlights
Location: Bridgeport Branch
Tenure: 6 months
Briefly describe your involvement in 4-H. Growing up in a 4-H family, I became a member when I was 9 years old. I grew up attending county 4-H camp and began showing livestock at our county fair through 4-H. 4-H is where I found my love for public speaking by competing in the annual public speaking contests. I was actively involved in our teen leaders association where we assisted with the planning of events and county camp. Throughout college, I was involved with WVU's Collegiate 4-H club. I was honored to receive my West Virginia 4-H All-Star pin in 2019.
Briefly describe your involvement in FFA. I became a member of the Buffalo FFA Chapter my freshman year of high school. Through my involvement, I not only raised and showed livestock projects at the county fair and State Fair of West Virginia, but I also was heavily involved in FFA competitions. Throughout my time I competed in Prepared Public Speaking, FFA Creed, Marketing Plan, Agriculture Issues, Livestock Judging and my favorite, the Agri-Science Fair Competition, where I received 1st Place in the Nation in 2015 with my project titled, "How Do Agriculturists Obtain Land?". I served on the 2018-2019 West Virginia State FFA Officer team and received my American Degree in 2019.
Briefly describe your involvement in agriculture. I am a 7th generation agriculturist and grew up on a beef production operation in Poca, West Virginia. Throughout my youth, my younger sister and I raised market steer, market hog and market goat projects to show at our county and state fairs. Currently, my boyfriend, Shane, and I tend to his family farm in Fairmont, WV where he has both cattle and sheep herds.
Are you involved in any other clubs or organizations? I am a member of the West Virginia Farm Bureau, as well as the West Virginia Cattlemen's Association.
Tell us about your family. My family is my biggest support system. I am thankful to have been raised by two loving and supportive parents. My mom (Pamela) and Dad (Kevin) have always encouraged me to push myself to reach my goals, and are the reason that I am where I am today. Growing up on a farm, they sparked my passion for agriculture and were there every step of the way, supporting all of my endeavors. My younger sister, Jamie, has always been my partner in crime. From hitting the show ring together, to planning her next addition to her herd of cattle or farm improvement, I could not ask for a better sister.
Where did you grow up? I grew up on my family's beef production operation in Poca, West Virginia. It is located in the southwestern part of the state in Putnam County. This farm has been in my mother's family now for seven generations, and it has seen everything from cattle and hay production, even back to tobacco production!
Who is your favorite musical artist? I am a frequent concertgoer so this is a hard choice for me. Currently, my favorite artist would have to be Tyler Childers. His Appalachian folk heritage is what originally attracted me to his music. I have been lucky enough to see him in concert three times now!
What is your favorite season? My favorite season is summer. I love long evenings and summer sunsets!
Tell us about your hobbies. My most time-consuming hobby is definitely farming! However, outside of farming I enjoy playing the piano, attending concerts, traveling and reading.
What is your favorite place you've ever visited? My favorite place that I have visited so far has been Rocky Mountain National Park! I was able to visit there in fall of 2023 when the Aspen trees were in color.
What was your dream job as a child? As a child, I wanted to be a veterinarian. However, after shadowing my mother (who is a veterinarian) during a surgery, I decided VERY quickly that it was not the profession for me.
What is your favorite thing about Farm Credit? My favorite thing about Farm Credit is the company culture. When I had the opportunity to serve as a summer intern in 2021 for Farm Credit of the Virginias, I got to witness firsthand how unique and special this cooperative is. Every employee that I interacted with during my internship treated me with kindness and always made me feel welcome. The company culture is what brought me back to the Farm Credit family in 2023 and I am so glad to be back full-time!
What are your hopes for the ag industry? When looking at the agriculture industry as a whole, my hopes are that it continues to prosper. I hope that more young individuals take an interest in agriculture and allow the industry to continue to feed our ever-growing population!
What is your biggest claim to fame? My biggest claim to fame was in 2016 when I was selected to serve as a national youth agriculture spokesperson for Land O' Lakes and participate in their "Fields of the Future" broadcast with United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack; Land O' Lakes President and CEO, Chris Policinski; Indiana Governor, Mike Pence; WinField COO, Mike Vande Logt; and Co-Founder of Fair Oaks Farms, Mike McCloskey.
What is one of your favorite childhood memories? One of my favorite childhood memories was the first year my sister and I showed at our county fair. We started with hog projects, as they were our Dad's favorite species to show growing up. We spent so much time with the hogs and I remember how we beamed with pride the first time we both stepped into the show ring.