Faces of Extension : Amy Barkley

When I was in school, I wanted to be a veterinarian and focused on agriculture to get accepted into veterinary school. I wanted to help rural livestock farmers, like my dad, through large animal production medicine. I started my veterinary medicine journey at Virginia Tech. After a few months, I was faced with the realities of the financial burden of a veterinary education. It was a shock to realize it would be years, if ever, before I could pay off the debt if I would have finished that degree.

I left veterinary school and returned to Penn State, where I had done my undergraduate work. I looked for opportunities in research and worked on projects using alternative bedding sources to enhance sustainability and welfare in meat chicken operations.

During this time, my advisor, Dr. Patterson, encouraged me to engage with farmers and speak at extension meetings. This helped me connect with the poultry industry in Pennsylvania. I realized I was good at making connections, evaluating production systems, and providing resources to farmers. I understood I could help farmers manage their livestock effectively, reducing their need for a veterinarian. This became my new mantra, and I decided to pursue a job in cooperative extension after graduating with my master's degree.

When I graduated with my master's in 2017, there was a hiring freeze affecting federal organizations, including Penn State Extension. I landed in industry, working for Eggland's Best as their quality assurance manager, overseeing 100 million laying hens nationwide. I learned about different poultry systems and built connections using my extension skills. This experience taught me the importance of working with people where they are to truly understand their needs and help them achieve their goals.

I burned out after two years. I was unable to maintain a healthy work-life balance. The suburbs of Philadelphia were a far cry from the rural town where my husband and I grew up. During many conversations, he pressed me about what I thought my next step should be and it always came back to living in a rural community and working for extension. We looked within a seven-hour radius of my dad's house in northeastern Pennsylvania. I applied for a position at CCE, thinking I wouldn't get it because I'm a poultry person, but they hired me. And here I am.

I was a precocious reader, and my mom thought it was a good idea to buy me a James Herriot book. She bought me "All Creatures Great and Small" when I was 11, but I initially dismissed it because it was a thick book. Eventually, I picked it up and was captivated by the world of a veterinarian living a simple life and helping farmers. Like many who've read the series, I knew that I wanted to live that life, so my dream going forward was to become a veterinarian.

At the time I was discovering James Herriot, my dad was living out his farming dream of owning a diversified small farm. He had poultry throughout his childhood and what he did is very similar to what I do on my farm - raising laying hens for eggs, hatching eggs, selling chicks, all the different kinds of poultry, turkeys, guineas, peat fowl, chickens, ducks. He dabbled a little bit in everything, and it was a cool way to grow up.

I knew no matter what I did in my life it would be connected to agriculture. But I have a special spot in my heart for animal agriculture, which is why I'm here.

If I can help people by providing information, making it easier for them to find what they need, and offer different perspectives, it fills my heart. Helping them grow their businesses, support their families, and find their place in the community is incredibly fulfilling. At the end of the day, I want a fulfilled heart, a full cup, and a community that I've helped shape. I think that's amazing and cool. It's what keeps me going.